Pulled Over

Charles R. Epp, Steven Maynard-Moody, Donald P. Haider-Markel

"No form of government control comes close to the police stop. Each year, 12 percent of drivers in the United States are stopped by the police, and the figure almost doubles for racial minorities. 'Pulled Over' documents these disparities and deftly traces the strange history of the investigatory police stop from its discredited beginning as "aggressive patrolling" to its current status as accepted institutional practice. Drawing on the richest study of police stops to date, the authors show that who is stopped and how they are treated undermine trust in the police and convey powerful messages about citizenship and racial disparity in the United States. In a country that celebrates democracy and racial equality, "Pulled Over" shows how investigatory stops undermine racial equality and democratic values and offers practical recommendations on how reforms can protect the rights of...