NCJ Number
151273
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 42 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1994) Pages: 85-88
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A Phoenix case demonstrates how and why police agencies should prepare for the adverse media coverage that results situations in which police mistakenly stop a vehicle driven by an innocent citizen when seeking a felony suspect.
Abstract
In these high-risks stops, the police act in an aggressive, intimidating manner to communicate to the suspect that absolute compliance is required to avoid dire consequences. The Phoenix case involved a search for a serial rapist who had stolen a white four-door Jeep Cherokee and was using the front license plate stolen from another white two-door Jeep Cherokee in Phoenix. The police made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the woman who owned the vehicle. When her vehicle was stopped and she was apprehended and handcuffed, she was terrified. The police apprehended the real suspect 2 hours later. The innocent woman was irate and contacted a local columnist. The next morning, the major morning newspaper carried a front-page column about the woman's experience. This column prompted national television coverage and a newspaper editorial. To prevent such incidents, police should provide appropriate initial training for a high-risk stop, give an immediate explanation to an innocent person who is mistakenly apprehended, extend an apology, offer a telephone number or other method of contact for the commander of the unit, praise an employee who handles a stop properly, and promptly contact the agency risk-management section for possible response. Photograph