PoliceLink

I learned something today; THANKS

I learned something today; THANKS

I have a better idea. If you're worried about getting hit by a car, which is a very valid concern, get the ^&^#! off the freeway when pulling cars over. Doesn't anyone watch those dashcam videos? Nearly every one is some poor trooper or deputy who gets a crook out of the car then gets assaulted. I am used to California L.E. practices and while we don't have all the answers, I think this is a terrible idea. If your goal is to write a cite, leave them in the car. If they're hinky, get backup, then pull them out.

Once someone is out of a car, you have little control over them and they are no longer contained. I disagree with this author's points:

1) It is much easier to watch three people inside a car and determine their hands are in view, than three people on the side of the road moving around. Remember the Texas Constable murdered by three men he allowed out of the car?

2) The side of the road is not, "your world," the back of your squad car and station jail is. Until a suspect is properly searched and restrained it's up for grabs.

3) What about the weapon(s) in their pockets and waistbands or the one on your hip they want to take away. We all know hands kill, whether they have a weapon in them at the time or not. If you are controlling the hands you should have some warning before a suspect can arm themself and have a chance to react (that means shoot him or at least get out of the line of fire).

Staging yourself at your passenger door and allowing the driver to walk unobserved to you means his hands and waistband are invisible to you until he rounds the back of his car, allowing him plenty of time to arm himself or discard contraband.

As far as allowing a driver back in the vehicle, that makes me want to scream. The article advocates taking the driver out of the car to remove him from proximity to any weapons in the passenger compartment. Why then would one allow the driver back into the passenger compartment where the weapons are???

This approach gives the initiative to the crook. When I stop a car, I want to control every aspect I can. I keep people in a car until I have had a chance to look at them, their size, attitude, whatever before I pull them out. Calling drivers out robs officers of those valuable observations and gives the element of surprise and initiative to those who want to hurt us.

I think its a great idea! The officer doing the traffic stop will/should have total control of the situation at all times. Also, from a tactical standpoint the officer will have some cover/protection if something happens and will be able to call for backup and possibly escape the situation if needed. Also, the officers vehicle could be used as a weapon in the worst case scenario. Lets syart thinking about the safety of our brothers/sisters in blue for once.

ok "notmeofficer" but...im not a veteran in the law enforcement field yet....but calling people out of the car and handcuffing them all together on a telephone pole doesnt exactly sound correct there....

As a citizen I really like this idea....On a deserted road! While I have the utmost faith in law enforcement officers, I tend to have to worry about other drivers on the road. So many lives have been lost because some stupid mook has to be all gawking when there is a traffic stop, and while I applaud the "move over" law, sometimes you just dont have the room. Somewhere down the line it will be a speeding driver who loses their life because of this. For the safety of all of you out there protecting me, I wish there was a simpler way of doing this.

in the state of Louisiana it is lawful to remove not only the driver from the vehicle but all passengers.

i am not an officer but will be in the future but im afraid to step out of my car as a citizen. most people think that when u become a police officer that its alot easier to do. but when u get called to a residence or u do a traffic stop u have no ideal how much fear u have! when u step out of that vehicle u have to imagine every possible thing! because every posible thing that could go wrong will go wrong!!!!!!!! u have to have secure the scene and make sure when u step out of that car that u have thought of every way u can avoid getting injuried and the saftey of u and ur responding officers and they car or the person u pull over!