Advertisement

Editorial: Justice probe welcome, but Tampa police should change now

 
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and police Chief Jane Castor are right to ask the Department of Justice to examine the way police enforce bicycle laws.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and police Chief Jane Castor are right to ask the Department of Justice to examine the way police enforce bicycle laws.
Published April 23, 2015

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and police Chief Jane Castor are right to ask the U.S. Justice Department to examine the way police enforce bicycle laws. A Tampa Bay Times' investigation revealed a Tampa Police Department policy that unfairly targets bicyclists in poor black neighborhoods for minor cycling infractions in hopes of uncovering bigger crimes. The department's selective enforcement reeks of racial profiling. Federal investigators can provide another objective evaluation, but the city should change its policy now.

In his first public statements, Buckhorn said he and Castor have asked the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to review the enforcement of state bicycle laws. The mayor also said the police department would immediately launch a new tracking system that will monitor every traffic stop, ticket and warning issued. The department also plans to hold monthly meetings with the public to discuss policing issues.

The actions come after the Times' Alexandra Zayas and Kameel Stanley reported Sunday that the Tampa Police Department issues more bicycle tickets than any other law enforcement agency in the state.

In the last three years, Tampa police have issued 2,504 bike tickets, more than St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, Miami and Orlando combined. Nearly 80 percent of those tickets went to blacks, who make up 26 percent of the city's population. Most of the tickets were written in poor black neighborhoods, where residents complain of getting multiple tickets in a single day. Infractions include cycling without a bike light, riding with no hands on bike grips or carrying someone on a bike's handlebars. One man's bike was impounded after he was unable to provide a receipt proving that he owned it. Some tickets went to children, who should not be introduced to the criminal justice system at such an early age for trivial offenses when a warning would do. The Times also found that most bike stops last year failed to result in arrests.

Tampa police have denied any wrongdoing and say their tactics have helped reduce crime. But the department's justification for bike enforcement doesn't add up for a policy that embraces discriminatory policing tactics that have been decried and abandoned in other parts of the country.

While Buckhorn and Castor's position sets the right tone for a department that clearly needs to improve, they were slow to react and too defensive in the face of overwhelming evidence of racial profiling. Castor's position has been evolving, from staunchly defending the department to raising diversions to finally acknowledging the data presents "troublesome" statistics that deserve review. That reflects the power of undeniable public records and swift public reaction.

Castor has suggested that to hold her and the department accountable for the city's bike enforcement policy is tantamount to accusing them of racism. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the comprehensive data compiled by the Times speaks for itself. Even absent malicious intent, the department's uneven enforcement policy has resulted in the unequal treatment of black bicyclists.

Spend your days with Hayes

Spend your days with Hayes

Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter

Columnist Stephanie Hayes will share thoughts, feelings and funny business with you every Monday.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

The community is right to be outraged. While awaiting the results of the federal investigation, Tampa police should do more than track traffic stops. It should change its bicycle enforcement policy. That would go a long way toward building a bridge with a community that has been unfairly targeted.