HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-13-2003 ICPD SOG'S Iowa City Police Department
Standard Operating Guideline
SOG #: Effective date:
03-03 APRIL 11, 2003
Subject: Reference: TRAFFIC CONTROL,
TRAFFIC DIRECTION / CONTROL VEHICLE CRASHES
Section:
CPS
Comf~and S!gnature:
I
Purpose." The purpose of this guide is to identity those procedures to be used
when directing traffic.
Procedures: i::i: '
TRAFFIC DIRECTION AND CONTROl ;;c- c:,
The purpose of this section is to establish procedures for traffic d~recbon
and control.
A. Manual Traffic Direction
1. Manual traffic direction will be used in situations when there is a
failure of normal traffic control signals, during emergencies, at
accidents, or when other traffic control devices are not present or
adequate.
2. Effective manual traffic direction is dependent upon the use of clear
and easily understood gestures and the high visibility of the person
directing traffic.
3. In order to provide for officer safety and driver recognition and
response, reflective, high visibility vests are provided in patrol
vehicle. All personnel directing traffic should wear the provided
vests.
4. Members performing traffic direction and control will ensure that
their presence and purpose are appropriately indicated to drivers
and pedestrians. This may be accomplished by positioning so that
they can clearly be seen by all parties.
5. Officers directing traffic may utilize flashlights, traffic wand, road
flares, and/or traffic cones while manually directing traffic. These
will be used in a manner to enhance visibility.
6. Officers will remain calm and professional whenever directing
traffic. When drivers or pedestrians fail to understand or obey hand
signals, the officer will handle these instances with professionalism.
7. Signals and Commands - Manual signals for traffic direction should
be consistent with departmental training.
B. Emergency Traffic Direction
Fire Scenes - Members of this department will assist fire operations
by:
1. consulting with the fire officer in charge of a scene to determine
their needs;
2. providing protection for the fire scene and for fire rescue equipment
3. setting up perimeter traffic control points to allow for the entrance
and exit of emergency vehicles and personnel authorized to be at
the scene;
C. Adverse Road and Weather Conditions
Adverse road and weather conditions may include but are notqimite~ '
1. accident hazards such as debris, downed power lines,
hazardous material spill/leak;
2. acts of nature such as snow, ice, and flooding
Upon discovering an adverse road or weather condition affecting safe
roadway travel, members of this department are expected to notify
communications and the watch supervisor. A decision will be made as
to how best correct or control the situation. The supervisor may direct
that the appropriate city department be notified of and asked to
respond to the incident.
Members of the Iowa City Police Department will provide traffic
direction, control services and scene protection when the presence of
adverse road and weather conditions warrant such steps. Direction or
control will be maintained until appropriate steps have been take to
alleviate the situation.
D. Manual Operation of Traffic Signals
1. Manual operation of traffic control signals may be necessary in the
case of accidents or other emergencies, or to alleviate traffic
congestion resulting from a specific event.
2. In instances of a traffic signal malfunction, the lights may be set on
"flash" mode if this will not cause undue problems, until the
appropriate agency or department can respond to correct the
problem.
E. Temporary Traffic Control Device
1. Temporary traffic control devices may be used in either pre-planned
events or to serve as a temporary measure for unusual or
emergency situations. In the event that a temporary traffic control
device is used, due to an emergency situation, contact will be made
with the agency or department who is responsible for the applicable
roadway or signal. Officers should periodically check any
temporary traffic control devices in their area to ensure that they
are situated appropriately, or at times of high traffic volume, require
additional traffic control efforts. The Emergency Communications
Operator shall record the date and time that notice was made to the
agency or department with responsibility for the damaged device
and/or record the time that any temporary device was put in place.
2. In instances where a temporary traffic control device will be in place
for an extended duration, the commander of the day watch will
make contact with the appropriate department or agency; of the
location, nature and reason for the temporary device; and will
request they review the nature and placement of the device for
appropriateness.
3. When temporary traffic control devices have been placed by a
private contractor or an entity of the City due to construction, it shall
be the responsibility of the placing entity to erect, place and
maintain all such devices. Officers should periodically check
construction sites in their area to determine the integrity and
effectiveness of the device. If a device is not in place, not
functioning, not visible, or otherwise creates a hazard for the
motoring public, the placing entity should be contacted to correct
the situation.
