The Minnesota Department of Public safety is unveiling a new tool it hopes will cut down on tense or even fatal interactions between drivers and law enforcement officers, but the idea already being panned on social media.
It's a plastic envelope the state calls a Not-Reaching Pouch, and it was created by Valerie Castile, mother of Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2016 as he reached for his identification.
The pouch is for motorists to store their drivers license and proof of insurance. The pouch can hang on an air vent or other visible location, so a driver can clearly access the pouch in the event of a traffic stop. The idea is to eliminate a driver taking his or her hands out of view, and thereby leading to a confrontation with an officer or trooper.
“We are continually looking for ways to reduce deadly force encounters as these instances can be catastrophic for police officers, and community members ,” said DPS Assistant Commissioner Booker Hodges. “By working together with Ms. Castile, who has tirelessly advocated for these since her son was killed in a deadly force encounter with law enforcement, we are hoping these pouches help in some way reduce these instances, even if it’s just one.”
But after the Department of Public Safety tweeted out a photo and description of the pouches, the idea was immediately met with criticism.
Some people suggested that money spent making the pouches would be better spent on other ways to reduce fatal police encounters, like better officer training.