NCJ Number
191756
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 29 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2001 Pages: 419-428
Date Published
2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
In order to assess the dangerousness of routine police-citizen traffic stops, this study analyzed 10 years of national data on traffic stops, police homicides, and assaults.
Abstract
The U.S. Supreme Court has assumed that traffic stops are a danger to police and has relied on this assumption in its decisions pertaining to the Fourth Amendment for these stops. The current study is intended to assist the Court in making a more informed decision concerning police danger during traffic encounters by examining the frequency of likelihood of a police homicide or assault during traffic encounters. The FBI maintains data (LEOKA data) on the homicides and assaults committed against sworn law enforcement personnel on and off duty. This data provided specific information on the number of homicides and assaults of police officers that occurred during particular circumstances, including but not limited to routine traffic stops and pursuits. Data used to measure motor-vehicle-stop frequencies were maintained by the National Center for State Courts. The study obtained base numbers and the 10-year aggregated average percentage of police homicides and assaults that occurred during routine traffic stops for the years 1988-97. A total of 688 police officers were killed during this 10-year period. Of these police deaths, 12.9 percent occurred during routine traffic stops. A total of 621,244 assaults were committed against police officers during this period, and 9.4 percent were committed during traffic stops. These findings cast doubt on the U.S. Supreme Court's assumption of danger during the routine police-citizen traffic encounter. 1 table, 8 notes, and 31 references