YOUR RIGHTS ARE YOUR PROTECTION
Former NBA superstars Caron Butler and Shaquille O’Neal, along with The ACLU, the Vera Institute of Justice, and Equal Justice Matter, all agree that true public safety begins with ending unnecessary police stops and knowing your rights when interacting with law enforcement. In today’s society, both police officers and civilians are killed at alarming rates as a result of routine traffic stops. Equal Justice Matter now offers a game-changing solution designed to help reduce, prevent, and ultimately eliminate violent — and sometimes fatal — encounters between police and civilians during these interactions.
Every three seconds, someone is arrested in the United States — and many of those arrests begin as traffic stops. But how many of these stops for minor infractions, often used as an excuse to search for evidence of larger crimes, actually make communities safer? The Personal Safety Protective Shield© provides a practical and empowering solution. It helps you calmly assert your rights while signaling to the officer that you are aware of them. Designed to keep all essential documents organized and accessible, it allows you to provide what is required without answering unnecessary questions or fumbling through your glove box. By reducing stress and facilitating a clear, respectful interaction, it protects your rights and helps ensure everyone arrives home safely.
During a traffic stop in July 2024, Chief Pitsch held a female driver at gunpoint and used his firearm to break her car’s window before resigning after public outcry.
Police officer who was captured on video assaulting teen, resigns and is immediately hired by Boise police, amid use of force investigation at Meridian PD.
BEING STOPPED BY POLICE: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND PROTECT YOUR SAFETY
Being stopped by police is a stressful experience that can escalate quickly. Here, we outline what the law requires and offer strategies for safely handling police encounters.
We want to be clear: The burden of de-escalation does not fall on private citizens — it falls on police officers. However, you cannot assume that officers will act in ways that protect your safety or respect your rights, even after you assert them.
You may be able to reduce your personal risk by staying calm, keeping your hands visible, and avoiding any gestures or words that could be perceived as hostile. Yet the truth remains — even when people have done everything right to put an officer at ease, some have still been injured or killed.
“Police action should make people safer. I’ve lived through the harsh realities of overenforcement in Black and brown neighborhoods, police violence, and racially biased fatal police shootings.”
— Caron Butler, Former NBA All-Star
Tragically, names like Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, and Daunte Wright remind us that routine traffic stops for minor issues — a turn signal, a brake light, or an expired tag — have turned deadly.
Recently, an 18-year-old student was violently pulled from her car and slammed to the ground simply because she didn’t produce her license fast enough and hadn’t rolled her window down fully — even though she complied moments later.
None of these encounters served public safety.
Please don’t let this happen to your child, spouse, friend, or family member.
Below are important resources and strategies for avoiding and mitigating unnecessary traffic stops:
How Police Use “Trick Questions” to Get Consent to Search Your Car
Watch how officers phrase questions to make people feel obligated to consent.
How Some Cops Use the Badge to Commit Sex Crimes
When Stopped: Stay Alive and Stay Safe
- Obey all lawful orders
- Remain respectful
- Keep your hands visible at all times
- Do NOT make sudden or suspicious movements
- Do NOT argue, insult, or agitate officers
The goal: Everyone gets to go home alive.
The Power of a Dash Cam
Watch this case of a driver who caught a corrupt officer lying on camera.
Officer later fired and tax payers fit with the bill after a lawsuit. All thanks to the victims dashcam footage.