CHICAGO — Were you taught how to interact with the police in your driver's education course?
According to Illinois law, you should have been. But as high-profile police shootings increase tension between officers and residents in neighborhoods across the country, state lawmakers want to make sure kids learn what to do when confronted by police as soon as possible.
Last month with little fanfare, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed HB6131, a bill requiring driving schools in Illinois to teach students how to react when stopped by the police. Though sponsors of the bill said it had nothing to do with the shooting death of Laquan McDonald or the death of Sandra Bland in police custody after being pulled over, it was filed on Feb. 11 — around the time federal investigators started riding along with Chicago Police officers as part of their civil rights investigation into the department.
Evan Moore talks about learning how to react to being pulled over.
The bill was sponsored by Frances Ann Hurley, Lashawn Ford, Julie A. Morrison, among others in the General Assembly.
"After talking with several driver's ed teachers across the state, we realized that some of them weren't teaching what's already in the 'Rules of the Road' drivers manual," Hurley said. "We want all drivers to be aware of all the rules."
Though some opponents of the bill said driver's education teachers may not be the best people to give advice on police-driver interactions, the measure ultimately passed with overwhelming support. The Tribune reported that the Secretary of State's office will develop specific guidelines, but schools with driver's ed programs must begun teaching the material during the 2017-18 school year.
For Sheldon Smith, founder of the Chicago-based Dovetail Project, any education young people can get about police interaction is helpful. Smith's 12-week program teaches black fathers between the ages of 17 and 24 parenting skills, life skills and a "felony street law" class aimed at teaching them ways to avoid conflicts with police.
RELATED: Young Black Men Taught To Avoid Police Confrontations in 'Street Law' Class
"They don't know how to look for a badge number," Smith said. "They don't know that they can request a sergeant to the scene. We bring in police officers and lawyers to show them what they should know." (See more tips from Smith at the bottom of this story)
Ford, whose district includes Austin on the city's West Side, said students would not only learn ways to talk to police, but will also learn their rights as citizens.
"There's controversy between the person being pulled over and the police officer," Ford said. "The hope is that the person being pulled over, along with the police officer, understands the responsibility involved. People will fight for their rights when they are stopped. We also want them to know that they can fight another day."
Ford said educating people about exactly what to do when you're pulled over by an officer would help prevent unnecessary — and potentially deadly — conflicts.
"We need to have some type of understanding with police stops. Some of the encounters have ended up with unwanted deaths," Ford said. "Sandra Bland and other occasions have ended in the individual and the police not knowing how to interact with each other."
The existing "Rules of the Road" manual in Illinois does feature a section called "Being Pulled Over By Law Enforcement," which explains what to do when an officer turns their sirens on behind you:
"Stay in the driver’s seat with both hands clearly in sight on the steering wheel until the officer instructs you otherwise or the traffic stop is complete. Do not exit your vehicle unless asked to do so," the manual states. "Getting out of your vehicle can be perceived as aggressive behavior and a threat to the officer’s safety."
The manual also gives advice to drivers who believe that they have been mistreated by the police officer who pulled them over.
"You are to be treated with dignity and respect by the officer. If you believe that an officer has acted inappropriately during a traffic stop or other encounter, you should report that conduct as soon as possible to the officer’s superiors," the manual states. "Officers are required to provide their names and badge numbers upon request."
Kofi Ademola, the lead organizer for the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter, called the timing of the bill "problematic" and said rules forcing young people into immediate police "submission" show how broken the policing system is.
"This is another example of the state shifting blame upon the victim," Ademola said. "This is an attempt to stereotype young people as being irresponsible and violent. This is a way for the state to legitimize policing to young people as if they should inherently respond in submission when dealing police no matter the situation. I didn't see anything in the bill that says what young people are supposed to do if they are harmed by the police."
While Smith's course and the Illinois drivers manual does lay out how to report a negative police encounter, the bill itself does not get into specifics on the subject.
Andy Wojtowicz, an instructor with Ride Chicago, said his school was already complying with state laws on the subject.
"We've been teaching that for years," he said. "We had police come in to talk to us. Teenagers need to understand they have rights and how to interact when they get stopped by the police. They to learn how to react. The police are their friend and not against them."
And after years of coaching young men on how to respond to officers, Smith said he's ready to see the tables turned.
"The conversation around telling people how to deal with the police isn't the answer anymore," he said. "It's [teaching] police officers who aren't familiar with people in the urban communities they serve. The conversation needs to switched around to ask: how can we get police officers to interact better in urban communities?"
NOBLE, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, has a program called "The Law and Your Community," that teaches young people the ins and outs of police interactions. Perry Tarrant, NOBLE,'s president and assistant police chief in Seattle, said getting a similar program into a regular driving curriculum would be helpful.
"I think it is a good idea to incorporate that into the driver's ed program," Tarrant said. "Our program details a person's rights along with why the police are asking you to do certain things. Sometimes, people don't know what they are entitled to under the law. Also, the limitations the police have."
Chicago Police officials did not return calls for comment.
In 2014, Smith shared the following police stop tips with DNAinfo's Mark Konkol:
• Stay calm. When you’re not calm you’re not thinking straight. And if an officer perceives signs of agitation it could lead to the police taking aggressive action.
• Never demand a police officer’s badge number. That’s tipping off an aggressive officer that you plan to file a report against him. That’s like threatening an officer’s livelihood and could escalate a situation. Instead, just look at his badge, memorize the four-digit number and file a report.
• If you get pulled over, keep your hands on the wheel and don’t reach for anything — your wallet, insurance card or vehicle registration — without asking permission. Only bad things can happen if an officer mistakenly suspects you’re reaching for a weapon.
• Never question officers in a dark alley about tactics you think might be unjust. Smith tells his students the story of a time he was confronted by an aggressive officer at a gas station and was able to point to a surveillance camera as a way to defuse the conflict.
• Speak respectfully to officers and follow their directions. “If an officer says, ‘Put your hands up and turn around for me,’ do what he asks you to do. If he says, ‘I need you to be quiet,’ don’t make a sound. Police are the law of the land no matter how you cut it,” Smith said.
• Know your rights and calmly and respectfully assert them. For instance, know that you are required to identify yourself at an officer’s request, but he needs to have a reason to search you on the street. “Don’t be so scared that you give your rights away,” Smith said.
• Any time you feel your civil rights have been violated or an officer used excessive force, file a report at the police district, ask to speak to a sergeant, or call internal affairs. And follow up on your complaint.
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