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Are your motor vehicle stops routine?
As law enforcement officers perform a number of
functions on a daily basis, some have a tendency to
become “routine” – even though we are all taught from
the beginning to avoid routines for our own safety.
Although I do agree to some extent with the “avoiding
routine” mentality, there are some situations where a
routine can save your life. Take, for example, motor vehicle stops.
RICH
A number of years ago, I attended a “high-risk motor
NICOLETTI vehicle stop training” that provided me with skills that
transferred over to what some might describe as routine
motor vehicle stops.
The first step, after identifying a vehicle that you wish to stop, is to
choose a location for the stop. Many times newer officers will be overanxious to stop the vehicle, and forget that they are in control of the situation. Choose the best possible location to conduct the stop. This is
done exclusively to assure officer safety. Officers should pay attention to
lighting conditions, roadway traffic, space to walk around the vehicle and
even the people in the area who are not involved in the stop.
The next step is the positioning of the police vehicle. Some officers
have adopted the technique of angling the vehicle at about 30 degrees,
pointing head-out toward the roadway. This is a good practice for several
reasons. If another vehicle strikes the unit from behind, the marked unit
will deflect that vehicle away from the dismounted officer. Also, if the
driver begins to shoot at the officer, the front tire, fender and driver-side
door will provide some cover. It is important to position the unit at least
one car length behind the target vehicle.
Next, the officer needs to determine which approach suits the requirements of the stop. If the officer elects to approach on the passenger side
of the target vehicle, he/she should walk to the rear of the unit and continue up b