In the excellent book, Tactics for Criminal Patrol : Vehicle Stops, Drug Discovery and Officer Survival, Charles Remsburg attempts to impress on police officers the idea that each and every traffic stop may lead to interdicting a larger crime if you look for it.
The concept is simple: most criminals use cars to move around, so if you keep an open mind on a traffic stop, you might catch a few of these bad guys instead of just writing a ticket.
Obviously, most of the people you stop are not felons. However, some are.
A perfect example of an officer paying attention on a traffic stop is reported on in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper article printed below [Ed. We removed it due to questions about 'fair use.'] A police officer makes a “routine” traffic stop that winds up netting $1.1 million in marijuana, and the seizure of two vehicles, a firearm, and almost $71,000 in cash. I’m guessing that will earn him a very nice letter in his file.
Related posts:
- Traffic Stops and Shootings: Are we training police officers for the right things?
- Traffic Stops: The Weirdest Thing I’ve Ever Heard Found in a Vehicle Search
- There Are No Routine Stops
- The Passenger Side Approach on a Traffic Stop Saves Another Life: Mine
- Traffic Stop Survival: Tips for Police Officers on Staying Safe
[...] Traffic stops have been called the “bread and butter” of police work. Even in the busiest jurisdictions, police officers regularly make traffic stops for traffic violations. Proactive officers can use these encounters to detect criminal activity beyond the simple traffic infraction. [...]