Kansas Legislature passes bill prohibiting racial profiling

The House and Senate passed a racial profiling bill today, sending it to the governor to be signed. The bill requires all law enforcement agencies to create and adopt a written policy prohibiting racial profiling by their officers. The policy would include annual training, discipline for violations, and a provision to inform the public of the right to file complaints. Sen. Donald Betts, who sponsored the bill, said the original 12-page bill had been watered down to two pages. "We are making progress," he said. "It's a first step, a baby step." The bill was weakened by the elimination of a provision that would have made it a misdemeanor for officers to commit profiling, as well as by other compromises. Pedestrian stops also were eliminated from the bill, limiting it to traffic stops. [more]