Terry Stop
Felony traffic stops should be used in any incident where you will be attempting to apprehend an individual who is in possession of a stolen vehicle, one or more of the vehicle’s occupants has an active warrant.
Conduct your traffic stop as exampled from the traffic stops guidelines
Upon receiving a information of stolen vehicle or warrant proceed by immediately, a. Request 10-50 over dispatch b. Attempt to engage in casual conversation with the driver while waiting for your backup, in an attempt to not alert him of the situation at hand. Your goal is to keep him/her distracted and calm. c. Upon the arrival of the backup unit, tactical positioning and decision making is crucial.
The first step for a tactical advantage, is the vehicle placement of the backup unit. As a backup unit, your vehicle should be placed at an angle in relation to the lead officers vehicle, either on the left or right depending on the circumstances, ultimately creating an open triangle, or an upside down “V”.
Both the lead and backup officer will exit their vehicles and take a tactical position. The officer closest to the driver will equip their service pistol, while the other officer equips their taser. Both officers will take point at the vehicle tires, and cover their areas of responsibilities as seen in yellow portion of the sample below.
The lead officer will instruct the driver to turn off his vehicle and order him to toss the keys out the window.
He will then order the driver to step out of the vehicle with his hands up
The lead officer will order the subject to turn around and face away while walking backwards to the sound of his voice.
While the lead officer is giving commands, the backup officer should be scanning for any additional threats that can be near or in the subject’s vehicle.
If the subject is complying, the lead officer shall handcuff the subject, while the backup unit maintains point at the vehicle tires. Once the subject is handcuffed and in custody, clear the subject’s vehicle of any additional threats.
This will conclude the Terry stop and the investigation can begin.
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