Public Misunderstanding Of

“Officer Safety” Essay, Research Paper

Public Misunderstanding of “Officer Safety”

How many times have you been pulled over by a police officer, and when

the confrontation was complete you said to yourself, “Boy, was he rude!” or

“There was no need for him to treat me like that.” Well, unfortunately, the

public is prone to misinterpret an officer being safe for being rude.

Unfortunately, the actions taken during a “routine” traffic stop which are

interpreted as being rude are necessary steps that insure the safety of both

officer and civilian.

Imagine for a moment that you are a police officer on duty. You observe

a vehicle traveling 36 miles per hour on a 30 mile per hour road. You decide to

stop the vehicle and give the driver a verbal warning in hopes that he will

slow down and avoid an accident further down the road. As you walk up to the

driver’s side window, you are shot 10 times in the face and chest and the driver

leaves you for dead. This situation actually occurred in San Diego, CA, 18

months ago. Many like it occur every day, and this is in the forefront of the

mind of every officer.

Another thing that an officer must keep in mind during a traffic stop is

the safety of the civilian driver. Same situation as above, but instead, as the

vehicle stops, the driver gets out of his car and is struck by a passing

motorist. Again, this happens more than you would like to believe.

The FBI conducts semi-annual research regarding the subject of officer

safety and procedural changes which increase the chances of law enforcement

officers surviving their high risk work day. These are the some of the

procedures which they have published in regards to traffic stops, and which

myself and other trainers have used to train their mobile patrolmen in hopes of

reducing their risk:

Step #1: Park your patrol car approximately 1.5 car lengths behind, and

with the passenger’s side headlight even with the center of the violators

vehicle. By doing this you allow yourself, as the patrolman, an ample distance

for reaction. By parking off center you also allow a “hallway” for yourself to

conduct business safely.

Step #2: Turn your vehicle’s high beams, spotlight, code lights and