Dear Ask A Cop[,
My family got into a discussion about police stopping cars for speeding, or any other crime, and the topic came up of why officers touch the trunk of the cars they stop when they are walking up to the driver’s window. My sister, who has dated a couple of different officers, says it’s to make sure the trunk is shut so nobody can jump out and attack the officer.
This just doesn’t make any sense to me. I mean, who is going to be riding around in the trunk of a car waiting to attack an officer? But, nobody, including me, can come up with answer that makes any sense. I remembered your page, so here I am.
Thank you, and your page is great!
KC in KC
Dear KC,
Officers touch the trunk, or tailgate, or somewhere on the rear of vehicles as they approach in order to leave their fingerprint on the vehicle. If the subject in the car were to attack and kill or seriously wound the officer, law enforcement would be able to identify and prove that vehicle was the one the officer had stopped.
Some officers will touch the driver’s door near the window and some officers don’t touch them at all. It depends on how the officer was trained and whether or not they make it a part of their standard operating procedure on traffic stops. Many agencies even have a policy requiring their officers to leave a print on vehicles they have contact with, but many more do not.
Oh, and the idea of cops touching the trunk to make sure nobody is going to jump out and attack them… there is actually some truth to that as well. Threats can, and do, come from anywhere, so it never hurts to do a quick check and make sure it is closed tight. Watch this…
That time the officer was prepared because he suspected that the fugitive might be hiding in the trunk. However, that was not the case on Wednesday September 28, 1994.
On that day, Crest Hill, IL. Police Sgt. Tim Simenson was killed when a piece of shit named Elton Williams, 23, of Joliet fatally shot him twice with a small caliber rifle when the officer opened the trunk to search for evidence of an armed robbery.
And there is actually one other reason why police officers touch the cars they stop. That is to get the driver’s focus or attention for a second. If the driver is trying to do something like hide drugs, or pulling out a weapon, tapping the car will startle them for a quick second and in that moment you can tell if they quickly go back to making furtive movements. It’s just one more small thing that helps officers keep control of the situation.
Thanks for your question and thanks for following my page!
AAC