Cedar Rapids pursues three-year traffic stop analysis thegazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thegazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As social justice advocates target police violence against people of color, traffic stops are under growing scrutiny. Here s everything you need to know:
Why are traffic stops important? Scores of studies have shown the same pervasive pattern: Black people are more likely to be pulled over for traffic violations, and more likely to be searched when they re stopped. The most comprehensive study of the issue comes from Stanford University s Open Policing Project, which in 2020 found persistent racial bias in nearly 100 million police stops made by 21 state agencies and 35 municipal departments. Tellingly, the racial disparity dropped after sunset when it s harder for an officer to see a driver s face. Black drivers were searched about twice as often as white drivers even though they were less frequently found to be carrying contraband. Driving while Black is very much a thing, says Kelsey Shoub, an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina and co-author of Susp
Police legally allowed to stop people for air fresheners The danger that police traffic stops pose greatly outweighs any benefit
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Air fresheners that hang from rearview mirrors, a common accessory for cars, can be seen as illegal in some states that have laws prohibiting objects that can obstruct a driver’s view.
Though considered a low-level offense like having tinted windows or broken taillights, many civil rights advocates say offenses like these have become common excuses used to target people of color during traffic stops, according to the
Daunte Wright was 20 years old, out driving with his girlfriend in his new car.
Why Police Can Stop Motorists With Air Fresheners Hanging in Their Cars
A majority of states have laws making it illegal to hang anything from a rearview mirror that obscures a driver’s view. But critics say the laws are often used as pretexts.
Phil Colbert was pulled over by a sheriff s deputy for hanging an air freshener from his rearview mirror.Credit.Courtney Pedroza for The New York Times
April 17, 2021, 3:00 a.m. ET
Phil Colbert was on his way to meet his father for lunch before his shift at an Arizona auto dealership in 2019 when he saw the flashing lights of a sheriff’s patrol car in his mirror. He made sure his hands were on the steering wheel, planted at 10 and 2 as his parents had taught him, and asked why he had been stopped.
Why police can stop motorists with air fresheners hanging in their cars chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.