Patrol Procedures and Officer Safety
What this domain tests
Decisions made in the first sixty seconds: how to position, approach, communicate, and control a scene before it becomes a use-of-force incident.
Core rules
- Cover stops bullets; concealment only hides you. Choose cover first, then use concealment.
- Maintain a reactionary gap. The 21-foot figure is a demonstration of closing speed, not a rule that guarantees safety.
- On traffic stops, offset the patrol unit, approach on the passenger side when practical, and avoid standing in the lane of travel or directly behind the stopped vehicle.
- High-risk (felony) stops: one voice giving commands, officers in cover positions, suspects moved back to officers rather than officers walking forward.
- Building searches: slow down, clear corners and closets, avoid the fatal funnel of doorways, and use contact/cover assignments.
- Broadcast before you act: location, plate, number of occupants, and nature of the stop. Request backup early rather than urgently.
Worked example
A 2 a.m. stop for an expired registration shows three occupants and movement under the seat. The officer stops before the vehicle, offsets to the left, calls out the stop, and waits for backup before approaching. That delay converts an unknown risk into a controlled felony stop with cover, one voice, and occupants removed one at a time.
Traps
- Standing between your car and the suspect vehicle, or in the traffic lane.
- Walking up to the driver's window on every stop regardless of indicators.
- Tunnel vision on the driver while a passenger is out of view.
- Failing to broadcast and then needing help you cannot describe.
- Letting a cover officer give commands that conflict with contact.