Sadly, we have far too many police officers who are trigger happy or abuse their authority and look for confrontation and ways to escalate tension, rather than diffuse situations.  The apparent need to exert authority and dominance over other human beings when it is not necessary to resolve a situation is very troubling, but it must be recognized.

This phenomenon was brought to light in the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment in the early 1970s.  In this psychological study gone awry, undergraduate students were randomly divided into “prisoners” and “guards” to observe their behaviors in carrying out these different roles. Set to last for two weeks, the study had to be shut down after only 6 days, because guards began to abuse prisoners, and the prisoners suffered psychological harm.

Those who reviewed the study afterwards rightly questioned how it could have been allowed in the first place, and why it wasn’t shut down much sooner. But a more serious question is why have we allowed our American experiment in inappropriate policing to continue for decades without reforming it – despite far more serious abuses and life-and-death consequences for individuals, particularly Black Americans?

This is not a call to “Defund the Police” or “Abolish the Police,” which have been taken up as banners for conservatives to rail against.  This is a serious inquiry as to what can and should be done to prevent this epidemic of police violence that has a chilling effect on the ability of a significant portion of our population to go about their lives peacefully and without worry.  In our country today, Black families have a legitimate fear of the dangerous – perhaps even fatal — consequences if their sons or fathers are pulled over by police.

Where are the conservatives who cry “Tyranny!” whenever their minor privileges (such as going about their business without wearing masks) are infringed upon? Imagine if they had a legitimate fear that they, or their fathers, or their sons, could very well die if they had a routine encounter with the police while driving, walking, or otherwise going about their business. How quickly and forcefully they would demand immediate, meaningful change.

The term “white privilege,” while useful, doesn’t fully capture the inhumanity of how Black Americans are treated. It implies that white people are given special benefits reserved for elites, but with respect to police matters, the way whites are treated is how everybody should be treated. To be treated less favorably means that Black people are treated with less decency than any human being should be subject to.

No doubt there are inherent dangers for police in performing traffic stops, as evidenced by the number of highway overpasses named in honor of state troopers killed in the line of duty, often during traffic stops. This points to the need to reduce the number of such encounters where they are unnecessary, such as for minor infractions like expired tags, the mythical “burned out taillight,” or air fresheners hanging from a mirror.

These could be handled the same way traffic cameras handle more serious moving violations, like running a red light – by taking a photo and mailing a notice of infraction to the vehicle owner. In this case, police could take the photo with their dashboard cameras. By not putting police or motorists in a situation that has the potential – and history – of escalating, with tragic results, lives could be saved.

Other reforms, especially in terms of selection and training of law enforcement officers are also needed, as is breaking the cult of coddling cops who violate citizens’ fundamental rights. While this will certainly take time to implement, this fact underscores the pressing need to begin now.

And by the way, if you think that prior minor brushes with authorities by the victims, including violations of “the rules,” justifies their killing, congratulations — you would have been yelling “Crucify him!” when Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to the crowd.