The Violence of Nosy Questions
Boston University Law Review, Vol. 100, No. 935, 2020
16 Pages Posted: 13 Jan 2021
Date Written: May 1, 2020
Abstract
This Essay examines a little-studied aspect of police procedure: police officers’ unfettered power to ask questions of motorists. The questions officers ask after they have stopped a car can run the gamut from questions about the nature of the motorist’s travel plans to nosy personal questions. Such questions are often intrusive, and drivers report feeling degraded by having to answer them. This Essay argues that these questions should be regulated because giving officers complete control over what they ask motorists provides a significant space for racial discrimination in policing, creates resentment, and encourages minorities to distrust the police.
Keywords: Discrimination, Policing, Law Enforcement, Police Procedure, Minorities
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