Monday, November 8, 2021

Traffic stops, which are supposed to be routine, increasingly are turning deadly, causing some to call for cops to be removed from a dangerous equation

 

Traffic stops seem to be the most routine of all law-enforcement duties. But such stops are increasingly turning deadly, a new study shows, causing some jurisdictions to consider taking the enforcement of traffic laws out of the hands of police. From an e-newletter of The New York Times, which conducted the investigation:

Over the past five years, police officers have killed more than 400 drivers or passengers who were not wielding a gun or a knife, or who weren’t under pursuit for a violent crime — a rate of more than one a week, a Times investigation found.

Many were stopped for common traffic offenses: a broken taillight, running a red light or swerving across double yellow lines. Relative to the population, Black drivers were overrepresented among those killed.

What could be driving this alarming trend? One factor appears to be money:

Traffic stops — which can be driven by the demand for revenue to fund towns — are the most common interactions between police officers and the public. The police consider them among the most dangerous things they do.

Officers have been charged in 32 cases, and nearly two dozen are pending. Only five officers have been convicted of crimes for the killing of motorists. But The Times found that evidence often contradicted the officers’ accounts. A visual investigation rolled back the footage capturing 120 fatal traffic stops and found that in dozens of incidents, officers made tactical mistakes that put them in positions of danger.

In an opinion piece, aol.com suggests cops could be taken out of the traffic equation:

Traffic stops are the most common way Americans interact with the police. The Brooklyn Center, Minn., police killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was shot by an officer who allegedly confused her gun for her Taser while attempting to arrest him, is the latest reminder of how these interactions can quickly turn deadly.

Police conduct roughly 20 million traffic stops a year, according to data from the Stanford Open Policing Project. Though the majority end without major incident, they occasionally result in officers using deadly force. Last year, 121 people were killed by police after being stopped for a traffic violation. Several of the most controversial law enforcement-related deaths in recent years have resulted from traffic stops — including the shooting of Philando Castille in 2016, which occurred miles away from where Wright was killed.

Wright’s killing has also brought attention to so-called pretextual stops, a practice in which police use a minor violation — such as changing lanes without signaling or a broken taillight — as a pretext for investigating an unrelated crime. The Supreme Court has ruled that pretextual stops are constitutional, but critics say these stops fuel racial bias in policing. Researchers have found that Black drivers are 20 percent more likely to be pulled over and up to twice as likely to be searched even though they were “less likely to be carrying drugs, guns or other illegal contraband compared to their white peers.”

We have reported previously on pretext traffic stops. (See here, here, and here, Some good news: The law took a turn in a positive direction in 2015.)

Why there’s debate

Traffic stops, in theory, promote public safety by discouraging unsafe driving and providing police an opportunity to identify more serious crimes. But police reform advocates say the high number of killings and evidence of racial bias show that, in practice, the stops do far more harm than good. A number of potential solutions have been proposed to make traffic enforcement safer and less prone to abuse.

Where could this issue be headed. We have insight from aol.com

Supporters of the movement to defund the police have called on local governments to establish separate traffic agencies staffed by unarmed monitors who would handle noncriminal traffic enforcement duties that currently fall under police purview. These agencies, proponents argue, could keep the streets safe from dangerous drivers while reducing the risk of violent incidents. Some reform advocates say less dramatic policy changes, such as ending pretextual stops and only pulling over those who commit the most dangerous violations, could greatly reduce the number of incidents that escalate to violence. Others say technologies like red-light cameras and speed cameras could take a large share of the human element out of traffic enforcement.

Skeptics warn against enacting widespread changes in response to what they see as a small number of high-profile incidents. They say pretextual stops, an element of what’s known as proactive policing, help police keep drugs and guns off the streets. Others say traffic enforcers would face substantial danger while conducting traffic stops without a means to defend themselves. There are also fears that cameras would be prone to mistakes and contribute to a worrisome level of government surveillance.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to know more about these strategic blunders that cops tend to make that put them in danger during traffic stops.

legalschnauzer said...

Yes, it would be good to know more about that. Here is a little more information on the subject from the Times e-newsletter:

Over the past five years, nine officers have been fatally run over, pinned or dragged by drivers in vehicles. But in many instances, local police officers, state troopers and sheriff’s deputies put themselves at risk. Some officers who fatally shot motorists didn’t appear to be in any jeopardy at all, The Times investigation showed.

legalschnauzer said...

