Page 28 - Argyle Police Officer Field Training Tips

Seal your beverages or toss the liquid out before you begin any kind of emergency driving. Otherwise,
they’re likely to end up being spilled in the vehicle.

Turn your portable on before you exit the vehicle.

You outrun your siren at approximately 55 miles per hour. Keep that in mind as you approach
intersections. Remember to stop before entering intersections during emergency driving. Too many
officers have crashed with other officers at intersections during emergency driving.

When driving in areas with multilane highways, remember to check the second and third lanes before
entering the roadways. The drivers of vehicles in those lanes may not see you entering the roadway.

When driving in unfamiliar areas and you don’t know your location, begin running the tags of a few
vehicles in the driveways. The returns will get you a street name and block number.
Drive with your windows down whenever possible. It makes you more accessible to the public, but also
allows you to hear more.

Focus on your driving during emergency driving. If you have a passenger, do not speak to them because
it will distract you. Speaking of distractions, keep your eyes on the road or your surrounding area. Don’t
get distracted by your phone or computer while driving. The same applies when you’re parked.
Unfortunately, Officers have been ambushed in their vehicles. Some of them never saw the threat
approaching because their head was in their computer.

We can’t talk about driving without talking about your patrol vehicle. Remember, it’s not bullet proof. A
few of your vehicle’s parts are bullet proof, but the rest is not. Therefore, do not think of it as cover. It’s
concealment at best. On a positive note, most violators don’t drive bullet proof cars either.

Also, if you choose to park somewhere to take a break or work on a report, limit people’s ability to
approach you from behind. Backing up to a wall or fence is ideal. There was a time when it was highly
recommended that you complete your reports while sitting in an area of high visibility so you could still
affect criminal and driving behavior. These days, I encourage our officers to go to the station and work
on their reports there when possible. It doesn’t have to be in the building. They can sit in the parking lot
in their vehicles.
If you stop in a parking lot for some reason, try not to let people pull up next to you. Get out as quickly
as you can when you see someone approaching. If for some reason you can’t avoid being trapped, then
at least put your vehicle in drive just in case things go wrong. By having it in drive, all you have to do is
hit the gas. One way to avoid this is by parking near another vehicle, a light pole, or some other
stationary object. Obviously, don’t park so close that you can’t get your door open in an emergency.
That reminds me, when you park next to another officer to chat, always leave enough room to open the
door. I’ve heard officers say if your mirrors didn’t rub together when you were getting in position, you
aren’t close enough. While I appreciate their humor, that’s just not safe.

Anytime you pass another officer with someone stopped, either stop to check on them or slow way
down as you pass. Any traffic stop can go from routine to a gunfight in seconds. You never know what
the violator or the passengers are thinking, but if they know another officer is around, they’ll think twice
about doing anything silly.

Pg. 27 POLICE FIELD TRAINING CONCEPTS