Racial Disparities, Total Traffic Stops in Vermont Dropped During COVID But Are Again Increasing Study Finds

Black and Hispanic drivers in Vermont continue to be stopped and searched at higher rates than white drivers. That’s according to new research examining thousands of traffic stops across Vermont.

The research paper is the latest update to an ongoing analysis of racial disparities in traffic policing data across Vermont led by University of Vermont Economics Professor Stephanie Seguino, Cornell Professor Nancy Brooks and Data Analyst Pat Autilio.

Previous statewide analyses were released in 2017 and 2021. They spurred conversation and, in some cases, racial bias training at some Vermont law enforcement agencies.  This update adds data from 2020-23 and examines both the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to investigate whether Black, Hispanic and Asian drivers in Vermont face racial disparities in traffic policing.
— Read on www.uvm.edu/gund/news/racial-disparities-total-traffic-stops-vermont-dropped-during-covid-are-again-increasing

Court Bars Border Patrol’s Unlawful Stop-and-Arrest Practices

Preliminary injunction applies to future Border Patrol operations in the Eastern District of California

FRESNO—Today, in a win for civil rights amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, a federal district court in California issued a preliminary injunction barring U.S. Border Patrol from using stop-and-arrest practices that violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston’s ruling in United Farm Workers v. Noem applies to future Border Patrol operations conducted in the Eastern District of California, which stretches inland from Bakersfield to the Oregon border. 

In her 88-page ruling, Judge Thurston noted: “practices employed by Border Patrol agents during ‘Operation Return to Sender’— including detentive stops on foot patrols and vehicular stops without reasonable suspicion—the plans of Border Patrol to perform additional, similar operations in this District and the seeming position of the government that Border Patrol agents are not currently trained on their obligations under the Fourth Amendment” demonstrated imminent, irreparable harm to the people affected by Border Patrol’s actions.

York police departments merge after chief’s retirement | fox43.com

A York County police department announced this week it is merging with a neighboring law enforcement agency.
The Spring Garden Township Police Department said Thursday it will merge police services with York County Regional Police.
The decision comes after the retirement of longtime Police Chief George Swartz Jr., whose retirement after 44 years was announced earlier this month.
— Read on www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-county/spring-garden-township-police-merger-york-county-regional-police/521-76c72a95-456b-4843-aff9-a83ca922bc29

Police Services Study Spring Garden Township York County, Pennsylvania FEBRUARY 2024

Get it HERE

What Will Trump’s Executive Order on Policing Actually Do? | The Marshall Project

Here’s a look at some of the items in Monday’s executive order, along with context and analysis about the viability and practical implications of each measure.

Legal help for accused officers
Expanded training and more pay for officers
Tougher penalties for crimes against officers
More investment in security and capacity of prisons
A review of police reform agreements
More military-grade equipment and resources for local law enforcement
More money to collect crime data
Prosecution of local and state officials
Homeland Security agents as enforcers
— Read on www.themarshallproject.org/2025/04/29/trump-police-executive-order