They compared stops made by the Washington State Patrol in the period when pretextual stops were disallowed to those made after the Arreola decision. A second strategy would be to require written consent when an officer asks permission to search a driver’s car. Written consent forms explain to motorists what their rights are, giving some of them the courage to tell the police no. By themselves, written consent forms won’t eliminate racial disparities in traffic stops. But by reducing the frequency of vehicle searches, consent forms make the experience of being stopped less onerous.

Source: New York Times September 08, 2020 19:00 UTC