SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Sen. Brent Taylor announced Wednesday morning he filed legislation to stop city and county governments from restricting routine traffic stops by law enforcement.
“Crime is on the rise across the country,” Taylor said in the press release. “Violent crime has reached a crisis level in Memphis. Police officers and deputy sheriff’s need to have more tools available to combat rising crime, not fewer. This proposed law will prohibit cities and counties from restricting routine traffic stops and other crime-fighting tactics.”
Last year, the Memphis City Council approved a resolution to ban Memphis Police from stopping vehicles for expired tags, broken taillights, loose bumpers and other similar offenses. The Shelby County Commission defeated a comparable ordinance, the announcement cited.
The press release also said routine traffic stops have led to major arrests of violent criminals for years and are a proven means of catching dangerous criminals.
Senate District 31 is represented by Taylor and includes East Memphis, Germantown, Lakeland and parts of Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville and Cordova.