New 'Short Talks': Law Professor Articulates Legal Framework for Traffic Enforcement Without Police

University Relations

Jordan Blair Woods

Routine traffic stops are the most frequent interaction between police and civilians. Research has shown that Black and Latinx motorists are disproportionately stopped by police for traffic violations. These stops often lead to searches for evidence of non-traffic crime without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. This targeting of Black and Latinx motorists has sometimes led to police mistreatment and abuse.

Jordan Blair Woods has been studying this problem and has proposed a solution: Remove police from routine traffic stops. In the July episode of Short Talks From the Hill, a research podcast of the U of A, Blair Woods, an associate professor of law, expands on this idea.

"The goal of my research is to bring the traffic stop back to what I think it should be about, which is transportation safety and traffic safety," Blair Woods says in the podcast. "And we're in a position today that for decades the traffic stop has been used by law-enforcement agencies as a tool for criminal investigation, and it's not a very good one."

In lieu of police officers, Blair Woods suggests using traffic monitors for routine traffic enforcement and violations. They would not have traditional police powers but could decrease the burden on police, who could then focus on critical functions such as responding to emergencies and conducting criminal investigations.

But would traffic monitors be prepared for dangerous situations that occur during traffic stops? Blair Woods says traffic monitors should be trained in self-defense and de-escalation techniques, but he points to other research, also his, that adds perspective to this problem.

"The rate of a felonious killing of an officer during a routine traffic stop is only one in every 6.5 million stops," Blair Woods says in the podcast. "And the rate for an assault resulting in serious injury to an officer is only one in every 361,000 stops. Most of the violence that we see occurring in traffic stops is relatively rare against officers."

To listen to Blair Woods discuss his research, go to Arkansas Research, the home of research news at the University of Arkansas, or visit the "On Air" and "Programs" link at KUAF.com.

Short Talks From the Hill highlights research and scholarly work at the University of Arkansas. Each segment features a university researcher discussing his or her work. Previous podcasts can be found under the 'Short Talks From the Hill' link at arkansasresearch.uark.edu, the home of science and research news at the University of Arkansas.

Thank you for listening!

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