Denver may make limits on low-level police traffic stops permanent
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Denver City Council members are considering writing limits on low-level traffic stops into city law, making the policy harder for future police chiefs to undo.
Why it matters: Codifying the restrictions, which have been in place since May 2024, would then require City Council approval — rather than a chief's pen stroke — to make major changes.
What they're saying: "It's important we put it into ordinance ... to make a statement that this is not only what our chief of police believes, but what we as a city believe," Councilmember Paul Kashmann, who's leading the proposal, tells Axios.
- "If we wait, I don't know how long Chief [Ron] Thomas is going to be chief of police. I don't know how long Mayor [Mike] Johnston's going to be mayor of Denver," he says.
The big picture: Existing policy tells officers to prioritize dangerous behavior — speeding, reckless driving, DUI and running red lights — over minor violations like cracked taillights and expired registration.
- Officers can still make those stops if they suspect a more serious crime, and the chief can authorize targeted enforcement campaigns, including periodic crackdowns on expired plates.
- The overall goal of the 2024 change, Thomas said at the time, was "earning and regaining" public trust and "making better use of our time."
Between the lines: Proponents say minor, or "pretextual," stops have long been used disproportionately to stop people of color, despite doing little to improve public safety.
- They point to research suggesting departments can reduce racial disparities without increasing crime by focusing on more dangerous driving.
By the numbers: Denver traffic stops fell roughly 50% in the four months after the policy change took effect.
Zoom in: The proposal would also address one of the biggest gaps in the city's current system: data.
- The Department of Safety would issue quarterly reports explaining why officers made stops and how those encounters ended.
City data presented Monday during a Budget and Policy Committee hearing shows about 75,600 traffic stops from January 2022 through March 2026 ended without a citation.
- But officials can't reliably explain why many of those stops occurred because the city's systems don't consistently record that information.
The other side: Councilmember Kevin Flynn argued during Monday's committee hearing that the council shouldn't "micromanage" police operations by putting the policy into city code, particularly before the council has enough local data to evaluate its impact.
- Flynn also said the proposal sends "the wrong message" as many residents are calling for more enforcement, not less.
What's next: Kashmann tells us he expects to introduce a formal ordinance in the coming months.