Police react to HB1510, halting minor traffic violation stops in 2023

SOUTHERN OREGON, —NBC5 News first told you last week, that Governor Brown signed a bill into law that aims to prevent police from pulling over drivers, for minor traffic violations. Law enforcement is weighing on what this will look like, moving forward.

According to House Bill 1510, minor violations include situations like a single broken headlight, tail light, or brake light. However, if a driver is pulled over for another reason, like speeding, they could get a ticket for any of those minor violations.

The bill also requires a police officer to inform a pulled-over driver that they can refuse consent to a vehicle search. Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler, says the bill limits officer’s discretion, to pull vehicles over.

“For us, I don’t see how it really befits us from a point of safety, in Jackson County, we have a lot of rural roadways, areas where lighting is important for safety,” said Jackson County Sheriff, Nathan Sickler.

Backers say the bill’s goal is to reduce the disproportionate impact of the justice system on racial minorities in the state and prevent possible profiling.

Sheriff Sickler says his team will be ready to comply with the new law, when it goes into effect on January 1st, 2023.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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