When you watch police bodycam or dashcam videos on social media, you may have noticed that officers always follow certain procedures during traffic stops. These routines are important for their safety and to make sure the interaction goes smoothly.
One thing you’ll often see is that officers touch the vehicle they’ve pulled over, particularly the trunk of the car. But why do they do this.
As a teen, I was involved in a program called U.S. Customs Explorers, which is similar to Boy Scouts, but focused on careers in law enforcement. During one of our sessions, members of the Maine State Police explained that officers tap the trunk to check if it’s closed.
This ensures no one is hiding in the trunk, ready to sneak up on the officer as they approach the driver.
There are other reasons why police touch vehicles during stops as well. According to WikiHow, touching the car helps prove the officer was near it, and they can later check for fingerprints as evidence that it was the same vehicle they stopped.
In some cases, officers might knock on the car to startle the people inside, especially if they think someone may be hiding something. This sudden noise can disrupt any attempt to conceal an item.