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CHP: Traffic stops, 1962
Feb 4, 2025
Features the special long-wheelbase 1962 Dodge Polara, made specially for the CHP, using a Dodge Dart grille (reportedly for better cooling). From 16mm film, B&W, via Rex Sagle.
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0:19
he seemed like a fairly ordinary guy and
0:22
like lots of ordinary guys he apparently
0:25
had a lead foot
0:29
but the traffic officer Fred Walker
0:31
there was something wrong he looked as
0:34
though he might even be drunk without
0:36
showing it too much
0:40
so just to satisfy himself officer
0:43
Walker got him out and he walked him
0:45
back to the patrol car
0:54
and while
1:01
Waka did nearly everything right but
1:03
there was one his gun was too sure the
1:19
violator it seemed like an ordinary guy
1:21
but he turned out to be a mental case
1:24
but that didn't help Fred Walker Fred
1:28
Walker made one mistake and it cost him
1:31
his life he was caught off guard and
1:33
what he thought was a routine stop
1:44
a passing motorist thought there was
1:47
something wrong and he called the
1:49
Highway Patrol it turned out that I was
1:52
the one who answered the call
1:58
after we found Walker's gun it didn't
2:01
take long to reconstruct the crime it
2:04
was hard to believe that Walker could
2:05
have been killed with his own gun but
2:08
the may it was a tough reminder that
2:10
proves too many of us can get to
2:11
thinking it can't happen to me there's
2:16
one key factor that will do more than
2:18
anything else to ensure your safety when
2:19
you're on the job and particularly when
2:22
you're making routine stops his key
2:25
factor is something that probably
2:27
doesn't come natural to the average man
2:29
but it has to be not only a second
2:32
nature but first nature to any law
2:34
enforcement officer
2:36
yes I'm talking about being continually
2:39
suspicious everybody just look at me I
2:43
didn't realize it showed that much
2:48
it's a shame it has to be that way but
2:50
our work brings us in contact with a
2:52
real bad apples in the barrel we can't
2:54
afford to forget that for one second
2:56
you've got to make suspicions such a
2:58
habit that you never go wrong
3:33
well at least you don't have to worry
3:36
about somebody like this pulling a gun
3:38
idea or do you just a few years ago up
3:43
around santa rosa one of our men stopped
3:45
a gal who was going too fast as he
3:48
walked over to the car her boyfriend a
3:51
wall from the sheriff's honor camp down
3:53
south jumped up with a gun blew the
3:58
officer out of his shoes so you can't
4:04
take anything for granted you just get
4:07
in the habit of protecting yourself
4:08
every second because death only takes a
4:13
second under the right circumstances
4:17
you've got to be thinking about your own
4:19
safety from the time you take off after
4:21
the violator until the time you complete
4:23
your contact with it
4:26
when he has pulled over in parked you
4:29
stop behind him offsetting the patrol
4:32
car a couple of feet to protect you
4:34
traffic if you're going to be working on
4:36
the left side of the violators car if
4:40
you couldn't do this safely because of
4:42
two narrower Road you park directly
4:43
behind slide out on the right and
4:46
approach from that side in either
4:49
instance making your exit from the
4:50
patrol car as quickly as possible
4:53
maintaining myself alert I keep my gun
4:56
hand free never carry a flashlight or
4:59
citation book in my gun hand first case
5:03
the back seat
5:06
if it's night I shined my flashlight in
5:09
there and in a case like this the book
5:12
is under my left arm and I keep my gun
5:15
hand free now that I'm sure there aren't
5:18
any surprises from that direction I
5:21
approached the driver but if possible I
5:24
don't ever go past the trailing edge of
5:26
the door here's one good reason for this
5:31
let's run through that again a door
5:35
suddenly flung open can throw you off
5:37
balance and into the path of oncoming
5:38
traffic while your violator who may be a
5:41
wanted felon and who has no desire
5:43
whatever to meet a lawman makes a
5:45
getaway here's another reason if your
5:49
violator is inclined to pull a gun on
5:51
you this position makes it too easy for
5:53
him while in this position he has to
5:59
turn in his seat it's awkward for a
6:01
shooting and even awkward for getting
6:03
aggressive because it puts him at a
6:05
psychological disadvantage you'll notice
6:09
that I've still got my book in my left
6:10
hand so my gun hand is free until I'm
6:13
satisfied that this is just an ordinary
6:15
violator and not a hot one
6:20
does this look like the same routine
6:22
well not quite there are times when you
6:26
want to get the violator out of his car
6:27
maybe it's a question of whether he's
6:30
had too much to drink for any of a
6:32
number of other reasons sitting down
6:34
your man is not in too good a position
6:36
to take action but prepare for the worst
6:39
beginning when the door of the car is
6:41
open because some characters may try to
6:44
deliver a low blow and succeed so I
6:48
always stand about like this where I can
6:51
take any sudden attempted low on the leg
