When you get pulled overYou usually expect the officer Ask for your license and registration. Generally, you will not be questioned about whether you transported the remains of children. And yet, that’s something an independent audit of the San Jose Police Department found happened at least twice last year, KRON4 report.
Following up on citizen complaints, the city’s Interim Independent Police Auditor found video evidence showing at least twice a police officer asking, “Did any babies die in the car?” ?” during a traffic stop. One officer allegedly told auditors that his field training officer encouraged him to ask drivers such shocking questions to catch them off guard, “causing listeners to more likely to tell the truth.”
The use of so-called “shock talk” during traffic stops has been a controversial practice and is officially banned at the police academy, during field and other training as well as in a Sheriff’s memo. Again, what is taught formally and what is encouraged as part of a department’s culture can be very different.
The audit also highlighted an incident in which an officer responded to a call about criminal threats. The caller was sitting in a car away from the person who was allegedly threatening them, and the officer ordered him out of the car. They resisted, and according to the police officer’s official report, the suspect fled the scene, possibly carrying a weapon. Their body camera footage told a different story.
However, he caught the man anyway. When asked why that was the case, the police officer replied: “We decided to stop a black man for no reason, okay?” Although the audit did not find police use of force in violation of policy, the IPA requested “biased policing” charges against one of the officers involved, as well as training. create additional.
