Traffic Stop Gone Bad

[Cajunrider]

I received this email from a Louisiana State Police friend. It shows how quickly things can go South.

From Trooper K. Billiot:
A GOOD REMINDER OF HOW QUICK THINGS CAN GO BAD....LETS BE SAFE OUT THERE. WE NEVER KNOW WHERE SOMEONE'S HEAD IS AT...WE ONLY KNOW THAT A SIMPLE TRAFFIC LAW WAS BROKEN.


Forward this to everyone on your friends list, as a reminder of why cops do some of things they do when they pull someone over.

This Officer's reaction by hitting the suspects hand with his flashlight saved his life. Every Department handles traffic stops differently.

I for one, like getting Drivers out their vehicles so I can see their hands. That way your ready for them if it's going to sh*t. I personally did not like this Officers tactics of leaving the guy in the vehicle, especially once he suspected the guy had been drinking. But none the less he survived, and handled it well. This video depicts how most Officers are killed in the line of duty. So those of you who recieve this e-mail who are not cops or related to one. Think of this video and the amount of stress that every Officer has when pullng over a vehicle. This was a simple improper turn stop. Cops can never assume on any stop, and no matter what the person driving looks like, that it's a routine traffic stop.

"God Bless the Peace Makers for They shall be considered Children of the Lord" !


http://www.ravallirepublic.com/html_...cc4c03286.html

[landman]

WOW !

[dantama]

Originally Posted by Cajunrider

This Officer's reaction by hitting the suspects hand with his flashlight saved his life.

I don't think he actually hit the guys hand. I think the guy being a bad shot saved the officers life.

If you pause it in the right spot in full screen mode, the officer is falling a few feet away and the guys hand is still in the same position as before the cop was falling away. The guy then pulls his hand in, then sticks it back out to fire. But if the officer whacked his hand it would have moved his hand instantly, and not have left it in the same position with a delay. Kind of like when cars crash, there's no delay from when they hit till they start moving.

I've had a gun pointed at me by a cop from a few feet away, and one pointed at me from a drunk guy saying he was going to shoot from a few feet away. Neither one is pleasant, but I didn't think I was going to die when the cop did it. I really thought I was going to die when the other guy did it to me.

I'll bet that cop thought he was dead too when the shot rang out. He did a good job of getting a lot of shots back, and after his holy sh*t hear stopper, he sure radioed back calm. Most of these cop shootings you hear the cop radio back in a high pitched, rushed, constricted voice. This guy seemed to use the same voice that he'd be reporting debris in the road, not that some guy just shot at him.

[rickyboy]

You have to appreciate just what these "cops" do on a daily, or even hourly basis.
There isn't "a snowball's chance in hell" I'd ever do that job. The only way I'd even consider doing it would be if I could draw my gun when I approached any car, for any reason.

[ringadingh]

I agree with Dan, I think he hit the cop while drawing and missed. It was that cops lucky day.

[Yellow Jacket]

I don't think the video is clear enough to tell whether or not the officer hit the guys hand or not. From that angle, it's possible that he did deflect the guys hand forward and away without being able to see the movement.

Regardless, the police officer was lucky that it turned out the way it did.

This is the reason that if I ever get stopped for anything I will have both my hands on top of the steering wheel in plain sight when the officer approaches.

[dantama]

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

This is the reason that if I ever get stopped for anything I will have both my hands on top of the steering wheel in plain sight when the officer approaches.

So the cop doesn't whack you with a flashlight? Or so you don't shoot?

[Yellow Jacket]

[quote=Dan Lund]

Originally Posted by "Yellow Jacket":hp53h3if

This is the reason that if I ever get stopped for anything I will have both my hands on top of the steering wheel in plain sight when the officer approaches.

So the cop doesn't whack you with a flashlight? Or so you don't shoot? [/quote:hp53h3if]

No, it's because I know that when an officer makes a stop, especially at night, that they have no idea what may happen. I want to make it clear that I'm no threat to them.

[Cajunrider]

[quote=Dan Lund]

Originally Posted by "Cajunrider ":gha8slhx

This Officer's reaction by hitting the suspects hand with his flashlight saved his life.

I don't think he actually hit the guys hand. I think the guy being a bad shot saved the officers life.
[/quote:gha8slhx]

I don't know and can't say. I didn't put the writeup together or investigate the shooting. I just forwarded as Karla asked.

[wompus]

I personally don't drink but a few beers a year.
For the drunk driving... I think they need a bullet in their head!
I've had a lot of friends die because of either they were drunk or someone else was drunk.

They need to pass a law that removes ALL of your rights when you get drunk and drive or use drugs.

A little harsh? DAMN RIGHT!!

At least those who do it might think twice if they know their life will be put in danger if they do.


In Nam I saw a LOT of our guys get killed and blown away because of their drugs and the drinking they did... too stoned or drunk to protect themselves. That kinda changed my mind about it a long time ago.

But, that's just my own opinion....



.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Back when I was young I got stopped a lot mostly for speeding. You always had to get out of the car. The officer did not come to your car. If I were a trooper or a police officer I would much rather the suspect get out of the car. That way I can tell if he has a weapon or not. If I walk up to the car he can have a pistol drawn and shoot me when I walk up. There have been more than one killed when they approached the car.

As for drinking a driving it is a dumb thing to do. Loss of license for one year if caught plus some jail time. But even without a license most would continue to drive and probably even drink and drive.

[Idaho]

The State Police in Idaho approach from the passenger side and watch through the windows very closely with one hand on the pistol. I've never been out with an officer when a gun was pulled. I have been with them when we found guns and once when two knuckleheads waved a pistol at another car. That was extremely tense when we got them stopped. By then there were three state police, one county deputy and two city officers in the stop all with tactical weapons locked and loaded. I prayed that the perps did not even sneeze.

I have helped officers wrestle bad guys to the ground who did not want to go to jail. These guys never know what will happen when they make a stop. They do prefer that the suspect always stay in the car until ordered to exit. That is rare.

[Cajunrider]

Standard procedure for LSP is the driver exits the vehicle when the trooper orders him/her to do so. You can exit the vehicle as soon as it is stopped as long as your hands are in plain view. Refusing to exit the vehicle when ordered to do so will end up ruining your day. It's safer in more ways than one to approach from the passenger side. You have a better view of the driver, you have a barrier between you and the driver, and your chances of getting run down by another idiot driving with his head up his a$$ are somewhat reduced. Either way, you don't know who you are dealing with. Sometimes your gut tells you something isn't right and you'd better listen to it because your gut is usually right.

[Idaho]

That is interesting. In Idaho every agency that I have ridden with insists that the driver stay in the vehicle unless the officer needs them out. The reasion is for the drivers safety. The officer takes a risk being next to the car on a busy street and they do not want to needlessly expose the driver to that same risk. I have seen officers order drivers back into their vehicle when they step out. They especially don't like driver and passenger out at the same time unless they have backup.

One good thing about that philosophy is that they never have to wrestle a driver in the dirt who is sitting behind the wheel.

[tinskeep]

Idaho you are exactly correct, people in the vehicle stay in the vehicle until such time as they can be removed safely. Keeping them confined is for the Officer's Safety. The one thing I observed was that the Officer was directly next to the driver instead of remaining a bit to his rear and keeping the driver at a disadvantage making him have to turn his head and be off balance. Anyway, luck was with him that night for sure and I hope a couple of those shots made it into the drivers head.