New Report Reveals Police Officers’ Perspectives on Traffic Stops

Dialogue With Law Enforcement and Community Encouraged

 

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thompson, dlthompson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4311

(BOWIE, Md.) – A new report from Bowie State University Professor James Hyman delves into the perspectives of law enforcement officers on traffic stops to help improve relationships in communities.  

“Police/Civilian Encounters: Officers’ Perspectives on Traffic Stops and the Climate for Policing” provides insights to help the public better understand police officers' interactions with civilians during traffic stops and to foster meaningful dialogue on the causes of negative engagements.  

In an earlier report, “Police/Civilian Encounters: Understanding How and Why They Can Turn Deadly,” Dr. Hyman, examined these encounters using an algorithm to investigate how police and civilian behaviors during traffic stops can devolve into contentious and sometimes fatal events particularly for Black men. Both studies were published by the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute of Leadership, Equity and Justice. 

“This latest report is a sequel to the earlier paper that was published last year,” said Dr. Hyman. “The first report couldn’t take into account how the attitudes and perceptions held by either party in the encounter may have contributed to the encounter’s outcome, but the latest research focuses on addressing part of that gap by looking at the perspectives and opinions of the police officers.” 

Hyman reports that there are 50,000 traffic stops in the United States every day which account for 40% of all civilian encounters with law enforcement. Two-thirds of the officers interviewed for the study said traffic stops are more dangerous than calls for service. As a result, the study shows that most police officers feel anxious and apprehensive rather than aggressive during the traffic stops due to unknowns about the drivers such as their identities and circumstances, or whether they have outstanding warrants, weapons, contraband or other variables. 

“Police brutality is a continual problem and we must understand the dynamics between those involved,” said Marybeth Gasman, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University. “We are seeing an increase in calls for a better system of policing. This kind of dialogue can foster accountability and ensure the safety of everyone involved.”  

The report also notes that police officers are concerned about the negative media coverage that impacts public opinion and the consequent increase in calls for more accountability from senior law enforcement leaders. They believe that negative press causes civilians to experience heightened tension when stopped by police officers. 

“Police officers attribute traffic stop fatalities to non-compliant civilian behavior rather than systematic bias,” said Dr. Hyman. “The report provides recommendations to prioritize safety on both sides of the encounters including driver compliance, understanding and humanizing both parties and recognizing the risks involved in traffic stops. My goal with these reports is to foster a more complete understanding of the encounters in ways that may enable constructive dialogue between police authorities, communities and their leadership,” said Hyman.

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