We’ve all been there before. You’re driving along and you see a pair of flashing blue lights in your rearview mirror. Whether or not you’ve done anything wrong, you get a sinking feeling in your stomach. You’ve read enough news stories, seen enough headlines, and lived in the American police state long enough to be anxious about any encounter with a cop that takes place on the side of the road.
For better or worse, from the moment you’re pulled over, you’re at the mercy of law enforcement officers who have almost absolute discretion to decide who is a threat, what constitutes resistance, and how harshly they can deal with the citizens they were appointed to “serve and protect.” This is what I call “blank check policing,” in which the police get to call all of the shots. So if you’re nervous about traffic stops, you have every reason to be. Trying to predict the outcome of any encounter with the police is a bit like playing Russian roulette: most of the time you will emerge relatively unscathed, although decidedly poorer and less secure about your rights, but there’s always the chance that an encounter will turn deadly.
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Show Notes
Rutherford Institute Sues Police Over 'Broken Taillight' Traffic Stop That Resulted in Driver Being Punched, Beaten, Arrested and Hospitalized
“Traffic stops,” Bureau of Justice Statistics
“You really can get pulled over for driving while black, federal statistics show,” The Washington Post
“Cars Most Likely To Get A Ticket,” Forbes
“Federal Appeals Court: Driving With Upright Posture and Acne Is Sufficient Evidence For Traffic Stop,” Truth in Media
“Federal Appeals Court Declares Air Fresheners Suspicious,” The Newspaper
Heien v. North Carolina (2014)
“South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder of Walter Scott,” The New York Times
“Black Man Samuel Dubose Shot in Head by Cincinnati Cop Ray Tensing,” NBC News
“Dashboard Video Shows South Carolina State Trooper Shooting Allegedly Unarmed Driver,” People
“Police dashcam shows South Carolina cop shoot 70-year-old Vietnam veteran as the man reached in the back of his truck for his cane during routine traffic stop,” Daily Mail
“Florida deputy stops black man on bike, shoots him 4 seconds later,” Chicago Tribune
“Sandra Bland death: New details only make case murkier,” CNN
“Sandra Bland's family 'infuriated' at video of her arrest,” CNN
“Here's what drivers, police are allowed to do during traffic stops,” Newsnet5
“Police fatally shoot black man they say took ‘shooting stance’ in San Diego suburb, sparking protests,” The Washington Post
“Man shot dead by Metro cops was wanted on felonies in Arizona,” Las Vegas Sun
“Police must pay $6.5 million after killing man holding water nozzle,” Los Angeles Times
“Chicago Police Fatally Shoot 2, Raising New Questions for a Force Under Scrutiny,” The New York Times
“Alabama man who rushed police officer with metal spoon after stun gun had no effect is shot and killed: police,” Daily News
“New Details Released On Bartow Officer-Involved Shooting,” Cartersville Patch
“Naked man shot, killed by police,” CBS 46
“Multiple officers open fire, kill man in Baltimore County,” The Washington Post
“Man shot to death by L.A. County deputy was not a carjacking suspect, officials say,” Los Angeles Times
“Officer involved in fatal Midtown shooting booked into jail,” WXIA
“Tulsa Police Shoot, Kill Unarmed Black Man, DOJ Investigating,” ABC News
“N.C. Trooper Investigated in Fatal Shooting of Deaf Motorist,” The New York Times
“Deputy shoots and kills unarmed homeless man, prompting investigation,” Los Angeles Times
“WWII vet's death a textbook case of excessive force, but no hashtag for him,” Chicago Tribune
Nervous About Traffic Stops? I Am. You Should Be, Too
Battlefield America: The War on the American People
Rutherford Institute