Iowa City Police Department
Standard Operating Guideline
SOG #: Effective date:
03-O2 APRIL 11, 2003
Subject: Reference: TRAFFIC, HIGH-RISK
TRAFFIC STOPS TRAFFIC STOPS, CITATIONS
Section:
ePS
Although stopping a motorist on the highway for traffic violations or other purposes is
often considered a routine function of patrol officer, it is one that has been
demonstrated to be potentially dangerous for both the officer and motorist even
during apparently "routine" situations. Therefore, it is the policy of the Iowa City
Police Department that motor vehicle stops shall be performed professionally and
courteously, and with a view towards educating the public about proper driving
procedures while consistently recognizing and taking the necessary steps to
minimize the dangers involved in this activity for the officer, the motorist and others
users of the roadway. It is the policy of the Iowa City Police Department to establish
guidelines for stopping and approaching motorists in a manner that promotes the
safety of the officer and the motorist.
Definitions:
Procedures:
TRAFFIC STOPS
STOPPING AND APPROACHING TRAFFIC VIOLATOR
The following procedures should be followed whenever possible. It is recognized
that varying conditions such as roadway construction, volume of traffic and the
urgency of making the stops may require officers to adjust these procedures to
padicular conditions.
1. Officers shall perform vehicle stops only when they have an articulable reason to
do so.
2. Once an initial decision has been made to stop a motorist, the officer should
select an area that provides reasonable safety, avoiding curves, hills, heavily
trafficked or poorly lit areas and roads without shoulders.
3. Whenever possible, the officer shall also avoid the use of private drives, business
locations and areas where a large volume of spectators is likely to gather.
4. When a location has been selected for the stop, the officer shall notify
communications of its nature, providing the location of the stop and the license
plate number of the vehicle. The officer may include the number of occupants. In
instances where a plate is not visible, the officer(s) should give a description of
the vehicle being stopped. At the officer's discretion or dispatcher's request,
additional information may be exchanged.
5. At the desired location, the officer should signal the operator to stop at the far
right side of the roadway or at the safest shoulder by activating the eCerge~y
lights and/or siren as necessary. ~' ' ~::'
a. On multilane roads, the officer may facilitate movement to the rig~t-~h°ul(J~r
by gradually changing lanes behind the violator until the dght s~de; of th~
roadway is reached. :. ~-.
b. Should the v~olator stop abruptly ~n the wrong lane or location, ~ offic~i;
should instruct him/her to mOve by using the appropriate hand sigr~als or I~,-
activating the vehicle's public address system.
6. Once propedy stopped, the officer should position the police vehicle about one-
half to one and one-half car length behind the violator's vehicle and at a slight
angle, with the front approximately 2 feet to the traffic side of the violator's vehicle.
a. At night, the spotlight should not be used to direct the violator off the roadway,
but may be used to illuminate the vehicle's intedor once stopped. The patrol
vehicle should use its Iow beams as high beams may blind oncoming
motorists.
7. When exiting the patrol vehicle, the officer should be particularly alert to
suspicious movements or actions of the vehicle operator or passengers.
8. Approaching from the ddver's side, the officer should be observant of the trunk
and passenger compartments, and stop at a point to the rear of the trailing edge
of the left front'door in order to communicate with the driver.
a. Where circumstances dictate, particularly where traffic is close enough to
create a potential problem, the officer may choose to approach the violator's
vehicle from the right-hand side and stop at the trailing edge of the dght front
door.
b. When the violator's vehicle has occupants in the rear seat, the officer should
approach to a point near the leading edge of the front door, being particularly
observant of occupant movements and choosing a path that will not allow the
occupants to thrust the door open against the officer.
c. When dealing with a motorist who is non-compliant, officers should take those
steps necessary to ensure the safety of themselves and the public. When
practical, officers should employ verbal skills to defuse, deflect or delay a
possible physical confrontation with a subject until a second unit arrives.