6:57
once he's out of the car I always keep
7:00
the violator a safe distance in front of
7:02
me I asked him politely step over to the
7:05
patrol car then I follow it remembering
7:08
not to stop between the two vehicles I
7:11
direct him to a position near the front
7:13
fender here I don't have to worry about
7:15
traffic going by and I can hear my radio
7:20
traffic officer Fred Walker did
7:23
everything right up to this point but he
7:26
hadn't developed the habit of making his
7:28
gun hard to get for anybody but himself
7:37
if I was about to forget it Walker's
7:40
case was a pretty grim reminder doll we
7:43
stand with my gun on the far side so it
7:46
won't be up for grabs now while I'm
7:50
writing him up I keep track of the
7:52
violator out of the corner of my eye
7:54
even though he seems perfectly team I'm
7:57
not taking any chances
8:07
I'm suspicious of him until he's back in
8:10
his car and on his way
8:15
this is how I keep my suspicions
8:17
sharpened up for the next person I stop
8:21
and the next person may be a real
8:23
criminal
8:36
you never know is this the one who's
8:38
going to start real trouble no well then
8:43
anybody in the back seat so far so good
8:47
but it looks like this drivers gonna be
8:50
a problem right off the bat easterly
8:53
maybe he's troublesome by nature or
8:56
maybe a few drinks that made it mean for
8:59
whatever reason he's decided that he
9:02
isn't going to sign the citation and
9:04
that he's going to defy me so after an
9:07
honest effort to get him to change his
9:09
mind it's obvious that he's going to
9:11
have to be taken into custody
9:15
he's big enough to be real trouble but I
9:18
get him out all right I direct him
9:20
toward the patrol car from behind
9:24
i frisked him and if you think that's
9:28
the obvious thing any officer would do
9:30
you'd be amazed at how many times
9:32
officers have failed to live weapons
9:35
from men they've arrested now for the
9:39
handcuffs because I'm not taking any
9:41
chances with his character I get one
9:44
hand back like this then the other
9:57
the safest way to get him into the
9:59
patrol car when you're alone is from the
10:01
driver's side even with his hands behind
10:03
him he can slide over easily this avoids
10:07
the business of putting him in the right
10:09
side then getting around the car back to
10:12
the driver's side once he is over in the
10:16
front seat I tie him in with a safety
10:18
belt in this case it's my safety that's
10:20
involved as much as his it's pretty
10:23
tough for him to give me real trouble
10:25
now but I'm still not going to take the
10:27
situation for granted so I even take the
10:30
time to shift my gun over the left side
10:32
just in case he turns out to be an
10:34
escape artist
10:47
once I get him to the station you'd
10:49
think I'd consider myself fairly safe
10:51
but if I did I might be making a fatal
10:55
mistake
11:02
this individual I have brought in has
11:04
had time to build up a real head of
11:06
steam I've only done what had to be done
11:08
but in his mind he's ready to start a
11:11
one-man revolution I've got him inside
11:15
with a booking completed and the
11:17
handcuffs are off if you think he can't
11:21
cause real trouble now you're dead wrong
11:23
with the accent on the dead your
11:26
prisoner sees his chance one fast track
11:30
and it's a loaded situation
11:37
I'm not going to embarrass any
11:39
particular law enforcement agency but
11:41
let's take statistics we all know that
11:46
the number of attacks on law enforcement
11:47
officers has risen sharply in the last
11:49
few years I won't take percentages
11:53
because that's being revised every year
11:57
we don't take care of ourselves it's
11:59
going to be revised up
12:02
if we do look after ourselves it's bound
12:06
to be revised downward and it's my
12:09
contention that if I safely established
12:11
the right kind of routine and making
12:13
routine stops the chances of anybody
12:16
giving me a bad time are going to be cut
12:19
way down
12:22
too many of us get the word routine
12:24
mixed up with monotonous just what does
12:28
routine mean anyway the cordilla the
12:31
dictionary routine means a regular
12:33
unvarying procedure usually prescribed
12:36
or habitually so habitually you part to
12:41
protect yourself as you approach the
12:45
violators car remember it could contain
12:49
a killer checking the backseat keeping
12:58
the gun hand free not giving the driver
13:01
a chance to shove the door open on and
13:04
keeping him off balance by making him
13:06
turn in his seat you take precautions
13:10
when you open the door if you have to
13:11
get him out you stay behind him and keep
13:15
the gun out of his reach you'll find
13:18
that putting every violator on the
13:19
suspect list will help you practice
13:21
safety measures automatically and you're
13:24
automatically ready for action if they
13:27
try to start it
13:32
so if routine means regular unvarying
13:35
procedure make it your regular and
13:38
unvarying procedure to look after your
13:41
life
13:43
this is the kind of routine that will
13:45
never stop paying off
14:10
you
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