Editor,
It's just a suggestion but maybe it would help if the state were to have some public service commercials on what to do and not do when you get stopped by law enforcement. They already have some for wearing your seat belt, not texting and driving and DWI.
I'm not in law enforcement but I have many friends who are. And I've had law enforcement personnel in my Taekwon-Do classes in the past, and they really do put their lives on the line every time they make a traffic stop.
Several years ago, I was listening to an interview by a retired state trooper. He was sharing what he does whenever he gets stopped (he talked like he gets stopped a lot). What he said he does as soon as he sees the lights come on is:
No. 1. Slow down.
Turn on his emergency flashers.
Continues to drive until he can get off the highway (it's dangerous and puts both you and the officer in danger from traffic to stop on the side of the road). And if it's dark he will continue on to a well-lighted area (especially important for women because, though it may be rare, there are predators out there that pretend to be cops).
Turns off his car.
4A. (This is optional but this is what he does -- puts his car keys on the roof of the car. (This sends a clear message to the officer that you are not going to suddenly drive off when he/she approaches your car.)
- He puts both his hands outside the driver's window.
Some of these things I had never thought of before but they do make sense.
Let's do whatever we can to keep everyone safe.
Robert Honderich
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