Wichita, KS -- Mayor Bob Knight is supporting a bill recently introduced in Congress to end the practice of racial profiling in America. The proposal, called “End Racial Profiling Act of 2001,” submitted by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) would ban racial profiling and require law enforcement agencies to implement measures to eliminate the practice.
“I believe this bill would greatly assist efforts currently underway by Police Departments throughout the country to ensure laws are enforced equally without regard to race, gender, religion, or economic status,” said Mayor Knight. “This proposal to prohibit racial profiling is a natural extension of the City of Wichita’s commitment to eradicate racism from our community.”
The Wichita Police Department is working aggressively to address this issue by implementing policies and procedures that prohibit the practice; updating training curriculum to promote diversity awareness and cultural sensitivity; collecting data on traffic stops and recruiting ethnic minorities into law enforcement positions.
Mayor Knight is a national leader in the campaign to end racism. He made the issue of eliminating racism in America the central theme of his term as President of the National League of Cities in 2000. The bill is also endorsed by the National League of Cities and theNational Council of La Raza, the largest Latino civil rights organization.
The End Racial Profiling Act of 2001 ((H.R. 2074 and S. 989) would ban racial profiling and require federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to take steps to eliminate the practice. The bill would authorize the U.S. Attorney General to provide incentive grants to assist state and local law enforcement agencies with compliance requirements, including: adopting policies that prohibit racial profiling; Implementing complaint procedures to respond to complaints of racial profiling effectively; implementing disciplinary procedures for officers who engage in the practice; and collecting data on routine investigatory activities like traffic and pedestrian stops.