Proposed Bill Could Legalize Traffic Stops On Private Property

The current law stipulates that private properties are immune to penalties that relate to speeding or running stop signs in the owner's apartment complex, but Republican State Senator Brandt Hershman and Lafayette police hopes to change this, wlfi.com reports.

Hershman almost annually rides along with the department.

"I ask them, 'What tools would help them do their job in trying to address crime in Lafayette?" said Hershman.

With no hesitation, the department responds that it would be to be able to make traffic stops on privately owned apartment complex property.

"Any apartment complex or any private property where we are having a lot of criminal activity, we run into hiccups on getting people stopped legally," said Lafayette Police Sgt. Adam Mellady.

When Hershman's bill gets a go, it would allow police to make stops on private property through an optional agreement that owners can sign. Sgt. Mellady suggested such move for quite an unusual reason.

"It's not that the police department is reaching out and needing more profits from traffic stops, that's not the reason why I brought it up to him," said Mellady. "I brought it up to him because traffic stops are the basic principle of what police departments do. It's the basic job that a police officer does everyday, but they lead to so much more."

According to him, it can help catch those who are driving under the influence, on drug possession or stolen property. He adds that it has been frustrating to not be able to apprehend people on private property.

"Because several of the people that we might target for traffic stops that might be involved in criminal activity that are operating vehicles on private property, know that we can't stop them on private property," said Mellady.

But aside from those, safety is another significant factor.

"If you've got children playing, there are all sorts of reasons that you would want to be able to do that," said Hershman. "This just puts another tool in the toolbox for local law enforcement."

Mellady believes that this could be an effective tool to help address most of the city's problem areas.