The Public Safety Committee voted 13-10 today to cut the 1,500-foot perimeter around schools and daycare centers to 200 feet, after years of concerns from urban lawmakers who note that the 1,500 feet leaves very little space that does not have enhanced penalties for drug use and possession, meaning it creates a disparity in urban areas.
The committee also voted 13-10 to approve An Act Concerning Traffic Stop Information, the old Alvin Penn law requiring law enforcement to report the race of those they stop. This bill would also require those stopped to get a paper record, which is why police chiefs opposed it. It would also include the police officer’s name for those stopped, in a move for transparency.