Providence gives 1st OK to major changes aimed at profiling

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's largest city has given first passage to a sweeping new ordinance that would ban racial profiling by police and establish strict controls on how officers conduct traffic and pedestrian stops.

The ordinance would, among numerous provisions, limit the use of a gang database and provide protections based on gender identity English-language ability, political affiliation and someone's housing status or medical conditions.

A civil rights attorney who worked on a similar ordinance in New York City said Providence's goes beyond what other cities have done, including for immigrants fearing deportation.

In 2013, the New York City Council overrode vetoes from then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pass an ordinance creating aggressive checks on police, including a new watchdog and easier standards for people to file profiling lawsuits.

Local advocacy groups in Providence have been pushing since 2014 to pass their own police accountability measure, known as the Community Safety Act, but only recently were activists and top city officials able to come to an agreement on its language.