In a felony stop, the police usually approach the stopped vehicle cautiously. They will order the driver and passengers out of the vehicle at gunpoint. The police will then search and handcuff the driver and passengers before placing them in the back seat of a squad car.
What is a felony vehicle stop?
In the traditional felony vehicle stop, once a suspect vehicle has been stopped and the patrol units are properly positioned, the officers use their engines for cover and their doors for concealment, and officers establish line-of-sight communications with each other.
What happens to your weapon during a felony traffic stop?
While conducting a felony traffic stop, you will have your weapon in hand for most of the stop. You weapon will be pulled from your belt as soon as you have the offending vehicle stopped and are out of your own vehicle.
How often should an officer use felony stop tactics?
Officers must always remember that the end of every pursuit – and when attempting to take felony suspects into custody in a motor vehicle – requires the use of proper felony stop tactics. How often you perform these stops depends on where you work.
What are the different types of felony stop methods?
There are two widely used felony stop methodologies--the traditional felony stop and the felony prone method.
When conducting a felony traffic stop, should you never attempt to do it on your own?
When conducting a felony traffic stop you should never attempt to do it on your own. Always have a partner in your vehicle and call dispatch for backup. When you have back up you will have two more officers to assist with the stop and arrest. With these four officers, you create a team consisting of a
When arresting a suspect, inform them of the charges against them?
You can do at some point between the search and questioning. Once the first pat down is completed you will tactically move them to the rear of your vehicle.
What is a felony stop?
The felony stop is one of the most-common high-risk situations patrol officers find themselves in, but all too frequently officers utilize traffic stop tactics on felony suspects – often with tragic results.
How long does a police pursuit last?
A pursuit can last a few blocks or many miles. High speeds and dangerous criminals combined with the rush of the pursuit is a surefire way to trigger stress reactions. If you’ve been a cop for any period of time, you’ve seen officers use poor tactics under stress.
How to control a pursuit?
The end of a pursuit will be hectic and chaotic. Control yourself by remembering your purpose, trusting in your training and doing your tactical breathing. Also be prepared to control officers who have been overcome by the emotion and stress of the situation.
What is a felony traffic stop?
Routine traffic stops involve an officer turning their emergency lights on, pulling a vehicle over to the side of the road, and the officer calmly walks up to the vehicle. In a felony traffic stop (“felony stop”), the officer (s) usually stay back at their squad cars, draw their guns, get on their loudspeaker and order the driver ...
What level of suspicion does an office need to perform a felony stop?
Reynolds, the Minnesota Court of Appeals addressed the issue. A routine traffic stop is akin to a Terry stop. In Terry stops, all that is required is reasonable articulable suspicion of criminal activity. In Reynolds, there was not a dispute that the officers had reasonable articulable suspicion. Reynolds argued that probable cause was needed, which is a higher standard than reasonable articulable suspicion, because the felony stop equated to an arrest.
How to determine if a traffic stop under Terry turns into an arrest requiring probable cause?
To determine whether a lawful traffic stop under Terry turns into an arrest requiring probable cause, courts analyze the intensity, scope, and duration of the stop. In Reynolds, the court considered the short duration of the encounter, which was only four minutes. The court also reasoned that the reason for the stop (potentially armed homicide and robbery suspects) justified the intensity of the stop to protect officer safety.
Why do police use felony stops?
Law enforcement often uses felony-stop tactics when they believe someone inside the vehicle is dangerous, such as a suspect on the loose for a violent crime or fugitive. Felony stops have also been used in a variety of other situations, even drastically unjustified ones, which has drawn the ire of over-policing and social injustice across ...
Do felony stops require probable cause?
Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to whether a felony stop requires reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Each stop has to be evaluated in its intensity, scope, and duration.
