2026 Convening on Right-Sizing Traffic Enforcement: PANEL 2 - Decriminalizing Non-Safety Stops

Monday, April 27- April 28, 2026 Elected officials, police leaders, and members of the Traffic Safety for All Coalition share lessons learned from past legislative sessions and consider future opportunities to end non-safety-related and pretextual stops through state and local legislation. Moderated by Daniela Gilbert (Vera Institute of Justice), panelists Marqueece Harris-Dawson (Los Angeles City Council), Paul Kashmann (Denver City Council), Chauncee Smith (Catalyst California), Chief Ron Thomas (Denver Police Department), and Isaiah Thomas (Philadelphia City Council) discuss building a shared narrative around safety on the road, leveraging research and data to drive policy changes, and weighing specific legislative options for reclassifying offenses. In 2025, the Traffic Safety for All coalition launched with more than 20 member organizations united by the goal of advancing statewide legislation to end non-safety-related and pretextual stops. Learn more here: https://www.trafficsafety4all.org/