[Americana] Pulled Over: What to Know About Deadly Police Traffic Stops

A New York Times investigation examines why traffic stops can escalate into fatal encounters and how hidden financial incentives increase the risks. This is what we found.
A Valley Brook, Okla., police officer calling in the serial number of a gun found inside a car during a traffic stop in July. The gun was legally owned and returned to the driver.  Credit...Nick Oxford for The New York Times

By Michael Levenson, The New York Times, Oct. 31, 2021 Updated 5:32 a.m. ET 

Excerpt: 

Now, a New York Times investigation reveals the scope of such cases [traffic stops] across the country — and why traffic stops for minor offenses can escalate into fatal encounters. 

--Over the last five years, The Times found, the police killed more than 400 drivers or passengers who were not wielding a gun or a knife or under pursuit for a violent crime.

--Traffic stops — which are often motivated by hidden budgetary considerations because of the ticket revenue they generate — are the most common interactions between police officers and the public. Yet the police consider them among the most dangerous things they do. 

--That presumption of peril has been significantly overstated, but it has become ingrained in police culture and court precedents — contributing to impunity for most officers who use lethal force at vehicle stops. ...

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