Officers should identify themselves, the department, the reason for the
contact, continue to repeat commands, and advise the motorist that failure to
comply could result in cdminal charges. When a situation escalates to a
physical confrontation, officers are guided by departmental Use of Force
directives when responding to the actions of the motorist.
d. In two-officer police vehicles, the passenger officer should be responsible for
radio communications, note taking and relaying messages to the
communications center. He/She will also act as an observer and cover for
his/her fellow officer. (note: this does not apply to training cars with an FTO
which are to be considered One officer cars)
9. Non-uniformed officers operating an unmarked patrol vehicle with concealed
emergency lights and siren may make vehicle stops if the stop is consistent with
the officer's assignment, i.e. Officers assigned to address special concems in an
area in which the use of an unmarked vehicle is determined to be useful. Prior to
the initiation of a traffic stop, when cimumstances allow, officers in unmarked
vehicles should check for the availability of a marked unit in the vicinity. If
available, the marked unit should initiate the stop. Officers operating unmarked
patrol cars must recognize that persons failing to stop for them may be doing so
due to legitimate concerns for their safety. Persons may legitimately continue to
a lighted area with traffic prior to stopping for an unmarked vehicle.
10. N. on-uniformed officers operating vehicles not equipped with emergency lights or
s~ren shall not make motor vehicle stops unless there is an imminent danger of
loss of life should they fail to act. In other less urgent cases that demand
attention, officers shall contact the communications center, request that a marked
patrol vehicle perform the stop, and assist in directing the marked unit to the
su ect vehicle's location.
ISSUING CITATIONS
Enforcement action incidental to traffic law violations will be carried out by~m n~
(wr~tt.en o.r verbal), written citation(s), or physical arrest. A large number of ~i~ns
arrests is not the purpose or emphasis for conducting traffic stops. IX~ syst~'~
emphasizing quantitative enforcement, i.e. ticket quotas, shall be utilized. Physical
arrests should be utilized for sedous offenses such as OWl, eluding, assault with a
motor vehicle, or other offenses which constitute a serious misdemeanor or above.
In incidents where an officer elects to take a person into physical custody in lieu of
issuing a citation, the decision to arrest should be based on sound legal principles.
When a person commits a less serious violation the officer has the discretion to
decide if the operator should given a warning or citation. In cases of non-hazardous
or inadvertent moving violations or equipment violations, officers may elect to issue a
verbal or written warning to the violator. During the traffic stop officers should greet
the violator in a courteous manner, explain the reason for the stop and request the
ddvers license and other documentation as determined by the officer. The officer
should request that the operator remove the drivers' license from their wallet or
purse. When taking the license, it should be taken in the officer's weak hand.
1. When issuing citations, conducting roadside sobdety tests or conversing with the
violator, the officer and other parties should be positioned to the side of the road,
clear of passing motor vehicles.
2. During the stop, the violator should remain in his/her motor vehicle while the
officer writes the citation or conducts other business. Under normal circumstances,
violators should not be permitted to sit in patrol vehicle while citations are being
prepared or other police business is being conducted.
3. When preparing citations, the officer should position paperwork and related
materials in a manner that allows him/her to maintain vantage over actions of the
violator and other occupants.
4. Upon deciding to issue a citation, the officer should advise the violator of the
following:
a. That a citation(s) will be issued, the violation(s) for which it is being issued,
and the fine amount imposed if scheduled.
b. Explain the methods of responding to the citation, i.e., manda~ry court
appearance or pay the scheduled fine or appear in court to c~r~t.e~t t~
charge.
c. Explain the unsecured bond amount and purpose.
d. Make sure the violator is aware of the scheduled court date.
e. Request the violator sign the citation, explaining that signing of the~tation~
not an admission of guilt.
f. If the violator signs the citation, provide copies of the citation to the violator
and suggest they read both sides of the citation. If the violator refuses to sign
the citation, the violator shall be advised that failure to sign will result in a
physical arrest being made. Upon continued refusal to sign, the violator may
be physically arrested.
An officer may issue a citation when he/she believes a violation was hazardous,
intentional, or believes a citation is necessary to achieve voluntary compliance with
the law.
