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SB 2303

AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY-- POLICE RELATIONSHIP ACT OF 2015

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jonathon Acosta and 9 co-sponsors

The bill requires comprehensive, public data collection and analysis of traffic stops and searches to identify and address racial disparities, with monthly data reporting, quarterl

05/12/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · SB 2303

Overview

SB 2303 (Rhode Island, 2026) concerns the Comprehensive Community–Police Relationship Act of 2015 (CCPRA). It focuses on collecting and analyzing data from traffic stops and searches to identify and address racial disparities, enhances reporting and transparency, and strengthens the role of an advisory committee in guiding data collection, analysis, and policy recommendations. The act would take effect upon passage.

Purpose and Intent

  • Improve understanding of racial disparities in routine traffic stops and vehicle searches by mandating systematic data collection and advanced analysis.
  • Promote accountability and transparency in law enforcement practices related to stops and searches.
  • Facilitate community involvement and civil rights perspectives in the CCPRA framework through an expanded advisory committee and public-facing data tools.

Key Provisions and Changes

Data Collection and Data Requirements (Sections 31-21.2-6)

  • Establishes ongoing data collection on routine traffic stops and searches by:
    • Race/ethnicity, gender, and approximate age of drivers (based on officer perception, not requested from the driver).
    • Stop details: date/time/location, reason for stop, search status, search basis (consent/probable cause/reasonable suspicion), contraband seized, warnings/citations/arrests, stop duration, and whether the vehicle is Rhode Island-registered.
    • For stops with a citation or arrest: include citation/arrest number and officer identity (name/badge number not public).
  • Data collection to commence by a specified date, with a 48-month data collection window after commencement.
  • Departments must transmit data monthly to the Office of Highway Safety (OHS) or its designee; data collection may begin earlier with notice.

Data Use, Public Access, and Enforcement (Sections 31-21.2-7)

  • Data and reports are public, with the exception of identifying individual officers.
  • Officer protection: recording data in good faith shields officers from civil liability except for reckless conduct.
  • Annual agency reporting: departments must report actions taken to address racial disparities, including policy changes, enforcement practice changes, data analyses, community engagement, and disciplinary actions (officer-identified information redacted).
  • Civil action relief: eligible organizations may sue departments for failing to collect/transmit data or comply with requirements, with costs awarded.

Quarterly and Annual Reporting (New Sections 31-21.2-9 to 31-21.2-12)

  • Quarterly data summaries by OHS, including breakdowns by race, age, gender, and outcomes; published publicly within 90 days of each quarter.
  • Annual study: OHS (or designee) commissions an external, statistically rigorous annual study analyzing traffic stop data for disparities; results are public and may include multi-year analyses.
  • Data interface: an online public interface will be created to visualize data by race/ethnicity, with statewide and by-department views; all annual data must be included within one year of the effective date.
  • Agency monthly verifications: agency heads must verify monthly officer stop/search documentation and note any disparities.
  • Annual agency reports: agency heads submit comprehensive annual stop/search reports with compliance certifications, monthly verifications, actions taken to address disparities, and explanations if no remedial action was taken; officer identities remain protected.
  • Funding: implementation and annual studies are contingent on appropriate funding.

CCPRA Advisory Committee (New Section 31-21.2-13)

  • Establishes a 12-member advisory committee to guide CCPRA activities, including gubernatorial, legislative, AG, Public Defender, DPS, Police Chiefs Association, Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, Rhode Island for Community & Justice, NAACP Providence, and two community members.
  • Terms and governance: three-year terms (with initial staggered terms), chaired by the governor’s appointee.
  • Responsibilities: advise on study design and guidelines; review annual agency reports and studies; collaborate with related boards and community groups; recommend policies and enforcement mechanisms; promote public engagement.
  • Support: OHS/its designee provide space and secretarial support.

Who/What Is Affected

  • Rhode Island state police and all municipal police departments (data collection, reporting, and compliance obligations).
  • Office of Highway Safety (and designee) within the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT).
  • CCPRA advisory committee and organizations focusing on discrimination, civil liberties, and community justice.
  • The general public, via publicly accessible data interfaces and reports.

Procedural and Timeline Notes

  • Data collection to commence by (or before) the start of the mandated period; ongoing for 48 months from commencement.
  • Annual public reports and quarterly public data summaries beginning after data collection starts.
  • First annual external traffic stop/search study to be released within 18 months after data collection begins.
  • Public interface to present annual CCPRA data to be operational within one year of the act’s effective date and include all data since inception.
  • The act takes effect upon passage.

Potential Impacts

  • Enhanced transparency around traffic stops and searches.
  • Stronger accountability mechanisms for addressing racial disparities in enforcement.
  • Increased community involvement in data interpretation and policy recommendations.
  • Potential administrative and resource demands on law enforcement agencies and RIDOT to collect, transmit, and verify data, and to support new reporting requirements.

If you’d like, I can extract a concise one-paragraph summary or a comparison with the current CCPRA framework to highlight changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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