Tweet

The New York Times

1 Nov, 8 tweets, 4 min read

Traffic stops are by far the most common police encounters with U.S. civilians. Driving has become one of the most common daily activities during which people have been Tased, beaten, arrested or even killed, often after committing minor offenses.

To investigate what shapes policing at traffic stops, we reviewed video and audio recordings, prosecutor statements and court documents, finding patterns of questionable police conduct that went beyond recent high-profile deaths of unarmed drivers. nyti.ms/3GGY09h

Many U.S. towns rely on traffic ticket revenue for their budgets — and to pay the salaries of police officers. Hundreds of communities have essentially made officers into revenue agents. And the demand for funding can shape policing. nyti.ms/3BziEVg

Fueling a culture of traffic stops is the federal government, which distributes $600 million a year in grants that subsidize ticket writing, despite little evidence it has made the roads safer.

Read our full investigation. nyti.ms/3BziEVg

Police officers have killed more than 400 motorists over the past five years who were neither wielding a gun or a knife, nor under pursuit for a violent crime. Officers regularly and unnecessarily put themselves in danger, then used lethal force to defend themselves.

The risk to officers in traffic stops has been overstated. The police and the courts presume danger. This has contributed to a series of seemingly avoidable killings across the U.S.

Read our investigation on why many police stops turn deadly. nyti.ms/3GGY09h

Many courts instruct prosecutors and juries to consider only the instant an officer uses force — the "final frame" of the encounter. That protects police officers and agencies from liability. But if you go back, the story often looks much more complicated. nyti.ms/3w2wjms

Officers often use deadly force to stop the imminent danger they stepped into. Our visual investigation rolled back the video of over 100 fatal traffic stops to examine the phenomenon of officer-created jeopardy — and its deadly consequences. nyti.ms/3w2wjms

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @nytimes

The New York Times

@nytimes

1 Nov

The New York Times has published an investigation into police traffic stops and the money machine that uses revenue from these stops to fund the police.

Here are key numbers to know from the series. nyti.ms/3bt7vdY

As the push for traffic ticket revenue persists, driving has become one of the most common daily activities during which people have been shot, Tased, beaten or arrested, often after minor offenses. Many stops have also turned deadly. nyti.ms/3GGY09h

Those hundreds of killings of unarmed motorists across the U.S. by the police were seemingly avoidable. And most of them occurred with impunity. nyti.ms/3GGY09h

Read 9 tweets

The New York Times

@nytimes

1 Nov

A big UN conference on climate change is happening in Glasgow. The summit, known as #COP26, is seen as a crucial moment to address the threat of climate change.

Here's what to know about it.
nyti.ms/3bvugxS

COP stands for “Conference of the Parties.” The parties are the 197 nations that agreed to a 1992 UN treaty to combat “dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

This is the 26th time they've gathered — hence, COP26.
nyti.ms/3ECvsMj

President Biden will be among about 100 heads of state to attend. Diplomats from nearly 200 countries will also be there to negotiate. Activists, including Greta Thunberg, academics and business leaders will also be in Glasgow.
nyti.ms/3ECvsMj

Read 7 tweets

The New York Times

@nytimes

31 Oct

Arrested for busted taillights.

Tased during a stop for missing plates.

Jailed over tinted windows.

Across the U.S., towns rely on traffic ticket revenue for their budgets — and to pay the salaries of the officers responsible for finding violations. nyti.ms/3GwjCoS

Hundreds of communities have essentially made officers into revenue agents. And the drive for funding can shape policing.

As a result, driving's become one of the most common daily activities during which people have been shot, Tased, beaten or arrested after minor offenses.

More than 730 municipalities get at least 10% of their revenue from fines and fees, a New York Times investigation found. Most are in the South and Midwest.

In many cases, officers' salaries — and sometimes, the size of the police force — depend on ticket revenue.

Read 12 tweets

The New York Times

@nytimes

31 Oct

Traffic stops are by far the most common police encounters with civilians. But the risk to officers has been overstated. The police and the courts presume danger. This has contributed to a series of seemingly avoidable killings across the U.S. nyti.ms/3pUreLV

Police officers have killed more than 400 drivers or passengers over the past five years who were neither wielding a gun or knife, nor under pursuit for a violent crime — a rate of more than one a week, our investigation found. nyti.ms/3Btgx5f

In case after case, officers said they had feared for their lives, and in almost every case prosecutors declared the killings of unarmed motorists legally justifiable. But our investigation found that evidence often contradicted the officers’ accounts. nyti.ms/3Btgx5f

Read 11 tweets

The New York Times

@nytimes

30 Oct

The FDA’s authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 on Friday made 28 million Americans newly eligible for the shot.

But in a nation struggling with vaccine hesitancy, getting shots into little arms may be the toughest challenge yet. nyti.ms/3bpaKTF

According to a survey by Kaiser Family Foundation released Thursday, scarcely one in three parents will permit their children in this newly eligible age group to be vaccinated immediately. Two-thirds were either reluctant or adamantly opposed. nyti.ms/3mrd5nq

Even vaccinated parents who approved the shot for their teens are unsure about allowing their younger children to be inoculated. Some question whether risking the unknowns of a brand-new vaccine is worth it when most Covid cases in kids are mild. nyti.ms/3mrd5nq

Read 4 tweets

The New York Times

@nytimes

28 Oct

It seemed that everyone knew someone this summer who was vaccinated and had a breakthrough coronavirus infection

But new data sheds light on how common these cases really were, how severe they became and who was most at risk. nyti.ms/2XUEox7

Recently released federal data shows that even during the Delta wave, compared with the unvaccinated, fully vaccinated people had a much lower chance of getting Covid or dying from it. nyti.ms/2XUEox7

Unvaccinated seniors were most likely to die from Covid. While breakthrough deaths were rare, vaccinated people 80 and older had higher death rates than unvaccinated people under 50. nyti.ms/2XUEox7

Read 5 tweets

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!