If you have been on the job for very long at all, you will have discovered that seemingly ‘routine’ traffic stops can go bad in a heartbeat.
The driver I stopped the other day for a minor tag violation had his child’s lunch box in the car with him. Only this little girl’s lunch box […]
Entries Tagged as 'Traffic Stops'
There Are No Routine Stops
February 25th, 2008 · No Comments
Tags: Traffic Stops · Officer Safety
The Passenger Side Approach on a Traffic Stop Saves Another Life: Mine
February 4th, 2008 · 2 Comments
I am a huge supporter of using the passenger side approach on traffic stops. From the passenger side, I have seen drugs, guns, and other things that I would not have seen from the driver’s side. It is possible that the driver’s side approach has saved my bacon before. However, on Friday […]
Tags: Traffic Stops · Officer Safety
Drug Interdiction: Concealment Locations to Watch for When Police Officers Conduct Criminal Interdiction
January 7th, 2008 · 1 Comment
Police officers engaged in drug interdiction and criminal interdiction are constantly finding new hiding places that criminals use to hide their drugs, weapons, and other contraband.
Here are a few locations that I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has found in recent years:
Contraband hidden in a womans wig.
Bags of heroin hidden in teddy bears.
Marijuana concealed in the […]
Tags: Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · Drugs
Vehicle Stop Interdictions - Drug Interdiction for Patrol: Excellent Police Training Course from The Backup Training Corporation
January 3rd, 2008 · No Comments
Vehicle Stop Interdictions: Drug Interdiction for Patrol is one of more than 40 police training courses offered to law enforcement officers by The Backup Training Corporation. Focusing on highway drug interdiction, the CD-based course covers all of the bases for an officer who is serious about stopping the flow of drugs on the […]
Tags: Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · Drugs · Training
Police Training and Real Life Shootings: Move!
December 4th, 2007 · No Comments
One of the things that really gets me upset about a lot of the firearms training given to police officers, is the concept of a static officer vs. a static target. You know the training I mean: the officer stands on the line, waits for the command, draws his firearm, and shoots a […]
Tags: Hostage Situations · SWAT · Traffic Stops · Officer Safety · Firearms Training · Training
License Plate Flippers: A James Bond Gadget Police Officers Should Look For
November 18th, 2007 · 1 Comment
In a lot of spy movies, the hero’s car is often equipped with all sorts of gadgets designed to make espionage easier. One of those often seen gadgets is available for your local criminals for less than $100.
The Plate Flipper is a device that installs behind the license plate of a car or motorcycle. When […]
Tags: Vehicle Pursuits · Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · Officer Safety · General
Traffic Stop Survival: Tips for Police Officers on Staying Safe
November 14th, 2007 · 4 Comments
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.
Regardless on the reason for the stop, there are certain things a police […]
Tags: DUI Enforcement · Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · Officer Safety
Traffic Stops: The Weirdest Thing I’ve Ever Heard Found in a Vehicle Search
November 2nd, 2007 · No Comments
Ok, this has got to be the weirdest thing I think I have ever heard found on patrol. A Texas police officer located more than 20 embalmed heads during a traffic stop. I’m glad it wasn’t me…
ROYSE CITY, Texas (AP) — A traffic stop in Texas yielded about two dozen embalmed heads. But […]
Tags: Traffic Stops · General
Rental Self Storage Units: Criminal Interdiction Made Easy
October 31st, 2007 · 1 Comment
Police officers engaged in drug interdiction quickly learn that experienced dealers and traffickers never drive a car they own when moving their product. Criminals have learned to bypass the asset forfeiture laws by renting a car, and moving the drugs with the leased vehicle. If stopped, the dealer may lose the product, but […]
Tags: Terrorism · Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · Drugs
International Driver’s License: Legit or Scam?
October 30th, 2007 · No Comments
Imagine this: you make a traffic stop for a minor infraction, and you discover the driver doesn’t speak very much English. You do your best to explain the infraction, and they provide you with a multi-fold paper document labeled “International Driver’s License.” The document has a passport-style photograph of the driver, and […]
Tags: Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · General
Is the Use of Light, a Use of Force?
October 4th, 2007 · No Comments
Several years ago, I read an article called “Use of Force and High Intensity Tactical Police Flashlights: Policy Concerns.” Since then I have seen it re-printed in various other locations.
In the article, R. Paul McCauley, Ph.D., a criminology professor at a Pennsylvania university, opines that
the use of high-intensity tactical police flashlights (HITPFs) is a […]
Tags: Traffic Stops · Officer Safety · Firearms Training · Training
Roadside Safety: Danger From Passing Vehicles During a Traffic Stop and Accident Investigation
October 2nd, 2007 · No Comments
Making a so-called routine traffic stop poses a lot of potential hazards for a police officer. Officers rarely know the occupants of the vehicle, or what danger they may pose. So, academies and department in-services teach their officers safety and survival skills to give the officer the best possible advantage when dealing with […]
Tags: Traffic Stops · Officer Safety
Traffic Stops: Think Past the Citation
September 13th, 2007 · 1 Comment
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 […]
Tags: Criminal Interdiction · Traffic Stops · Drugs
