UPDATE 9/26/14: Brown says he was referring to the general safety of women during traffic stops, and not the sexual misconduct of officers in Oklahoma, when he made the comment that people should avoid getting pulled over the first place. He did not mention the word "rape" in his interview.
In response to the arrests of three law enforcement officials in Oklahoma for sexually assaulting women while on the job, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper told women they can avoid getting raped by a cop if they simply follow traffic laws.
Raw Story first pointed out on Tuesday that Capt. George Brown, a state trooper, shared a few tips for women in an interview with local NBC News affiliate KJRH. Brown told the KJRH anchor that women can keep their car doors locked and speak through a cracked window if a trooper approaches them. If the trooper asks a woman to get out of the car, Brown said, she can ask "in a polite way" why he wants her to do that.
But the "best tip that he can give," the anchor said on air of her interview with Brown, "is to follow the law in the first place so you don’t get pulled over."
In the past month, a Tulsa County Deputy, an OHP trooper and an Oklahoma City police officer have all been charged with repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting women while on the job.
Brown said Oklahoma law enforcement officials are working to retain the public's trust. "There are entirely more good officers than there are the few bad apples that exist out there, and we want people to know that," Brown told KJRH. "We have a lot of good troopers, a lot of good officers out there doing a lot of good things daily, and we want to continue that and have the public continue their trust in us."
Before You Go
