What happened to Daunte Wright chokes me up and churns my stomach. It also reminds me to remind you of 5 meaningful police reforms that would've prevented his death.

*Cyborg police pulling you over | Created by Jay W. Austin & DALL•E*

1. Severely limit pre-textual stops.

This is when motorists are stopped for things like expired tags and air fresheners hanging from their rearview window, often to create an opportunity to search the vehicle. Other popular pre-textual stops are for darkly tinted windows, broken tail lights, and driving too slowly.

2. Install LED panels on squad cars.

These can give notices to motorists of many of those things that lead to pre-textual stops, without having to stop them.

3. Require officers to immediately state their reason for pulling a driver over.

The question, "Do you know why I stopped you today?" immediately sets the stage for confrontation and potential self-incrimination.

4. Disarm most traffic cops.

The vast majority of traffic stops are non-violent. Showing up without a gun will further decrease the risk of violence, protecting both the driver and the officer.

5. Allow a live third-party monitor the stop.

Require officers to ask the motorist if they'd like this stop to be monitored. If the driver consents, then the officer presses a call button. The monitor buffers against abuse of police power.

Aye, I’m Jay. You’re on my personal site where I post things I make about interrupting mass incarceration, protecting migration, environmental justice & sustainability, language, communications, storytelling, creativity, and tech.

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