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mscard88

mscard88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Mark
Why do police officers touch the rear of cars during traffic stops?

Tim Dees, Retired cop and criminal justice professor, Reno Police Department, Reno Municipal Court, and Pyramid Lake ...

There are at least two reasons:

  1. Pressing down on the trunk lid or tailgate of a vehicle will close the latch if it's open. This locks in anyone who might be behind it, waiting to ambush you.
  2. Putting your palm print on the rear of the car ties it to you forensically if you are assaulted and the vehicle leaves. The palm print can be washed off, of course, but hopefully the vehicle will be captured before that happens.
 
Funny, I was aware of #1, but not reason #2.

When I used to have a self customized cargo van that pulled the race car, I would turn on the interior lights so the inside could be seen from the back door.

Believe me, pulling a stock car on an open trailer late at night through some small towns will attract lots of attention.
 
Interesting factoid, card! Never knew either one.
 
mscard88 said:
Why do police officers touch the rear of cars during traffic stops?

Tim Dees, Retired cop and criminal justice professor, Reno Police Department, Reno Municipal Court, and Pyramid Lake ...

There are at least two reasons:

  1. Pressing down on the trunk lid or tailgate of a vehicle will close the latch if it's open. This locks in anyone who might be behind it, waiting to ambush you.
  2. Putting your palm print on the rear of the car ties it to you forensically if you are assaulted and the vehicle leaves. The palm print can be washed off, of course, but hopefully the vehicle will be captured before that happens.
Click to expand...

Mark,
I routinely follow my deputy friends and when they make a stop I have never seen them do either. Must be a local thing.
 
On #1, wouldn’t the driver pop the trunk after the cop walked by?
 
mscard88 said:
Parted it out then? ;):)
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My racing "career" wasn't much. I never got my face on a box of Wheaties or had ESPN follow me for interviews, but I did a lot more than the average weekend hobby racer. My biggest Tv shot was when I was riding a bicycle through the garage area and crashed, right in front of a camera. That made the high lights of the race review on Tv. Then another time at a non-NASCAR event one of the Alison's came into the garage area too fast and ran me over. He did visit me in the infield care center and apologized. No injuries except a couple of bruises and it hurt to sit down.

I ended up selling my entire race business (which wasn't much, but included one of the back up cars built to back up the car used in the movie "Days of Thunder") to finance flight school.
 
interesting, I always thought the two reasons were:

1) if this dude gets out of line imma smash his head on the trunk right HERE
2) if this chick is hot, "X marks the spot" if ya know what I'm talkin about, and I think you do mmm hhhmmm
 
Zeldman said:
Then another time at a non-NASCAR event one of the Alison's came into the garage area too fast and ran me over. He did visit me in the infield care center and apologized. No injuries except a couple of bruises and it hurt to sit down.
Click to expand...

Donnie? lol
 
#1 quit being a valid reason sometime in the '90's, as most manufacturers had gone to trunk latches that could be opened from the inside.
 
eman1200 said:
interesting, I always thought the two reasons were:

1) if this dude gets out of line imma smash his head on the trunk right HERE
2) if this chick is hot, "X marks the spot" if ya know what I'm talkin about, and I think you do mmm hhhmmm
Click to expand...

I do.
 
Salty said:
On #1, wouldn’t the driver pop the trunk after the cop walked by?
Click to expand...

Possible. Although if I feel the trunk unlatched, it’s coming open to clear it before moving up further, or I am going to do a tactical retreat to cover while awaiting additional units to get there.

This practice also came from an era before internal trunk latches that allow someone to escape if locked inside like most modern cars have.

Another reason to touch the trunk is to detect movement inside. If I feel movement in the trunk area, same as above-either deal with it or get behind cover while additional units get there.
 
Zeldman said:
Nephew of. The quieter one.

Still love watching the last lap of the 79 Daytona, and the "party" afterwards.
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Cale was a tough bird, but two Allisons pounding on yo ass a bit too much lol. Wasn't that one of the first Daytona races broadcasted live or something?
 
Twenty-nine years in law enforcement, 24 of it in patrol and I never heard of, or saw written, the deal about putting a fingerprint on a car in case something happens. It's BS.
 
mscard88 said:
Cale was a tough bird, but two Allisons pounding on yo ass a bit too much lol. Wasn't that one of the first Daytona races broadcasted live or something?
Click to expand...

The '79 Daytona was the first race shown live and also the first shown from green flag to checkered flag on Tv.

I have "witnessed" a few....uhhhh.... altercations between drivers. Usually they are more funny than anything else.

I was in an altercation one time trying to push people apart, when someone kicked me in the butt. I turned to see who did it and this girl looked at me in total surprise and said, "Oh I am sorry, I thought you were someone else...." :lol::lol::lol:
 
Zeldman said:
The '79 Daytona was the first race shown live and also the first shown from green flag to checkered flag on Tv.

I have "witnessed" a few....uhhhh.... altercations between drivers. Usually they are more funny than anything else.

I was in an altercation one time trying to push people apart, when someone kicked me in the butt. I turned to see who did it and this girl looked at me in total surprise and said, "Oh I am sorry, I thought you were someone else...." :lol::lol::lol:
Click to expand...

Went to a local race years ago, Montgomery Speedway, and two drivers had an "altercation" on the track and it continued in the pits, to the point where the Sherrif Deputy was running in that direction. Wife asked why, I told her this isn't NASCAR and big racing budgets, this a local boy whose car just got tore up by another local, different altogether.
 
ateamer said:
Twenty-nine years in law enforcement, 24 of it in patrol and I never heard of, or saw written, the deal about putting a fingerprint on a car in case something happens. It's BS.
Click to expand...

You might need a couple more years. I heard about both of those close to day one in the academy. Although I always thought #1 was kinda far fetched.
 
mscard88 said:
Is she a commie bastard Russian, pink?
Click to expand...

Well, she was born in 1979, and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, so, unless they issued cards at age 12, probably not. But who knows.
 
Ya just trying to see if there's a connection between pink and commie Russian, or just Russian, whatever

But I don't really care, just being stupid, which I do well (before 'Dog says it).
 
Wait, I just now read the original post. 'If a cop pushed my trunk.' Like, ewww
 
mscard88 said:
Ya just trying to see if there's a connection between pink and commie Russian, or just Russian, whatever

But I don't really care, just being stupid, which I do well (before 'Dog says it).
Click to expand...

Can’t decide on my response. Should it be:

A. :yeahthat:
B. :rockon:
C. :yes:
D. :cheers:
 
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