The Perilous Misconception of Traffic Stops

This episode contains strong language and scenes of violence. 

Over the past five years, police officers in the United States have killed more than 400 unarmed drivers or passengers — a rate of more than one a week, a Times investigation has found.

Why are such cases so common, and why is the problem so hard to fix?

Guest: David D. Kirkpatrick, a national correspondent for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• Officers, trained to presume danger, can react with outsize aggression during traffic stops — sometimes with fatal consequences.

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