Police Officer Stopping

Strengthening The Citizen and Law Enforcement Partnership at The Traffic Stop: Professionalism is a Two-Way Street

Index

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: Practices for Traffic Law Enforcement Officers

Blue BulletDuring Typical Stops
Blue BulletSpecial Conditions
Blue BulletConfrontational Drivers
Blue BulletDuring Suspicious or Felonious Stops
Blue BulletConclusion

Part II: Practices for Drivers

 Blue BulletWhy Officers Conduct
Red BulletTraffic Stops Are Dangerous
Blue BulletWhat Can You Do?

 

 

Traffic Stops Are Dangerous

Many officers are killed each year and thousands more are injured in traffic related incidences. For example, in 1999, over half of all officer, line-of-duty deaths were related to traffic incidences. In addition, when the use of weapons at the traffic stop are added, the percentage of traffic related deaths is over 55 percent. Every stop for a traffic violation has the potential for danger.

Routine traffic stops, as they are sometimes called, sometimes turn out to be anything but routine. Officers find uninsured drivers, drivers with suspended licenses, impaired drivers, illegal firearms, drugs and fugitives. Discoveries like these are all in a day’s work for many officers. This is why officers are trained to place a great deal of emphasis on their safety and take a defensive posture at the stop until the risk of confrontation or injury is diminished.