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New DMV Guidelines Aimed To End Violent Traffic Stops Raise Criticism

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N.C. Department of Transportation
Dave DeWitt

The North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation last summer aimed at preventing violence during police stops.  House Bill 21 instructed that the Department of Motor Vehicles update the driver’s license handbook to include updated guidelines for behavior during a police stop.

The DMV released a draft of the new guidelines, and not everyone is pleased. The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina has asked for the guidelines to be modified to more clearly ensure the right to remain silent. Host Frank Stasio talks about the new guidelines with Police Chief Dan House of Wrightsville Beach Police. House serves on Governor Cooper’s Crime Commission and helped develop the new guidelines. He is also joined by Susanna Birdsong, policy counsel for North Carolina ACLU, who believes language in the new guidelines may violate driver’s rights.

The State of ThingsDepartment of TransportationNorth Carolina PoliticsTrafficTraffic Stops
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Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
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Dana Terry
Dana is an award-winning producer who began as a personality at Rock 92. Once she started creating content for morning shows, she developed a love for producing. Dana has written and produced for local and syndicated commercial radio for over a decade. WUNC is her debut into public radio and she’s excited to tell deeper, richer stories.
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