Nothing Routine About Traffic Stops — Kentucky Law Enforcement

Dec 1

Dec 1 Nothing Routine About Traffic Stops

PICTURED ABOVE

Department of Criminal Justice Training Law Enforcement Instructor Brian McClure observes a High-Risk Traffic Stops course on DOCJT’s campus in Richmond. (Photo by Jim Robertson)

In the 1994 film, “Forest Gump,’ the lead character advises, “My momma always said that life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

That is the message Department of Criminal Justice Training Tactics Instructor Brian McClure conveys to the many officers who go through DOCJT’s traffic stop courses.

“They are like Pandora’s Box,” McClure said. “You never know what is going to happen.”

McClure’s reasoning is simple. According to Centrifuge Training and the FBI’s statistics on law enforcement officers killed and assaulted, 83% of officers performing self-initiated police work are killed around a vehicle.

That is why proper training and implementation of training skills are so necessary when patrolling Kentucky roadways.

Stop Types

There are three types of traffic stops that officers will experience during their careers. They are the low-risk stop, the unknown-risk stop, and the high-risk stop.

Examples of low-risk stops are ones with minimal risk of the officer being hurt or killed. An example of a low-risk stop would be someone running a stop sign because they’re late for work, McClure said.

The unknown risk stop is exactly what it suggests. There are unknown factors, but there are some signs officers should be aware of, McClure said.

“If the vehicle has tinted windows and several occupants, that will fall under the unknown risk category,” he said.

When an unknown risk situation presents itself, McClure advises officers to opt for the walk-back procedure.

“Instead of the officer walking up to the car, (the officer) calls the driver back to his or her car,” McClure said. “That way, we can see the (driver’s) hands, and we’re only dealing with one person at a time.

“If it is an unknown-risk stop, I try always to have my back up there,” McClure continued. “That way, they can watch the suspect while I’m going through the process of doing my paperwork. It’s all about being smart.”

Examples of a high-risk stop include a bank robbery or assault suspect, or someone who leads the officer in a pursuit, McClure added.

“If it is a high-risk stop, and you’re running solo by yourself, maybe just follow the car for a while until back-up arrives, then initiate the stop,” McClure suggested.

Stop Threats

McClure stressed that each stop is different, and officers must be prepared for anything.

“The thing we have to get across in our training is this: If we can get to the back of our vehicle and stack our pillars and make good, sound decisions, it increases our success rate that much higher,” he said.

When assessing threats during a vehicle stop, McClure identified two types of aggressors of which officers need to be aware: primal and cognitive.

Of the two, primal is the easiest to determine.

“That means they’re getting out of the car, and they’re trying to kill or hurt me,” he said. “Those are the ones that are the most dangerous.”

Cognitive aggressors are the ones who attempt to butter the officer up to get their guard down.

McClure stressed that officers must maintain their situational awareness during every stop.

“Keep your six-foot reactionary gap and your strong side back where you can be ready for anything,” he said. “You must be able to talk to this person, while at the same time, be ready to defend yourself at any time during the traffic stop.”

Tips to Remember

When conducting traffic stops, McClure said there are five factors for officers to consider regarding threat assessment. The first is the occupant’s hands and body language.

“We tell them they must be an expert in reading body language,” he said. “If you can read their body language and pick up on their demeanor, that will save you a lot of trouble. The main thing is, I want the officers to be able to see (the person’s) hands before they get to the car.”

The second tip is always to check the backseat for people who may be hiding. Third, look for indicators such as tinted windows and multiple occupants.

“Those are some of the things you have to take into consideration before you make the stop,” McClure said.

The fourth tip is time and location.

“What time of day is it? Where are you planning on conducting the stop?” McClure said. “From the intro to full-on force-on-force, officers must know the answers to all of that.”

Lastly, make sure the dispatch center knows what is going on. Inform them using the L-O-C-A-L system – location, occupants, color of the vehicle, automobile’s make and model and license plate information.

“The most important thing is location,” he stressed. “Help cannot reach you unless they know where you are.”

If you work for a smaller agency, McClure said other factors must be considered.

“Back-up could be 20 or 30 minutes away,” he said. “At that point, you must weigh the risk versus reward. You must ask, ‘Is this stop important enough for me to get hurt or killed, or is it a minor violation?’”

Avoid Complacency

McClure cautioned against officers getting in the mindset of a routine traffic stop.

“When you do so many, and nothing happens, you can get complacent. You can only be hypervigilant for so long,” he said. “If you have some guy running a lot of traffic, they can get complacent. If you have somebody who works at a smaller agency, and they know everybody, they tend to let their guard down.”

Becoming complacent is a recipe for disaster, McClure said.

“Instead of officers standing behind their pillar and doing their job, you’ll find them sticking their heads inside the window and trying to do their business,” he said. “We must get out of that mindset.”

Officers’ attitudes can put them in a dangerous situation.

“Many times, officers think, ‘Just because I’m the police, everyone is going to do what I say, and everything is going to be fine,’” he said. “And some officers have what I call ‘tombstone courage,’ and they think nothing bad is going to happen to them. That is what we need to avoid.”

McClure said a successful traffic stop is one where the officer walks away, and it should never be taken for granted.

“You can write 100 tickets and have 100 DUI arrests, but if you don’t get home safe at the end of your shift, all the other stuff doesn’t matter,” he said.