Advisory Commission on Policing

Public Hearing on Traffic Enforcement

January 9, 2023

Back to ACP home

The Policing Advisory Commission (PAC) of Montgomery County held a virtual public forum on Jan. 9, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. to solicit community testimony and feedback on traffic enforcement in the County by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).  Other police departments -- municipalities, park police, state police, etc. -- are not under the PAC’s purview. View Press Release >>

Below, are examples of questions for members of the public to reflect on and address via their testimony:

  1. The mission of traffic enforcement by police is to make roadways safer. What do you think effective traffic enforcement looks like?
  2. What do you think racially-equitable enforcement should look like?
  3. There is some evidence that when the police traffic enforcement is focused only on serious traffic offenses safety is improved more than with a program of many low-level stops -- and it reduces racial disparities in traffic stops. In your personal experience, were you pulled over for minor violations?  Did minor violations lead to longer questions, additional citations, even searches or arrest?
  4. What can the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) do to help the public view traffic enforcement in a more positive, more effective light?
  5. MCPD traffic officers based in the six police districts provide enforcement based on resident requests. What has your experience been trying to get specific enforcement, or being pulled over for specific enforcement initiatives?
  6. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the use of automated red-light and speed cameras should be a primary strategy for reducing the number and severity of motor vehicle crashes. Do you want more or fewer cameras in your neighborhood?  Do you think they are effective, just revenue collectors, or both?  Do you think camera placement is objective?
  7. Would easy, accessible “data dashboards” (government websites of up-to-date data on a particular subject) make the public feel the department is more transparent about traffic enforcement?
  8. Would a data dashboard overlaying enforcement cameras and accidents make the public feel the department is more transparent about traffic enforcement?
  9. Would you find it helpful for the MCPD to publish complaint data for each of the county’s six police districts?
  10. Do you feel you have been subject to a pretextual stop by the MCPD? (i.e. pulled over for something minor like expired registration, only to have police question you as if you were engaged in more serious crime?
  11. If you have been searched by officers of the MCPD, did you feel it was justified by the situation? Did the police find anything illegal?
  12. Would you be interested in the MCPD publishing an annual traffic enforcement report?

Submitted Testimony