Ban Consent Searches
2024 Update: The Freedom to Leave Act
In late February, Councilmember Jawando introduced The Freedom to Leave Act (F2L Act): a bill to ban consent searches. Consent searches allow officers to skip the need for warrants or probable cause simply by asking people for their permission. This bill aims to ban consent searches because they are never truly voluntary due to the power imbalance between people and the police.
YPP supports the F2L Act because Black and Latine drivers are disproportionately targeted by these stops and they are used as an unfair pretext to search for drugs. This builds upon a long-standing history of racial discrimination in the county. Over 20 years ago, the NAACP filed a complaint with the US Department of Justice alleging that the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) engaged in discriminatory traffic enforcement. That complaint led to a memorandum of agreement that ordered MCPD to collect and report data so that their discriminatory practices could be tracked.
According to a
recent report by the County Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO), disparities in traffic enforcement persist and have even worsened in recent years! From 2018 - 2022, Black and Latinx drivers were stopped, cited, searched and arrested at rates far exceeding their representation in our population, while White and Asian drivers were stopped at rates far below their population numbers.
| Race & Ethnicity | Number of Consent Searches | Percent of Consent Searches | County Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 41 | 2.3% | 14.5% |
| Latinx | 811 | 45.4% | 17.3% |
| White | 394 | 22.1% | 18.6% |
| Other | 480 | 26.9% | 45.9% |
| Total | 60 | 3.4% | 0.4% |
| 1,786 |
Other jurisdictions around the country have passed a range of laws and policies similar to the Freedom to Leave Act. This includes the states of Connecticut, California, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
If you would like to learn more about the F2L Act, click here.
Take Action on the Freedom to Leave Act Now!
Over the last few months, YPP has met with a number of councilmembers to assess their support for the bill, gather their concerns, and share our proposed amendments for the legislation. But we need your help!
Contact your County Councilmember: Have you had an adverse experience with police? Did you feel that you were discriminated against in a traffic stop? Do you care about racial justice in your community? If so, email and/or call your County Councilmember to tell them why you support the Freedom to Leave Act. Click here for the call script that you can use while talking to your Councilmember!
To find out who your County Councilmember is and how to contact them, click
here.