By KEVIN RANSOMMost of us have been stopped by a police officer at some point, usually for a minor infraction like speeding or an expired registration. And of course, all of us have seen movie and TV depictions of the cop who is stoic but unfailingly polite as he hands out a $200 ticket.
But anyone who follows the news knows that such stops can sometimes be fraught with peril for the police officer or state trooper -- because they never know when a seemingly routine traffic stop could lead to trouble, or even violence.
So we talked to one retired state trooper to get a better sense of what actually happens at a traffic stop from the cop's point of view -- "the anatomy of a traffic stop," if you will.
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12 comments:
My brother always tells me that I could write a book on the stories I tell as could any Officer.
its all ego and the power trip.....thats why they become police officers.
I have been a police officer in this area for over 15 years and after reading this article, I have a couple of comments.
This trooper is lucky to have only fought one person in 12 years, I can't count all the people I have had to fight/wrestle in the years. In this area you think about a lot more things than he mentioned when you approach a vehicle. Safety by far being the most.
Police understand that no one says to themselves, lets get stopped by the police today and get a ticket. However, one piece of advice, like this article stated, technology is on our side now, so stop the lying, stop the excuses, will you still get a ticket, from the troopers yes, that is their job focus, traffic. The point is how many will you get, you lie, you give stupid excuses that we have heard a million times before, it's how many can we give you. I realize that this probably makes some people try to think of a better lie to not have it happen next time. Realize that the new radar and lasar work as fast as pulling the trigger on them, so no detector is going to save you unless you happen to get a brief signal from the trooper looking at someone else.
On the safety end, don't reach for anything in your car until you are asked, at night it helps to turn on your interior light keep your hands on the wheel, and be honest. I do think both sides need some work in being polite and fair but trust me the police in this area already have tons to worry about, tons of stress from the departments already on their backs, tons of stress from home that just comes from being a cop, and then having the people they deal with constantly lie, constantly hate them, constantly having to worry about safety, so understand that the cop is doing his/her job, has muxh more on his/her mind than you do at the time and tell the truth & be polite is the best advice.
Also ont eh technology side, most police cars in this area have video systems in them now that record your infraction and the whole conversation of the traffic stop, so it can be played in court if needed.
So, I hope everyone is safe and gets home in one piece.
10:31
You are right about some but not all, I truly want this area to be safer and better for my family and future kids to grow up in. There is way too much crime here for the size of the community. In your same thinking, I could all people who post comments like yours are ignorant and idiots, but not all are.
10:43 I was a cop for 26 years for a major metropolitan department just outside of Baltimore City and I can count on one hand the number of altercations I had with people I stopped for traffic violations during that span of time. I was a certified radar operator and worked a lot of traffic enforcement. If you've had so many fights on traffic stops in 12 years that you can't count them all, maybe you should reexamine the demeanor and attitude you project during those stops.
11:16
No I did a lot more than traffic, radar guns don't fight.
It is not my demeanor, it is actually working.
Did my writing show poor demeanor, or did yours.
Some observations: It seems to me that a safe place to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation is not as important as it should be. Second, if you are stopping me for a violation, save the pretence of anger, and stuff the ego trip. Give me the ticket, or don't. The State has no emotion to convey. Last, enforce the speed limit in this town PLEASE, or encourage the change of said limit.
I agree with the saving of emotion and such, it is not as easy to do sometimes. So what areas do you see think is speed enforcement needed, anywhere specific?
8:37
Thanks for the observations. "It seems to me that a safe place to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation is not as important as it should be." Why do you say this, what is your observations about this?
if you are unhappy at your job then leave it. face it....people become police officers because it is a continuance of a lifelong attitude. maybe you were in the military? maybe you were a bully in school and real life? maybe a little power hungry and wanted to push people around? some of this starting to sound familiar? i believe that all law enforcement from the top to the bottom should spend 1 week in jail unprotected to see how it feels. sure, alot of people belong there but there are alot of people in jail because some ignorant cop had a fight with his wife or girlfriend or kids. if a cop is having a bad day and stops you then you are having a nightmare. its time to show a litte compassion and not be a dickhead all the time.
6:55
Sounds like you got bullied, pushed around, rejected from the military, have no power, and your girlfriend(if u have one) likes cops...sound familiar.
Never was in the military, wasn't a bully, don't fight with my wife, just want a better community. Hope you have a better life.
I've said it before... cops and criminals both have criminal minds. Cops use theirs to catch the bad guys; criminals think cops are the bad guys. It's a fine line, and police need to keep themselves in control, because criminals will not.
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