A few days ago, my wife and I were driving near downtown Dallas when I observed something that immediately stood out to me as an officer safety concern. We were driving directly behind an 18-wheeler that had mirror plating on the bottom portion of both cargo doors. RIGHT IN THE OFFICER’S LINE OF SIGHT.
Working deep nights, I am consciously aware of my vehicle lighting when conducting traffic stops (take-downs vs. spotlight vs. highbeams, etc.). My first thought after seeing this was how an officer could become instantly blinded after activating his/her take-downs or spotlight on a vehicle with plating such as this. This could become an immediate officer safety issue considering the officer would not be able to see ANYTHING.
Officers should practice alternate vehicle placement and lighting when dealing with vehicles like this. Remember, if the driver decides to engage you in a deadly force situation, you can’t hit what you can’t see.