Law enforcement doesn’t always pull you over for the reason they say they do. A pretextual traffic stop is a policing tactic where an officer stops a vehicle for a minor traffic violation—which is the "pretext," or stated reason for the stop—with the underlying intention of investigating an unrelated crime. Drivers in pretext traffic stops are told they were pulled over for faulty brakelights, expired registration tags, or other low-level violations; once stopped, officers use their discretion to investigate drivers for unrelated crimes. As with other policing tactics,...
