Policing and Police Killings - More Complex Than We Wish
August 1, 2015

Approaching Tim McVeigh's car

When police kill unarmed citizens for following stops for minor traffic violations, we are shocked and want fixes to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.  A simple solution seems to be that the police should avoid stops for minor traffic or vehicular violations.  But this simple solution may not address the complexity inherent in maintaining the level of law and order we want.   

Police have a right and a responsibility to stop drivers for what can seem like minor violations.   Even minor violations may indicate safety or other problems that should be addressed.  After all, it was the missing license plate that led an Oklahoma state trooper to stop Timothy McVeigh soon after he had bombed the Alfred P Murrow building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 and wounding 684.   

The issue is more complex than it first appears.  On the one hand, we expect the police to recognize that some minor problems can lead to major problems and to intervene, when possible, before before that occurs.  On the other hand, we do not want the anticipation of major problems lead to unnecessary deaths like those of Samuel DuBose and Sandra Bland.