EDITORIAL/Avoiding Escalation? Should police stop motorists for minor infractions?

Several states and cities across the country are rethinking how police officers on the street respond to minor moving infractions.

The idea is to reduce the opportunity for minor interactions to escalate out of control. They want to prevent a situation such as a conflict between an officer and a driver asserting his rights ending in tragedy.

Cities like Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Seattle, as well as the state of Virginia, have instructed officers not to pull over drivers for such offences as a broken tail light, expired license plate or malfunctioning turn signal. Officers will still pull motorists over for any infraction that poses a potential threat to safety, such as speeding, reckless driving or running a stoplight.

Police agencies say the effort is misguided and point out that stops for minor infractions often result in officers arresting suspects on outstanding warrants or finding illegal drugs or weapons.

We want to know what you think. Should police stop motorists for minor infractions? Or is it an important tool for law enforcement that should be kept?

Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, May 4. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504 or drop it off at our office, 101 E. Broad St, Texarkana, Ark. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.

Last Week: Earth Day?

Last week's question was about Earth Day. Are you and your family doing anything special for Earth Day this year? On a broader scale, have you changed any of your daily activities, product or service provider choices or the like because of how they affect the environment?

Absolutely, planted flowers that will encourage bees and butterflies. Stopped letting water run when brushing teeth to preserve water. Also, buy the large bottles of containers of things to refill smaller container to reduce the plastic. We only have one Earth, take care of it! -- R.K., Texarkana, Texas

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