In Suffolk, advocates rally against racial disparities in traffic stops

Dozens of people rallied in Hauppauge on Saturday against racial disparities in traffic stops and called for Suffolk County lawmakers to pass legislation that stops police from using minor infractions to search for evidence of another crime.

Within sight of the H. Lee Dennison Building, home to the county's main offices, the advocates also called for greater police-data transparency on traffic stops. Some chanted while others held up signs to push their message: “Just stop unjust stops.”

Terryl Dozier, a member of Long Island United to Transform Policing and Community Safety, said Long Islanders of different walks of life should be able to get home safely, no matter their race or occupation.

“[We deserve to] show up to our jobs without first being harassed on the road,” he told those on hand. “Show up to our children’s schools without worrying about being stopped over petty nonsense.”

Police have faced scrutiny in recent years over harassment of people of color and over their handling of traffic stops. This year, Suffolk agreed to settle a 2015 federal lawsuit filed by a Manhattan-based civil rights organization that accused the department of discriminating against Latinos, Newsday reported.

In 2020, Newsday reported that Black and Hispanic drivers faced tougher enforcement than their white counterparts from Suffolk police. Officers pulled over Black drivers nearly four times more often than white drivers, and Hispanic drivers twice as often, according to that analysis.

White people make up the largest share of Suffolk County police traffic stops, followed by Hispanic and Black people, according to a Suffolk County preliminary database looking at traffic stops in 2022. However, Black people were more likely to be searched and/or have a vehicle searched out of the racial and ethnic groups observed, according to the database. 

Suffolk County police referred a request for comment to county officials.

County spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle said in a statement: “We remain committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure fair, just and equitable policing for all.” 

Since 2014, Suffolk County police have pledged to collect more thorough traffic stop data, the county said. With the implementation of its police reform plan, Suffolk also has created internal dashboards so the department can make data-driven decisions, the county said.

At Saturday’s event, Joessie Mathews, a community leader with the Long Island Social Justice Action Network, said bad traffic stops have implications that can follow a driver after a roadway encounter with law enforcement ends.

“It’s fees that they have to pay; it’s leaving time from work. It’s all these things that are kind of preventing us from progressing in life and that’s what we’re trying to do in life,” Mathews said.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.