Odds are you’ve heard about — and possible trained in — Verbal Judo. You’ve learned either/or the “8-Step Hard Style” or the “5-Step Hard Style.” It involves something along the lines of the following:
“Good afternoon, I’m Officer Smith with the Metro PD. The reason I stopped you was for [insert violation]. Is there a reason you [insert violation]?”
If/when you receive static from the driver, there are verbal steps you can take that are designed to keep the conversation professional and lay out options for the driver. At the end of the interaction, the driver has either complied or he hasn’t. Either way, you’ve given him every opportunity.
Try Telling, Not Asking
There are as many styles of conducting enforcement stops as there are cops, and after nearly nine years as a motor officer — I’ve lost count of the number of traffic stops I’ve done — how I do them has changed over the years.
Up until about six months ago, I would stop an offending vehicle, radio in the car stop, approach on the passenger side of the vehicle, and contact the driver by saying, “Do you know why I stopped you?”
I didn’t say it with attitude. I didn’t introduce myself. Right, wrong, or indifferent, this was the way I conducted business for years. My thinking behind it was two-fold. I was looking for accountability/honesty and I wanted to make note of whatever statement they made for future use in court.
It worked for me for a very long time. I got some great statements, but that wasn’t all I got.
I got complaints. I work in a fairly affluent jurisdiction. In my experience, with affluence comes a certain level of entitlement, so my complaints were often not the result of how I conducted the traffic stop, but more about how bent the driver was at being stopped in the first place.
I’ve lost my cool a couple times, sure, but for the most part, the complaints came because of the conversation on the side of the road...and that’s the issue with asking the driver a question. You invite confrontation. That’s my problem with the “Is there a reason you were speeding (or whatever)” or “Do you know why I stopped you?”
About six months ago, I changed my approach to a very basic one that invites little conversation. I still conduct my stops the same way tactically — contacting the driver on the passenger side for example — but with this new tactic, my interaction with the driver is much simpler.
I will say, “I stopped you for [insert violation]. Do you have your license/registration with you today?”
I still ask a question, but the answer is typically a simple yes or no. Often times, the driver will make a statement and that’s fine. I still make note of it at the end of the stop. However, an interesting result of this approach is most people don’t say a word. Others will either nod their heads as if to say, “Yup. You got me, officer.” Still others hang their head in shame.
I’ve gotten far less complaints and, truth be told, I don’t need the driver’s statement for evidence in court. I saw what I saw and I can articulate it well after testifying in court countless times. If you need a hand in that arena, you are welcome to a free copy of my Traffic Court Testimony Template.
I am much less concerned with “roadside traffic court” — debating with a driver about whether or not they agree with the violation. I don’t particularly care if they agree. When the disagreement starts, I simply state, “You have the absolute right to go to court. Signing the citation is not an admission of guilt, but I won’t debate the issue on the side of the road.”
Again, none of these things are said confrontationally. It’s just another traffic stop and no reason to take it personally. As police officers, we interact with dozens of people every single day; however, those dozens of people, individually, typically only interact with us once. Don’t let the guy you stopped three hours ago continue to impact the rest of your traffic stops.
