Black Legislator Sues Police Over ‘Targeting’ Stops

A state assemblyman who was pulled over by Beverly Hills police in June has sued the department, alleging that officers target blacks for traffic stops.

The lawsuit, on behalf of Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles), was filed last week in federal court in Los Angeles, attorney Robert Tanenbaum said.

“We haven’t seen it so I don’t have any comment on it,” police spokesman Lt. Edward Kreins said Thursday.

Murray’s suit and two others filed previously on behalf of nine other clients allege that police “engaged in a racist practice and policy that stops blacks” who are young and male, Tanenbaum said.

In early June, Murray was stopped as he and his fiancee were driving in his Corvette to a restaurant to celebrate Murray’s victory in a hard-fought primary campaign for a state Senate seat.

“They stop you just because you look out of place and then they look for other reasons as a pretext,” Murray said.

Kreins said the car was stopped because it was missing a front license plate and for other causes that he declined to discuss.

The officer ran a computer check on the license plate but could retrieve no information on it. Lawmakers have special plates, and registration information is not readily available.

No ticket was issued for the missing front plate.

Murray said the officer never mentioned the missing plate and told Murray she didn’t need a reason to stop him.

The department has denied it targets minorities.

Murray said he was prompted to sue after Gov. Pete Wilson last month vetoed his bill that would have required police and California Highway Patrol officers to keep statistics on who they stop and why, and whether a ticket or citation was issued.