Bill > SB55

This bill modifies laws regarding police stops and the admissibility of evidence in Maryland. It requires police officers to display identification and state the reason for a traffic stop at its commencement, and to document all reasons for the stop on any resulting citation or report. While failure to comply with these identification and information requirements may lead to disciplinary action, it will no longer be grounds for excluding evidence under the exclusionary rule, which is a legal principle that prevents illegally obtained evidence from being used in court. Additionally, the bill restricts when police can stop vehicles for certain minor traffic violations, such as expired registration or issues with registration plates, making these violations enforceable only as a "secondary action." This means an officer can only cite these offenses if they have already stopped the driver for a more serious suspected violation of another law. The bill also clarifies that officers can only enforce certain equipment violations, like a broken headlight or improper window tint, as a secondary action, and in some cases, can issue a repair order instead of a citation. The provisions related to secondary enforcement of registration violations are retroactive and will apply to cases not yet finalized.

Justice

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0055?ys=2026RS