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IPFS News Link • Activism

Police traffic stops: The do's, don'ts and musts

• azcentral.com

The traffic stop and subsequent death of Sandra Bland, who authorities say hanged herself in a Texas jail three days after a physical confrontation with a state trooper, has reignited the national debate over police conduct and led to other questions about the rights of drivers when pulled over by a law-enforcement officer.

Azcentral turned to legal experts to get some answers.

Bland's body was found July 13, three days after Trooper Brian T. Encinia pulled her over and accused her of failing to using a turn signal. A dashcam video of the traffic stop showed a confrontational situation that began with Encinia asking if she was irritated and escalated into the trooper demanding she put out her cigarette before he forcefully removed her from the car and threatened to use a Taser.

Weighing in are retired Mesa Detective Bill Richardson, who policed the streets for 16 years as a traffic officer and worked investigations and undercover and investigations, and criminal defense attorney Marc Victor of Chandler, who blogs about various legal issues on his website, including "How to Survive a Traffic Stop."


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