News
10/21/2014 - NPD FACEBOOK POST - 10/21/14 - Traffic Stops
Greeting s everyone
Well, I’m glad to see you all made it to Tuesday with me! – Now, I know it is Tuesday…. And that usually means it “Too Bad” Tuesday – but we are going to go in a slightly different direction today. I want to talk about and address a certain function that our officers perform on a daily basis… the traffic stop.
I think that many people do not fully understand why the police … and more importantly… why YOUR police department makes traffic stops…
The general purpose of the police conducting traffic enforcement is to change non desired behaviors of violators – for example, if cars are driving too fast on a particular road - we want you to be AWARE that cars are traveling too fast and more importantly, know how fast YOU are driving on that particular road… This can be done by the simple presence of an officer – and will many times require the officer to stop those vehicles that are displaying violations, whether it is the particular violation being targeted or another which the officer observes.
Another i
mportant point is that you must understand that the police live in a world of possibility- not probability…. 99.9% of the time (and yes, this is a very scientific number I’m throwing at you!!)the traffic stop goes very “routine”… but on a rare occasion, instead of being met by a cooperative person with a maybe a nervous smile, officers are greeted with a weapon pointed at them – and they MUST ALWAYS be prepared for that possibility. .. it is the only way to ensure that we will return home safely to their families at the end of the shift.
Knowing the seriousness of walking up to a motor vehicle to conduct a traffic stop and initial “distrust” an officer must have of the circumstances, it can sometimes make an officer come across as curt or unfriendly – please know that this is not personal – it’s just playing it safe. That said, there is no doubt that an officer can conduct these stops in a professional but friendly manner – but knowing that there is more involved with a traffic stop than simply walking up to a car can offer a better insight as to why an officer may seem unfriendly.
So, how should one behave when they are pulled over? – we’ll lets start off with HOW you stop – A great way to get officer “Cranky Pants” to come talk to you, is to not stop in a responsible or – dare I say a “Considerate” way…by “considerate”, I mean pulling over to a safe place… keeping your hands in sight such as on the steering wheel … and limit interior movements… and for the love of “Bangor the duck”…. turn the radio down so we can hear each other!!
Once the officer comes to the window…. Remember – we have heard every excuse in the book…. No, literally – EVERY excuse has been heard !! … So if for example you were caught speeding – an honest response and willingness to take responsibility can go a long way... although please note that I cannot guarantee you will not have enforcement action taken against you - it is a big step in the right direction towards the goal of getting future compliance.
Now – please realize that officers are human and that they can on occasion make mistakes … these situations are limited, but we of course acknowledge that they do occur… If you disagree with the officer – on the side of the road is NOT the time or the place to dispute the stop… arguing the ticket on the spot is dangerous for everyone – my advice again (-Sorry!!-) … save it for court – this is exactly what the judicial system is for!
So, the last question is … and I can just hear some of you out there saying it!…“don’t you cops have better things to do?” … well, the answer is - “No!” …Here is why, the Naugatuck PD patrol division is responsible for many things; Responding for calls to service such as 911 calls, Medical calls, Checks of residences and businesses, Etc… , and one of the other major functions is to investigate motor vehicle collisions and to enforce traffic laws… which - in turn reduces crashes to have to investigate, thus saving people from injury or even death … So the answer to the question is overwhelmingly “No” – we don’t have better things to do, when you are stopped by an officer, it means they were proactively doing their job…and not just simply driving around waiting for something to happen… Now, that is not to say that IF a more urgent incident occurs (IE: Something better to do…), the officer will definitely respond – perhaps even before they get the chance to write you a ticket!!
Okay – that’s all I have for you today – Thank you for listening and I hope I was able to give a little police perspective on this subject - Please have a safe and happy Tuesday!