Freeway stops

[lightemup]

To everyone,
This question is for the officers that work in a department where they are able to work traffic patrol on freeways.

I was wondering if it was hard for you guys to get used to make traffic stops on freeways? What I mean by this is when you at the vehicle making contact with the driver, are your worries more on the violation or the eighteen wheelers whizzing by you. There is the new law out in Michigan where you have to change lanes to the passing lane when you see emergency vehicle lights ahead of you. But during my internship I learned that nobody followed this. And you know the sad thing about it is that I don't think anyone knows that law exists now. There has been hardly NO public broadcast of this new law. So unfortunately I know where some of the drivers that we had stopped for this violation are coming from when they have never heard of the law. Though it is common sense and corteous to merge over for a police officer on a traffic stop it frustrates me though that this law is not being broadcasted for the safety of officers out there.

So anyways back to my question, what did you guys do to get used to making traffic stops on the freeways. Do you block the cars and semis out and go on like it is nothing or is the only answer to this just watch your back. Any answers would be appreciated. You guys be safe out there and DO watch your backs.

NATE

[Joe159]

Almost all the areas I work in is in an urban setting. However a part of my area I have to cover is about a 5 mile stretch of interstate highway. Getting out and seeing (and feeling) those vehicles fly past you can be scary. Being in an ideal location and having enough room to operate is very important. If the shoulder is too tight, sometimes its not worth the stop. Not only do you have to concentrate on the occupants of the vehicle you just pulled over but you also have to be focused and be aware of everything around you. Especially fast moving traffic.

[Mo Trooper]

Making your approach on the drivers side can help to take your mind off of the traffic. I make a decision which side to approach depending on how much room there is on the drivers side. Another trick is to pull your car in behind the violator at an angle, leaving the front of your car out in traffic. This forces people to get over, and if they don't, at least they hit your car before they hit you. I don't know the stats, and really have no basis for the statement, but I would say that as many people are injured by passing motorists on traffic stops as from guns and knives.

[crashcop42]

On Ft. Bragg we have three major highways not including the range roads where people travel like they are freeways, but when I stop someone on these roads I make the determination to either do a driver or passenger side approach, and as Mo Trooper said I make every attempt to do the 45 degree slant not only to protect myself from passing motorist, but as a defensive technique in case the violator wants to ram my front the air bags won't deploy or at least a good chance they won't. My vehicle is a slick top jeep with lots and lots of warning lights so if they hit my vehicle they got to either be drunk or not paying attention, and If they hit it I would rather them be drunk, so I can get the speeder and a drunk on the same traffic stop.

[BBradley]

The CHP teach their officers to make stops on the passenger side. Also, when stopping on freeways, the CHP are told to turn all of their overhead lights OFF, so as not to attract DUIs. They still lose one or two officers a year this way. I believe that the year 2000 was the first time that more officers died through motor accidents than by felonious assaults.

[SecretSquirrel]

All above comments are excellent. Something that I was taught from day one, while patrolling urban Virginia Beach and Norfolk was that the Trooper or Officer is in control and YOU pick where to make the traffic stop-not the violator. Not in curves, construction areas or in an area with no/minimal shoulders. I've followed people as much as 2-3 miles before initiating a stop. Also, I have had lots of success in hand motioning violators to the left or right shoulder I want them to go to. Try it. A sharp hand movement either to the left or right shoulder. Nine out of ten times it works, because usually the first thing people do when you hit the lights or pop the siren is look in the rear view mirror with that "What? You want ME to pull over?" look.

I know that not every one is going to comply with you and pull over where you want them to. You also have those completely clueless people that will lock down the brakes and stop in the passing lane the minute you hit the blue lights. Which would earn someone a stopping on the highway summons in addition to the original reason I went after them.

I have approached cars on both the driver and passenger sides, whatever was safer at the time. I have had more close calls than I care to remember and the VSP too has had several officers run over and severely injured or killed by reckless drivers.

We are taught to be constantly looking & scanning from the violator to the oncoming traffic. Both could kill you instantly.

To answer your last question, you get more comfortable with experience, but it is always something to be cautious about. Remember your training and always do what is safest for you the Trooper/Officer at the time.

Everyone be safe..

[lightemup]

So far these posts have been wonderful. There has been a lot of good information out of them.

