Keeping Police Officers Safe on the Road - Interview with John E. Shanks

• NCJ Number: 236440
• Author(s): John E. Shanks
• Date Published: June 2011
• Length: 1 page
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Issue Overview; Interview

Annotation

This is the video and transcript of an interview with John E Shanks of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund at the 2011 NIJ Conference regarding the need for greater visibility for law enforcement officers in the course of vehicle stops, so as to increase their safety on such occasions.

Abstract

Shanks notes that whenever officers are outside of their cars while performing their duties near a roadway, their risk for harm increases, particularly from passing cars. On such occasions, increasing the visibility of officers and their parked cars is an important safety feature. On other occasions, however, officers want to diminish their visibility, particularly when approaching a potentially dangerous area. This suggests that officers need temporary enhancements for their visibility when performing duties near roadways or other areas frequented by passing cars. Significant improvements have been made in providing officers greater visibility near roadways. These include better portable lighting for use at appropriate times, reflective tapes for patrol cars, and high-visibility fabric that can be quickly put on during activities near roadways.