Vehicle Stop Tactics

Vehicle Stop Tactics - VeST

This class will teach vehicle stop tactics that you can wrap around you like your body armor. Like your vest, they may save your life and save your career.

Training Goals and Objectives

The goal of the training program is to instruct sworn law enforcement officers in the following: assessment of risks and threat cues by drivers and passengers; safe positioning of police and violator vehicles; safe methods for approaching vehicles and making contact with driver/passenger; how to stop and approach vehicles other than passenger cars; case law regarding vehicle stops; safe methods for conducting “felony,” or high-risk stops; procedures and law regarding vehicle searches and how to safely conduct them; how to avoid citizen complaints and conflict with violators; and risk factors that must be considered during a vehicle pursuit, which often begins with a traffic stop;

Training Audience, Format and Content

This course is intended for various levels of experienced law enforcement officers, supervisors, command staff and other sworn personnel. The intent of the trainer is to provide survival tools and recognition techniques so that the student can safely conduct unknown- or high-risk vehicle stops, minimize conflict and take violators into custody safely. This course includes the use of dynamic scenarios employing Simunition or paintball combat to make the training as street-real as possible, to challenge the students, to reward “winning” behavior and remediate deficient tactics.

This course is most successful when taught and received with audiences of 25 officers or fewer. Smaller groups enable officers to have more direct dialog with the instructor and other students.

The course is designed as a three-day course. The course is designed to be conducted from 0830 to 1630 hours daily. Course hours can be adjusted to include low-light situations.

Daily content and course schedule/agenda:

Day One

               Case Law

                Contemporary police practice on vehicle stops and searches

Approach

Contact with driver / passenger's)

Vehicle positioning

Unusual vehicles

                Officer-motorist relations, professionalism, courtesy, public image

Pursuits

Day Two

    Felony stops: planning and procedure

    Felony stop rehearsal/dynamic scene

    Unknown risk traffic stop dynamic scenarios

Pre-requisites

There are no pre–requisites to this course.

Evaluation

The evaluation process will consist of class participation and active involvement in case reviews and scenarios.