Something that really has shocked me was what BBRADLEY had said. Such as teching the CHP to turn of emergency lights. Well that to me seems to totally uneccessary. What do you guys think about that? I know Double trap.40 said it perfectly, that is a DEATH WISH. Well keep the replies coming in guys. THanks
NATE

[Mo Trooper]

Turning off your overheads seems strange to me, and have never heard of it before. I've heard of turning off your headlights so the violator can't see you in his mirror as well, or not using your spotlight if you plan on crossing in front of it to make a passenger side approach, but by turning off your overheads, people would be even more inclined NOT to get over in the other lane. They might just mistake you for a stranded motorist. Very Strange.

BBradley, is this first hand info, or passed on? I'd be interested to know.

[SecretSquirrel]

Everyone,
BBradley is right. The CHP does turn off its overheads in most cases, especially after dark. Leaving only their four way flashers on. They performed a study back in the late 80's or early 90's in which they identified a phenomena called the "moth effect". They found that drunk drivers and many other drivers would in the nightime, like a moth to a bright light, instinctively drive right for the emergency lights of a patrol car conducting enforcement on the roadside.

Plus, CHP also do this in congested areas to minimize rubber neckers and keep traffic from slowing to a crawl to see what they are doing. Traffic jams were occurring do to this even late at night.

VSP has had SEVERAL Trooper cars plowed into from behind while conducting a traffic stop with emergency strobes going on the highway shoulder. My shift partner had this happen to him three times in eleven years! I personally believe that CHP is on the right track here and that the research they did makes good sense.

I think that our agency requires us to because they feel there is a liability issue if we would not have blue lights on. I think the general public and a jury would feel that the more lights on, the better.

The CHP has always been innovative. Maybe this sheds some light into their reasoning behind it.

[lightemup]

I can see where they are going as far as preventing onlookers. Is this an optional thing for officers to do or is it a departmental policy that you must turn off all overheads due to attraction of DUI drivers.

To me, I think I would take the chance with the DUI drivers versus having my overheads turned off. An another point I think is important to this is the overheads I think are a important tool to keeping the car that you have stopped lighted up for better view. Granted that is what the spotlight is for but the lights do help also.

So in my view I think having those lights turned off is a HUGE safety mistake. But that is my opinion. CHP I know is well respected. But to me, I think it would be best to keep them lighted up.
NATE

[Masscop]

In Mass, most of the guys stopping cars on the night shift turn the front strobes off [after the vehicle is stopped.] We keep the white take down lights on, as well as the spot lights and high beams. This not only blinds the occupants, but provides the greatest amount of light. While approaching, I extend my left flashlight arm as far out to my left as possible. [they usually shoot towards the light.] After my approach [which usually startles the driver] I quickly beam the flashlight into the drivers eyes to temporarily blind him while I check his hands and the inside of the vehicle. I'm sure you leo's already know this stuff.

For the guys that don't have strobe lights, We turn the front strobes off because it creates a night club type of effect. Every thing seems to be happening in slow motion, It isn't always clear what's going on do to the on, off effect, and trying to perform a field sobriety test under the strobes is like trying to give the test on the dance floor of a night club.

As far as the rear strobes, they can be seen for miles. I guess if it is the depts. policy to turn them off, then who am I to disagree, however, out here if you are rear ended and you don't have your rear lights flashing, you'd better have a strong union and a good home owners insurance policy.

[Mo Trooper]

That's interesting, to say the least, and it's kind of like the debate on whether to bring the violator back to your car or not. There are good and bad points to both schools of thought. I guess that train of thought hasn't it made it this far east yet.

[BBradley]

I am not a CHP officer but have ridden with them several times and have studied their officer safety publications. When stopping offenders on freeways the CHP are instructed to turn their overhead lights off and to only activate their takedown lights and the hazard flashers. It is not an option, it is policy. If they break this policy, then the resulting accident (ie lawsuit) is entirely on them. It may be seen by some as a "deathwish" but many CHP officers used overhead lights on night-time freeway stops and subsequently paid with their lives. The report accurately showed a huge reduction in crashes when overhead lights were turned off. In the end it is a personal decision but if that dept supports it that is good enough for me. It may feel safer to have disco lights going while you make a stop, but to the DUI careening down the freeway, those same lights (and you) are something to look, and steer towards.

[lightemup]

I have a question regarding the CHP policy that we have discussed and I would like everyone that reads this to think about it and respond.

Lets say a CHP officer is conducting a traffic stop on the freeway. He or she is at the driver side door talking to the driver. A car then drives by and hits the officer. The officer has been injured to the extent where LE would be impossible for them to ever do for the rest of his or her life.

