Neal lashes out at panel for killing racial profiling bill

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 | 9:33 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, had harsh words for the Senate Government Affairs Committee after it unanimously voted down his racial profiling bill Wednesday.

"(The committee) doesn't give a damn about blacks and Hispanics being stopped by police," Neal said.

Senate Bill 20 would have designated racial profiling by police as a crime.

An angry Neal suggested that Senate Minority Leader Dana Titus, D-Las Vegas, turned her back on minority citizens by allowing the committee to kill the bill.

"They decided to take the position of social conservatives that have this plan against Hispanics and blacks across the nation to deny them their rights," Neal said. "This is what this committee has done."

Neal said the committee vote goes against the spirit of a recent report that indicated police in Nevada might be racially profiling motorists.

Titus said she was outraged at Neal's allegations.

"Nothing is further from the truth," she said. "I agreed with Joe there is a problem. But no state makes (profiling) a misdemeanor. It's too impossible to enforce."

Sen. Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, made the motion to kill the bill Wednesday.

"This bill causes problems," she said. "I don't approve of any racial profiling, but it looks like it is profiling (police) officers."

Titus agreed, but said she believes racial profiling by police should be addressed in other ways. She suggested that staff members examine similar guidelines in other states.

"There may be other alternatives," she said.

Titus said she thinks that police departments could continue to collect racial data, and include the badge number of officers involved in any incidents to determine if there is a cultural or ongoing problem in the department.

Massachusetts has a section in its driver's handbook stating that racial profiling is not allowed, and it outlines the steps people should take if they feel they have been wrongly singled out, Titus said.

She said Nevada could consider a similar approach. She also suggested sensitivity training for police.

Law enforcement officials had testified against the bill.

Ron Dreher of the Police Officers Research Association of Nevada said the bill would hinder officers who stop cars on suspicion of a violation.

Law enforcement officers also noted that the term racial profiling itself is vague.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said the bill would be a "disincentive" for officers to stop errant motorists because the officers might be concerned about being sued.

The bill was one of the first killed this legislative session, now in its second week.