Gov. Murphy better get rid of this totally unfair traffic ticket (Opinion)

Well, it’s about time.

Finally, legislation has landed on Gov. Murphy’s desk awaiting his signature that will stop one of the pettiest tickets a cop can possibly write. A ticket for something so common that critics say it has often been used for a pretext stock.

A pretext stop is when an officer pulls over a driver for an incredibly minor offense when they're really looking to see if there's something more going on in the car. It's a legal way for police to conduct profile stops.

The bill would put an end to traffic tickets written for license plate frames that ever so slightly obscure the letters of New Jersey on the plate. The bill states as long as New Jersey can be reasonably deciphered even if very marginally covered these frames would no longer be illegal.

The governor had better sign this. It’s always been a B.S. law and it doesn’t only inconvenience drivers who often aren’t even the ones who put that frame on to begin with. Usually it’s a dealer frame trying to get some free advertising for the dealership. No, it goes beyond that. Like I said, pretext stops.

Imagine being a black driver, or a young new driver, or a long-haired stoner-looking guy. This business of police being allowed to pull over a car that was violating no other laws just because the license plate frame obscured 4% of the lettering in New Jersey has been a real problem to these folks. Any time an officer wanted to unfairly check someone out and see if there was anything else going on in that car they had this as an in.

Gov. Murphy’s big selling point on the legalization of recreational marijuana was social justice because of black people historically being charged at a far higher rate with marijuana offenses than white people even though the consumption rate was the same. So he damn well better look at social justice here in getting rid of this stupid, petty traffic ticket. We'll all look forward to his signature. Even if 4% of it is obscured.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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