Here is a link to an NYT sidebar that apparently addresses the issue you raise, @10:39. Unfortunately, the NYT paywall keeps me from viewing the article. (Darned these companies that want to be paid for their services!) Will see if I can find the info elsewhere. Would welcome help from any readers who might subscribe to NYT.

Anonymous said...

Traffic cameras that automate citations are an abomination. We had some nearby and it in no time flat took millions of dollars from the SMALL community and gave it to private for profit companies. This company was from Australia. People need to think about where their money is actually going!

legalschnauzer said...

Traffic stop safety: What a police simulation aims to teach new Delaware student drivers:

Keep your hands visible. Cooperate with police. Don’t act combative.

This is advice that Jason Hatchell, a spokesperson for the Delaware State Police, gave to students at William Penn High School near New Castle on Thursday morning. He was one of the officers leading a traffic stop safety initiative hosted by U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss.

“It’s a dynamic situation," Weiss said. "(The initiative) doesn’t just benefit the kids, it benefits law enforcement."

A group of about 25 sophomores – most of whom do not yet have their driver’s licenses – lined up outside to watch a simulated traffic stop around 9 a.m. after a “Road Rules and Rights” presentation to 200 students in the cafeteria. The demonstration outside the school was primarily a media event to showcase the initiative.

legalschnauzer said...

Florida deputy shot at 8 times during traffic stop, ‘armed and dangerous’ suspect on the run:

Stephen Sorace
November 1, 2021·1 min read

Florida deputies are hunting a suspect deemed armed and dangerous after firing nearly a dozen gunshots at a deputy during a traffic stop on Sunday.

Hillsborough County Deputy Geovanny Rodriguez, 29, made the traffic stop just before 5 a.m. near 43rd Street and Skipper Road, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

WASHINGTON POLICE OFFICER SHOT AFTER TRYING TO STOP BURGLARY WHILE OFF DUTY

The suspect fired eight gunshots toward the deputy, striking the patrol vehicle multiple times. Rodriguez was not injured during the incident and was able to return fire as the suspect fled, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office shared photos of the patrol vehicle’s bullet-riddled windshield.

"We are just thankful our deputy is safe today," said Chief Deputy Donna Luczynski. "This type of violence towards our deputies will not be tolerated in our community. We are asking anyone with any information to please come forward."

Deputies said that a description of the suspect was not immediately available.

The suspect’s vehicle, a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee, is believed to have been stolen on Wednesday. The vehicle was recovered nearby the scene shortly after the shooting.

Traffic stops are considered to be one of the most dangerous encounters police can have, according to law enforcement officers. Cops often navigate situations where they find drugs in vehicles, come across drivers or passengers with warrants, and approach vehicles with tinted windows.

Three police officers were feloniously killed during traffic stops in 2020, according to data released earlier this year by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

legalschnauzer said...

Minnesota Police Claim 'Not-Reaching Pouches' Will Help Them Stop Shooting People:

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is getting mocked for a new method it claims may reduce the number of people shot by police during traffic encounters: pouches.

Yes, pouches.

But these aren’t just any pouches. They are “not-reaching pouches,” and they are designed to be used by drivers, not police officers.

According to a press release, motorists are supposed to place their driver’s license, insurance card and registration in a pouch that is kept in plain sight in the vehicle.

The idea is that keeping everything in the pouch will make it easier for the stopped motorist to give their information to the traffic officer without having to reach into a glove box or other place.

We recently purchased some Not-Reaching Pouches to help reduce deadly force encounters between law enforcement and citizens during traffic stops. The pouches store a driver’s license, and insurance card in plain sight in the vehicle on an air vent or other visible location.

legalschnauzer said...

I did a search on "deadly traffic stops and Yahoo," and that produced a lot of info. Will share some of it here:

Anonymous said...

https://www.rawstory.com/iowa-trooper-indicted-excessive-force/

Anonymous said...

https://www.rawstory.com/iowa-trooper-indicted-excessive-force/

Iowa State Trooper is facing federal charges for violent arrest — and could get 10 years in prison
Sarah K. Burris
November 11, 2021

legalschnauzer said...

Interesting story about the Iowa trooper. Thanks for sharing.