Police Hunch Stops Versus Reality
How hunch stops are disproportionally rendered to POC motorists and pedestrians.
If everyone lived by hunches, the world may end up in a state of chaos. Just as feelings could be misleading, misread, and lack truth, no one especially a public servant should function on hunches, solely.
The LAPD are contemplating limiting “hunch” stops. Limiting? Have research studies been done to validate hunches’ effectiveness or ineffectiveness? if not, why continue a practice that appears to have caused more harm than good especially to communities of color. Also, enforcing hunches has proven to undermined the communities trust in law enforcement.
Limiting “pretextual stops” based on hunches of motorists and pedestrians has caused more harm than good. So why modify versus eliminate? Law enforcement should deal with facts and realities in all situations. Black and Latinos have been targeted and stopped disproportionately, this is not indicative of a true hunch but a biased hunch used to inflict harm on people of color with an ill-willed agenda.
Many communities of color have been stopped with the cops citing minor traffic or code violations based on a hunch that they are suspects in a more serious crime. Where’s the reality here? No evidence to validate this move in any manner other than skin color fueled by racism and oftentimes officers planted evidence to prosecute or falsified records to justify their ill-willed behavior.
The LAPD instituted this practice decades ago, especially in South L.A. where there exists a large population of people of color and where gun violence was high, supposedly. Of late, LAPD has come under increased scrutiny since 2019 when an analysis conveyed significant racial disparities in the hunch enforcement.
Getting rid of this practice for the betterment of humanity would be ideal, yet the police union rejects new modifications, allowing officers to only act if they have articulable information about a serious crime, as it was brought before the civilian Police Commission.
Why would the police union object? Are they concerned for the public? What is their intended purpose with these hunched stops in communities of color? It appears as in the past, the union is part of the problem as they have shown support in situations that have been racially motivated by its officers.
This hunch modification would permit the officers to only stop a person for the time necessary to access the situation and should not go beyond extended unnecessary time to address the violation that relates to “an articulable reasonable suspicion or probable cause of criminal activity.” Also, the hunch stop must be adequately recorded by the officers on their body-worn cameras.
Thus far, the public has not been made aware of any good this hunch stop policy has rendered yet the opposite has proven true causing much unwarranted and unnecessary detainment of POC. This causes motorists and pedestrians inconvenience, confusion, anxiety, and distrust but if implemented fairly would provide safety and protection for all.
While the LAPD has reduced the hunch stop policy dramatically, there is yet room for improvement as it takes years to undo such a harmful practice that has caused so many injustices in communities. Whites drivers and pedestrians were stopped a lot less than Black and Latino drivers and pedestrians. These stops were found to be limited effective in justifying any evidence of crimes, firearms, or any infraction against the law.
According to officials, the new policy would require new training for officers and would address many of the serious flaws identified in a 2020 audit. Time to make many wrongs, right. Old habits die hard. After training, there should be a monitoring system to guarantee proper implementation of the new hunch stop policy. With all the good that could come out of this new hunch stop policy, the police union is fighting against it claiming the police judgment and perspective are being ignored. The police union forgets that public safety is number one and not some ego-twisted ideology supporting officers with a wrong agenda against communities of color.
Supposedly, the police union has objections to the wording of the new hunch stop policy. Seriously? It has been seen by the public how the union protects their own even in the face of bad behavior but they are concerned about words in the hunch policy intended to win back the public trust? The union could use some training on compassion for the general public at large.
Since the police union possesses such strong opposition, then perhaps a public hearing about the new hunch policy should be implemented to gain their feedback and recommendations. This way the police union can present their case to the officials and the public and the public voices could be heard pro or against.
History shows that Los Angeles police officers’ role in enforcing traffic laws has been questioned, suggesting the removal of some of the officers from law enforcement entirely.
During the height of George Floyd’s murder protest, many officers’ racist behavior around the country caused an outcry demanding defunding the police and many other changes to safeguard communities of color.
In the face of much opposition, the police union stood in the gap protecting the officers at all cost and block the prohibiting of qualified immunity, allowing an officer to gain employment with another law enforcement agency after being released from a prior one for bad behavior.
In conclusion, modifying the hunch stop policy is a giant step in a positive direction but eliminating it altogether shows that the LA officers can no longer single out POC pedestrians and drivers based on a hunch that is not articulable. All officers take the oath to protect and serve and it is long overdue for them to do that effectively with all citizens or get another career.
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