Overview

• The county attorney’s office will generally decline felony charges that arise only from non‑public‑safety traffic infractions such as expired tabs, broken lights, cracked windshields, excessive tint or similar equipment and signaling violations.
• Prosecutors will consider case‑by‑case exceptions for a compelling public safety interest, with decisions guided by whether evidence relates to an imminent or serious threat.
• The Minneapolis Police Department said the move will not alter its patrols because similar limits on pretext stops have been in place since 2021 under reform guidance.
• Moriarty cited Minneapolis data showing guns were found in less than 0.5% of moving and equipment stops and drugs in 2.71%, and pointed to Ramsey County’s 2021 policy that officials say cut stops by 86% and searches by 92% without harming public safety.
• Reactions split, with the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association condemning the policy as dangerous as Valerie Castile praised it in the context of her son Philando Castile’s fatal stop.