Anti-racial profiling legislation has been introduced in Georgia to curb the practice of law enforcement officers stopping people based on their race or ethnicity.

The legislation, SB-325, was introduced by Senator Gloria Butler. Representative Pedro Marin plans to introduce a similar bill in the House. The issue came to light when Cobb County resident Mark Bell, an African American, left his home after 10 pm a few months ago to go to the grocery store. A police car pulled up behind Bell, checked his license plate, and followed him all the way to the store. Bell said while the officer never stopped him, the message was clear. “It was racial profiling,” Bell said. “Here in 2010, that is unacceptable in Georgia. A black man can’t leave his house after 10 pm without being profiled. You become fearful. It is mentally nerve-racking.”

Under Butler’s bill, police officers would be required to record the age, gender, race and ethnicity of every person they pull over. That data would be analyzed to detect trends that could show whether racial profiling is happening. The bill also calls for annual officer training. Butler said it would not add to the budget.

“We think this bill is necessary, because racial profiling is a pervasive and serious problem,” Butler said. “People of color are more likely to be stopped and searched by police. Racial profiling is ineffective and based on false assumptions.”

According to an attorney for the ACLU of Georgia, Azadeh N. Shahshahani, 26 states prevent racial profiling of motorists. Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Louisiana are the only states in the Southeast that ban the practice. Shahshahani added that 14 states have laws that mandate collection of stop and search data.

“We know that if your skin color is darker than mine or your religion is not Christian, you are likely to be racial profiled,” said the Rev. Tracy Blagec, the vice president of Atlantans Building Leadership of Empowerment, which has joined lawmakers, along with the ACLU, to get the legislation passed. “People like me don’t get pulled over.”

Sen. Donzella James (D-College Park) said her son was stopped and questioned about why he was driving a nice car and dressed up. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta), who is white, recalled stories of how her son would get stopped when he was riding in cars with young black men.

Representative Marin, who is Hispanic, said it is good timing for this bill. In 2004, 117 members of the House voted yes on a racial profiling bill, but it later died in conference committee. “It has been a long struggle to get this bill before the governor,” Marin said. “But I truly believe it is the right time to get the bill signed, enacted and placed into law.