I’d like to offer some alternatives to some of the suggestions recently made concerning HGN. The first would be the location of the suspect in relation to the patrol vehicle. Place the suspect in front of the passenger headlight of the patrol car. Your position should be on the “ditch” side of the suspect away from the street or highway. If the suspect is taller, then sit them on the front bumper or pushbar of the patrol car, or the rear bumper of the suspect vehicle. Have them cross their feet, then place your foot between their feet, this will effectively “lock” them into this position and limit their movement. These locations also keep the suspect in view of the in-car video system that most patrol units are equipped with. If present, keep other occupants of the suspect vehicle in mind.
The next thing would be position of the suspect’s hands. NHTSA guidleines call for the hands to be at the suspect’s side. If they are held higher you can see the suspect’s hands, but they are also in a perfect position for a quick jab punch. The advantage we have in conducting HGN is that we have the suspect’s eyes focused on the stimulus being used. If they are thinking about doing something other than focus on the stimulus, their eyes will normally begin to look in other directions. If a suspect’s eyes begin to wonder, give instructions to focus, if the behavior continues, step back and assess the situation.