STOPPING AN APPROACHING MOTORIST
In cases where a motodst in oncoming traffic must be stopped, the following actions
may be taken:
1. Drive the police vehicle to the extreme right portion of the roadway and as the
violator approaches signal him/her to stop by using hand signals and/or
emergency lights.
2. Because of the potential hazard involved, an officer should not leave his/her
vehicle when attempting to stop traffic violators in oncoming lanes.
3. If the subject motorist complies with the instructions, the police vehicle may then
be turned around and appropriately positioned to the rear of the violator's vehicle.
4. Should the motodst fail to comply with the officer's instructions, the officer should
turn the police vehicle around and pursue, stop and approach the violator in the
prescribed manner.
STOPPING A FOLLOWING VIOLATOR
When stopping a motorist to the rear of the police vehicle, the following procedures
may be followed:
1. The officer should drive to the right shoulder of the road and, as the violator
approaches, signal him/her to stop by using hand signals and/or emergency
lights.
2. The officer should not exit his/her vehicle in order to signal the subject motorist.
3. Should the motodst fail to comply, the officer should return to the:~roadway,;
pursue, stop and approach him/her in the prescribed manner.
HIGH-RISK VEHICLE STOPS .~-
The following procedures may be employed when an officer initiating a vehicle sto'~
has reason to believe that an occupant may be armed or dangerous:
1. When planning to perform a high-risk stop on a suspect vehicle, the officer shall
notify the communications center, giving location, vehicle information, nature or
reason for the stop, and number of occupants visible in the vehicle and request
appropriate assistance.
2. An officer should not individually initiate a high-risk vehicle stop unless back-up
units will not be available in an appropriate amount of time or the urgency of the
situation demands immediate action. In these cases the initiating officer should
not attempt removal of the suspects without assistance.
3. After selecting an appropriate location and with adequate support units in
position, the officer should signal the suspect vehicle to stop.
4. The initiating officer should position their vehicle to the left of the suspect vehicle
and at least 20 feet to the rear of the suspect vehicle. Positioning should be such
that it will maximize opportunities for cover and in such a manner as to allow for
illumination of the interior of the vehicle and its occupants.
5. The officer initiating the stop, or the officer with the best observation point, should
issue verbal commands to the vehicle occupants through the squad cars PA
system, if available.
6. Once the suspect vehicle has stopped, officers should exit their vehicles quickly
and assume positions of cover,
7. The officer in charge shall first identify himself/herself and then notify the
occupants that they are considered to be armed and/or dangerous and that all
instructions are to be followed without hesitation or suspicious movements.
8. When ordering the occupants of the vehicle from the vehicle, the officer giving the
orders should give a separate command for each movement or action required.
While the nature and order of the commands may vary, depending on
circumstances, the purpose of the commands will be geared to safely taking
control of the occupants of the suspect vehicle. Suspects will be ordered from the
vehicle one at a time, with instructions directing them towards backup officers,
who will secure and confine them. After a subject is secured and confined,
another occupant may be directed from the vehicle.
9. When all visible subjects have been removed from the vehicle, and with
appropriate cover, two officers may then approach the suspect vehicle to inspect
the passenger compartment and trunk, where appropriate. During the approach
to the vehicle, officers should have their weapon drawn and focused towards the.
· suspect veh c e.
STOPPING OVERSIZE AND OVERWEIGHT VEHICLES
In the event that an officer needs to stop commercial and similar ov~r~Ze
overweight vehicles, the following procedures should be followed:
1. Select a location for the stop that provides enough room for the vehicle and
sufficient stability to support the vehicle's weight, and allow the operator sufficient
time and distance to make the stop.
2. Approach the cab from the rear, using the driver's outside mirror to observe the
driver and activity in the cab.
3. Avoid climbing onto the vehicle to make contact with the operator. Maintain a
position to the rear of the driver's door and ask the operator to exit the vehicle, if
and when necessary.
While engaged in traffic enfomement, officers may encounter persons who are at
times granted exemptions to laws. When encountering these situations, officers may
follow the guidelines in Appendix I, of General Order 99-07 Traffic, or if still unsure of
the appropriate action, should contact a watch supervisor for fudher guidance.