Policing the open road : how cars transformed American freedom /
Seo, Sarah A., 1980-
Policing the open road : how cars transformed American freedom / Sarah A. Seo. - Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2019. - 339 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
A "mystery of traffic" -- From "lumbering foot patrolmen" to "motor-mounted policemen" -- The automotive Fourth Amendment -- "It could happen to you" -- The right to "privacy in public" -- The Fourth Amendment tool in criminal patrol.
Policing the Open Road examines how the rise of the car, that symbol of American personal freedom, inadvertently led to ever more intrusive policing--with disastrous consequences for racial equality in our criminal justice system. When Americans think of freedom, they often picture the open road. Yet nowhere are we more likely to encounter the long arm of the law than in our cars. Sarah Seo reveals how the rise of the automobile transformed American freedom in radical ways, leading us to accept--and expect--pervasive police power. As Policing the Open Road makes clear, this expectation has had far-reaching political and legal consequences.--Provided by publisher.
9780674980860 0674980867
2018040573
Traffic regulations--History--United States--20th century.
Traffic safety--History--United States--20th century.
Automobiles--Public opinion.--United States
Automobiles--Social aspects--United States.
Searches and seizures--History--United States--20th century.
Discrimination in law enforcement--History--United States--20th century.
GV54 .L62 / S467 2019
Policing the open road : how cars transformed American freedom / Sarah A. Seo. - Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2019. - 339 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
A "mystery of traffic" -- From "lumbering foot patrolmen" to "motor-mounted policemen" -- The automotive Fourth Amendment -- "It could happen to you" -- The right to "privacy in public" -- The Fourth Amendment tool in criminal patrol.
Policing the Open Road examines how the rise of the car, that symbol of American personal freedom, inadvertently led to ever more intrusive policing--with disastrous consequences for racial equality in our criminal justice system. When Americans think of freedom, they often picture the open road. Yet nowhere are we more likely to encounter the long arm of the law than in our cars. Sarah Seo reveals how the rise of the automobile transformed American freedom in radical ways, leading us to accept--and expect--pervasive police power. As Policing the Open Road makes clear, this expectation has had far-reaching political and legal consequences.--Provided by publisher.
9780674980860 0674980867
2018040573
Traffic regulations--History--United States--20th century.
Traffic safety--History--United States--20th century.
Automobiles--Public opinion.--United States
Automobiles--Social aspects--United States.
Searches and seizures--History--United States--20th century.
Discrimination in law enforcement--History--United States--20th century.
GV54 .L62 / S467 2019