By Anne Branigin, The Root
In an effort to repair trust between Texas citizens and law enforcement, all high school students in the state must take a class and watch a 16-minute training video that guides them on how to behave during a traffic stop.
The course, which also aims to reduce tragic interactions between the police and citizens, is part of a new state law that requires Texas high school students to receive the training before they graduate, reports CNN.
The law, which passed last year, was authored by state senator Royce West, who appears at the beginning of the training video.
As West said in 2017 press release, once the bill passed the Senate, “We did not feel that we could stand idly by as these tragic incidents that erode public confidence and create distrust for law enforcement continue to occur without making an effort that could ultimately help save lives.”
The video features two different traffic stops,
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One that’s a “bad” example of how to interact with officers, (this one shows two young white women behind the wheel, interacting with black police officers), and
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One that’s a “good” example of how to behave during a traffic stop (this one shows a man who appears Latino, with a black female cop and a white male officer)
It also features an extended question and answer portion with a diverse group of Texas high school students and police officers.
The questions include:
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What does an officer expect to see when he approaches our car?
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(Short answer: Not sure, but keep your hands visible and don’t move around.)
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What happens if I don’t have my driver’s license, will I get arrested?
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(Short answer: Maybe. But probably not. But maybe.)
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Do I have to get out of my car? I’m not a criminal?
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(Short answer: You getting out of the car is for the officer’s safety.)
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Watch the full video below:
(Courtesy of the Texas Commission On Law Enforcement and YouTube. Posted on Aug 15, 2018.)
