Montgomery County, MD – Today, community organizations and local advocate members of the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign express their concerns over the Public Safety Committee's 2-1 unfavorable decision on the Freedom to Leave Act (Bill 2-24), in which councilmembers Sidney Katz and Dawn Luedtke voted unfavorably. Instead, the committee opted to allow the police department to draft an internal policy aimed at limiting consent searches during traffic stops.
“A policy is certainly better than no action at all—but does not fully protect our community from discriminatory practices. Furthermore, a policy lacks the public input of a formal law and does not allow for public review before being enacted. We urge the County Executive and Chief of Police to allow community members to review this policy, and to publicly share their plans for training officers and sharing data with all stakeholders. The community deserves this transparency.” –Danielle Blocker, Young People for Progress
The Freedom to Leave Act would have prohibited police from relying solely on the consent of a driver or passenger to search a person or a car during a traffic stop, a practice that disproportionately affects Black and brown drivers. From 2018-2022, black drivers account for almost half of all searches but represent less than 20% of the county’s population.
“Consent searches aren’t truly consensual. For so many people, especially vulnerable community members, like immigrants, or anyone who is Black in this County, consenting is a survival tactic, not a choice.” –Eden Aaron, CASA
“Consent searches aren’t effective. Data from around the country show that when police are forced to provide a legal reason (probable cause) to search a car, they are far more likely to find something in it than when they engage in fishing expeditions through consent searches.” –Gregory Brown, ACLU of Maryland
Community organizations, including Young People for Progress (YPP), the ACLU of Maryland, and CASA, continue their fight for a county where all residents are treated equally under the law. They are calling on the County Executive to reconsider the decision and push for a legal framework that protects against disparities and harm in policing.
About the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign:
The Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign, composed of community and civil rights advocacy organizations including Young People for Progress (YPP), the Silver Spring Justice Coalition (SSJC), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland, and Jews United for Justice (JUFJ), shares a commitment to advocating for justice, equity, and improved well-being for all residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. We call for urgent decriminalization and investment in our communities, as well as redress of issues without policing and incarceration. We recognize that Black and brown members of our community have borne the brunt of our historical reliance on police and prisons through excessive policing, over incarceration, and police-inflicted violence. We believe that safety for all community members requires non-violent and non-carceral solutions. In 2024, we aim to create safer and more equitable communities by advocating for the decriminalization of young people in schools and drivers in traffic stops.
For more information on the campaign and its efforts to end minor traffic stops, please contact
Jordy Diaz, jordy@ypforprogress.org.
