The Honorable Orrin G. Hatch
131 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Hatch: 

On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Council of LaRaza, the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights, and the National Congress of American Indians, urge you to co-sponsor S.821 (the Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act of 1999), which is currently pending in the Judiciary Committee. The bill requires the Attorney General to conduct a study of traffic stops to discern the extent to which race plays a part in these stops. According to a December 1999 Gallup poll, the majority of Americans believe that racial profiling is widespread and wrong. It is essential that federal leadership ascertain the extent of the problem. 

The bill does not require any law enforcement agency to collect specific types of data. Participation in this study is wholly voluntary. Many jurisdictions are already voluntarily collecting data on racial profiling: 5 states have enacted bills requiring data collection, 20 states have bills pending, and 8 states are expected to have similar bills introduced in the next legislative session. Also, several cities and hundreds of police departments have begun to collect data voluntarily. This bill authorizes the Attorney General to grant funds to assist jurisdictions in data collection efforts. 

Addressing racial profiling by law enforcement is a priority for all of us. Although S.821 would not require data collection by the police departments, it would give federal support to local initiatives. More importantly, passage of S.821 sends a message to communities concerned about racial profiling that the federal government is committed to understanding the use of racial profiling, to improving the relationship between police departments and the communities that they serve, and to providing equal protection of its citizens. 

We appreciate your consideration of co-sponsorship of S.821.

Sincerely, 

Laura W. Murphy 
Director 
American Civil Liberties Union 

Hilary Shelton 
Director 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 

Daphne Kwok 
Executive Director 
Organization of Chinese Americans 

Raul Yzaguirre 
President 
National Council of LaRaza 

Karen Narasaki 
Executive Director 
National Asian Pacific American 
Legal Consortium Rights 

Wade Henderson 
Executive Director 
Leadership Conference on Civil 

JoAnn K. Chase 
Executive Director 
National Congress of American Indians