What’s your strangest tale from the road?

A simple traffic stop can open so many doors (or a can of worms). What is your proudest/strangest/most dangerous road moment?

To acknowledge the variety that occurs every day on U.S. highways, byways and country lanes we’ve pulled a few of the more ‘unique’ stories from the past year of officers on patrol (pg. 26). One story is rather comical: “Officer, if I offer you a slice of the pizza in my car will it get me out of this ticker??” Then you have the Minnesota department whose troopers were randomly tasked with delivering two babies in two days. On the other end of the spectrum traffic stops can turn ugly fast. Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Peckham’s badge actually saved him from injury when a suspect fired a gunshot at him during a stop. Likewise, the undercover detective in Florida who happened to be wearing his vest –thankfully—when he stopped a car early in the morning and the suspect came out shooting, possibly attempting “suicide by cop”.

Keeping with traffic safety and enforcement in this issue Hilary Romig writes about the well-conducted checkpoint. Brush up on why it’s a good idea to let citizens know beforehand where and when the checkpoint will be. Have patrol review any revisions to state and local laws, if there are any. Review your options when it comes to equipment that will keep officers safe during a dark, maybe rainy, stint on the thoroughfare they occupy.

Finally, we’ve corralled some new night vision and illumination products to gawk at. In the mix is a device to light up an entire scene (like a DUI checkpoint), a monocular with digital capabilities … even just a flashlight with more oomph.

As we cruise from summer to autumn, enjoy the ride and always keep safety top of mind.

Also, be sure to keep up with all the strange and precarious tales from other sheriffs/deputies/officers across the country at officer.com.

Happy driving!