Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

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You observe and assist only if requested by the officer. Keep your eyes and ears open and ask legitimate questions. Silence is okay too, some officers are used to working alone most of the time and not having someone else in the car with them.

As for getting out of the car, it varies from Post to Post. Some will not allow you to get out of the car, some will. In my Posts you typically follow the officer everywhere unless told otherwise by the officer, or by using common sense, like a shots fired call. Many times, it is also up to the officer's discretion. One officer may let you go with him or her to a certain call where another officer would not. To find out for sure, ask each individual officer unless you know the answer for sure already.

Hope this helps, stay safe out there.

Depends on who you are and if the officer trusts you. I've never been told not to get out of the car. Like Exp13053 said, where the officer goes most of us go. I was talking with some advisors and there's a kid at another post who hasn't been allowed to ride with officers besides his advisors, and is routinely ordered so stay in the car. I was kind of surprised, but it's just a reflection of who he is.

Depending on the officer we can use the radio and MDC like most posts. Some of us do things on RALs that I'd prefer not to post because it would probably open up the largest can of worms seen in this forum. (Anyone else know where I'm coming from?) Again everything depends on age, experience, and trust between you and officer. And EVERYTHING is approved or ordered by the officer, everything.

May I suggest making tin foil hats? :)

Well up in the more Northeastern areas, like where I am in Connecticut, we usually only get out of the car if we're with the supervisor, like our post advisor. I mean, we don't get out on "shooting" calls, or domestics, but on simple traffic stops, and medicals we get out all the time, actually on medicals, we are sometimes left responsible for bringing gear to the house/apartment of the victim. But I understand why it is only these that we can get out on, we are bordered by one of the dirtiest cities in the Northeast, Hartford, our capital, so sometimes we don't get out on traffic stops, because as you may know, with a more "city-like" environment, there may be drugs in relation to the stop.

-AZ

Well up in the more Northeastern areas, like where I am in Connecticut, we usually only get out of the car if we're with the supervisor, like our post advisor. I mean, we don't get out on "shooting" calls, or domestics, but on simple traffic stops, and medicals we get out all the time, actually on medicals, we are sometimes left responsible for bringing gear to the house/apartment of the victim. But I understand why it is only these that we can get out on, we are bordered by one of the dirtiest cities in the Northeast, Hartford, our capital, so sometimes we don't get out on traffic stops, because as you may know, with a more "city-like" environment, there may be drugs in relation to the stop.

-AZ

BTW there is no such thing as a "simple" traffic stop. It can turn ugly before you know it.

In our post it depends on the officer we are riding with. In most cases, we are allowed out of the car. Obviously we are not allowed to get out of the car if there is a report of a weapon involved...

in my post, northern New Mexico, we are not allowed to get out of the car. I did on my first ride along however, the officer go told the next time that I was not supposed to get out of the car (I did not know previous to this either:p). so since then I get out when we go to restaurants to eat and what no.

BTW there is no such thing as a "simple" traffic stop. It can turn ugly before you know it.

IMO there are indeed simple and "routine" traffic stops. Ive pulled people over, informed them of their violation, retreived their info, ran them, then cited or warned them and let them go with no problems. Routine traffic stop.

Where you get into trouble is when you expect a routine traffic stop.

IMO there are indeed simple and "routine" traffic stops. Ive pulled people over, informed them of their violation, retreived their info, ran them, then cited or warned them and let them go with no problems. Routine traffic stop.

Where you get into trouble is when you expect a routine traffic stop.

+1 :cool:

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Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose of the ride?

Not as much as being injured or killed on a call.

Like others have said, if an officer knows and trusts an explorer, he may be given more privileges than the next guy.

The only set in stone major rule is that we cannot get out on traffic stops. All officers have a mic on their belt for the dash cam. Some officers that I've ridden with also have a speaker in their car that plays the audio of the stop out loud. I don't know why some would have this in a one-officer car, but it is nice as an explorer, because I can hear the conversation and laugh at the stupid stuff people say when they are pulled over.

Otherwise, while riding with a certain officer whom I ride with almost exclusively, I've been out on domestics, searches, and other calls as an extra helping hand with a flashlight and eyes.

Personally, I'd rather not be in an LE uniform without a gun on a traffic stop. Nobody likes to be pulled over, and I don't want to get into something with no protection.

The dept. im from leaves it up to the officer. Most officers allow us to get out of the car on almost anything except RA's. Other than that we write the occasional report, search vehicles and assist in many other ways.

On ride-alongs, we can do anything the officer we ride with allows us to. I have been in my post since 2004 and am the current captain of that post. I have a good rapport with 90% of the officers and they let me to alot. I cannot drive (until im 21 and an advisor), and I am able to talk on the radio for traffic stops, clearing scenes/calls, once calling for a supervisor to the scene, etc. If it's a simple traffic stop, I go up the drivers window and talkto the driver with the officer observing (after going over beforehand what will be said, etc).

As for domestics, it's up to the officer, but we are given permission to do what is needed if defense is needed such as grabbing the officer's gun if he's down, etc. Never happened, knock on wood, but unless the explorer is 14-15 and the officer (or advisor) knows the explorer well and can trust them, only then do they go on the road. A slight amount of immaturity, results in revokation of ride-alongs as anything can happen out there,

If it's a simple traffic stop, I go up the drivers window and talkto the driver with the officer observing (after going over beforehand what will be said, etc).

Im just going to leave this here regarding how bad of an idea I think this is...

A-iN8J6uCh4

Im just going to leave this here regarding how bad of an idea I think this is...


I've never volunteered for or been told to do the initial contact on a traffic stop as an explorer as it is way too dangerous for exactly the reason illustrated in that. The most i've ever done is close the traffic stop if the officer decides the person is no threat and asks me if i want to give them the citation and explain it to the person, even when i do this though the officer is standing directly behind me just in case.

On ride-alongs, we can do anything the officer we ride with allows us to. I have been in my post since 2004 and am the current captain of that post. I have a good rapport with 90% of the officers and they let me to alot. I cannot drive (until im 21 and an advisor), and I am able to talk on the radio for traffic stops, clearing scenes/calls, once calling for a supervisor to the scene, etc. If it's a simple traffic stop, I go up the drivers window and talk to the driver with the officer observing (after going over beforehand what will be said, etc).

Guess I wouldn't be very fun to ride with because you wouldn't be doing any of that with me...

Okay, nobody has posted anything in this thread for almost 3 years. If you have new information or wish to discuss a topic that is in an old, dead thread, please start a new one instead of resurrecting ancient ones.

Thank you all.

Okay, nobody has posted anything in this thread for almost 3 years. If you have new information or wish to discuss a topic that is in an old, dead thread, please start a new one instead of resurrecting ancient ones.

Thank you all.