My question is, don't you think that this officer has a very good case against the CHP saying that the only reason why he or she was hit was because they did not have the proper lighting on his car activated as he or she was struck? Or you can go even farther and lets say the officer was sadly killed in the line of duty due to them being struck by a vehicle, what about the family? In my mind they have a very strong case also.

Now it would be very hard to go against the department that you have always worked for and take these kind of actions, but yet again you are out a job that you loved so much MAYBE because of this policy that you followed saying that there would be no overheads on while you were on a traffic stop. So what do you guys or gals think about this. Let me know. Stay safe out there....
NATE

[Masscop]

Lightemup, you obviously have a "thing" for lights so you may want to consider another deptartment besides CHP, a department where you can "lightemup", and "keepemon".

Seriously, anything is possible as far as law suits. Attorneys and judges do strange things. When you work for a dept. you must accept their policies, rules, regulations, procedures etc. even though you may not agree with them.

In a trial, for every expert witness that you call to testify that you should leave your lights on, CHP will call expert witnesses to testify why you should turn them off. After all, they already did studies to prove it is safer to turn them off. So much so that they adopted it into there standard operating procedures.

I would be more afraid of being sued myself [after an accident] for going against department policies and leaving them on. It seems the biggest paying judgements are when the officer acted reckless, abused his authority, or didn't follow DEPT. POLICY

[BBradley]

Well said. The fact is that the CHP have conducted research which proves that it is safer to turn their overhead lights off. They conducted this research after their officers were killed performing freeway stops with their overhead lights flashing. Instead of sticking to the policy of having lights flashing on the freeway, (which resulted in dead Highway Patrolmen) the dept conducted research into the issue, and found a better way of doing their job. The result: less officers killed and injured. Anyway CHP always approach from the passenger side on freeway stops, so the chances of being hit are even less. The dept is one of the most progressive in the country, so they have my vote over anecdoctal evidence.

[tpcop007]

Lets keep the post going about turning off your lights while on a traffic stop. Very good feedback coming in.


The Florida Highway Patrol also suggests that once the stop is conducted and the vehicle is off the road to the side that the trooper turn off its overheads. I have seen several troopers who only leave on their rear blue flashers at night after the stop. It seems to reduce the number of onlookers because not so many lights are flashing. The flashers are still enough to tell those clueless drivers that "hey I have someone pulled over here, don't drive in the shoulder" But in my opinion it doesn't seem to have the "moth effect" as much as tons of lights flashing.

My . 02 on strobes. I don't like them. Being a leo and also speaking as a driver on the highways, strobes stink. During the day you can't see them. At night from afar it is difficult to determine what lane the officer is in until you are almost right on top of him. With rotators and flashers you can distinguish what lane or side of the road the officer is on. What are you thoughts??
:idea:

[WardAFk9]

I just graduated from the Indiana State Police Academy. They are teaching that it is better to turn your overhead lights off during nighttime traffic stops. It has been proven now by the NHTSA that bright lights attract drunks and cause them to drift in the direction of bright lights. We have rear deck lights and strobes in the reverse lights, if you can't see our lights from the back, they should give you a ticket for inattentive driving. What ever you decide, Stay Safe

[HWYRNGR]

I work for the CHP. I make off traffic approaches whenever I'm on the freeway. I position myself in a manner that I can focus my attention on the subject's hands as well as the oncoming traffic. Basically I face towards traffic in a slight angle. There's two things that I've learned in this profession that kills officers. Not knowing where that subject's hands are and not paying attention to the traffic. When I make surface street stops, I make driver side approaches. I still angle my body in such a manner to watch the subject and the traffic. In order to protect myself a little more from the passing traffic, I offset my patrol vehicle towards the traffic to give me a protective barrier. Hope I was able to shine some light on this particular subject. Everyone does things different. Some like it one way, while others are use to another way.:bounce:

[Kegan30317]

My understanding on overheads and drunks is they are attracted to the strobes, not the revolving type lights. The strobes have some sort of mesmorizing effect. As far as approaches goes, I prefer the passenger side. It gives me a better view of thier right hand and generally keeps them off balence as to where I am.

I don't do a whole lot of traffic, but I avoid making stops on the interstate when ever possible. I'm in an urban area and trying to bring a vehicle over five or six lanes of heavy traffic is truely a liability.

[Ross]

I concur with the comment on the CHP light policy. On the ride along I went on, the same info was given. They did studies that concluded DUI's are more lickly to drive towards the rear red lights thinking they are brakelights. Ouch! that hurts when you get caught between two cars.

[Gar]

Not having your lights on not only lessens the chance of DUIs running into you, but also prevents rubbernecking and possibly a crash.