A new study reveals that the first 45 words spoken by a police officer during a traffic stop involving a Black driver can predict the likelihood of escalation.

Key findings: During car stops resulting in searches, handcuffings, or arrests, police officers are almost three times more likely to begin with a command, such as “Keep your hands on the wheel” or “Turn the car off.”
* The study analyzed 577 routine car stops involving Black drivers, with 81 of them resulting in searches, handcuffings, or arrests.

The backdrop: Traffic stops are the most common way people come into contact with the police, and Black drivers are stopped at higher rates and more likely to be handcuffed, searched, and arrested than other racial groups.
* Police body-camera footage was examined, focusing on stops in a racially diverse, medium-sized U.S. city over the course of one month.

Public perception: When asked to listen to the opening moments of car stops, Black men predicted that the stop would escalate in over 84% of cases when officers began with orders without reasons.
* None of the stops involved the use of force, but Black men worried about the possibility of force 80% of the time when hearing a recording of a law enforcement officer issuing a command without a reason.

View original article on NPR

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