24-2

GENERAL ORDER 24-2 TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT 1 P L A N T C I T Y P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T General Order Title TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT General Order Number 24-2 Effective: 01/01 /2006 Revised : 11/22/2022 Reviewed : 11/20/2022 CFA: PURPOSE The purpose of this direc tive is to establish pro cedures and guidelines for the enforce ment of traf fic viola tions in the most commonly en countered situations. INTENT It is the intent of the Plant City Police Depart ment to issue traffic cita tions or give appropriate warning, at the discretion of the off icer, to all who are observed violat ing any of the State of Florida Traffic Statutes. Violators should be treated with the ut most courtesy and respect, and an explana tion pro vided as to the proper disposi tion of the citation. Off icers will be eval uated closely on their per formance in this area because it plays an important role in the overall image of the Plant City Police Department in the minds of the public. DISCUSSION The enforcement of vio lations of the traffic laws is a basic law enforcement re sponsibility, and is a major function of officers of the Uni form Patrol Divi sion. Officers as signed to other divi sions and units within the De partment do not usually enforce traffic laws unless the driver's actions create s uch a danger to the public that en force ment action must be tak en. RULES AND PROCEDURES A. The goal of traffic law enforcement is to improve driving habits. Officer discretion is an integral element of any enforcement action; the seriousness of a violation and surrounding circumstances may be used in evaluating enforcement decisions. Warnings or other non -punitive actions may be, in some circumstances, substituted for an arrest or a citation . The Department realizes th at, with experience, individual officers may develop individualized approaches that they find work best for them in minimizing conflict during officer/violator contacts. Absent a better individual approach, the following is recommended in the order specifi ed below: 1. Give a greeting such as, "Good morning Ma'am", "Good morning, Sir", etc. 2. Identify yourself. Ex: "I am Officer Jones of the Plant City Police Department." 3. State the reason why the person is being stopped or detained. Ex: "I stopped you because I saw your vehicle come through the stop sign at that last intersection without coming to a complete stop." Describing the actions of the vehicle rather than personalizing the action of the driver tends to reduce tension. 24-2.1 ENFORCEMENT ACTION GENERAL ORDER 24-2 TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT 2 4. It may defuse tension to ask th e motorist if there was some reason for the violation. This gives him/her the opportunity to 'have their say.' It often leads to an admission by the violator and precludes a defendant from offering a different excuse at trial. If you choose not to ask b ut the motorist wishes to give a reason or excuse, listen politely and give him/her ample opportunity to tell his/her story. 5. Politely ask for identification and any required documents. Ex: "May I please see your license, registration, and proof of insura nce?" 6. After completing any necessary paperwork, inform the driver as to what action is being taken and what, if anything, the person must do as a result (i.e., how to pay any fine involved, obtain a traffic court hearing, etc.). 7. Give an appropriate closing. For example, "Thank you for your cooperation" may be in order. Do not use the trite expression, "Have a nice day," which would be inappropriate in these circumstances. "Please drive carefully, your safety is important to us" is more appropriate. 8. Make sure the driver is able to merge safely back into the traffic stream. 9. Whenever any officer makes a traffic stop, there will be written documenta tion of whether it will be in the form of a citation, written warn ing, or daily activity log. All en forcement actions will be accom plished in a firm, fair, impar tial, and courteous manner. A. As required, certified law en force ment officers are authorized to stop and inspect vehicles and their occu pants in order to enforce traffic laws, to assist in investigations, or to stop criminal activity. B. Vehicle traffic stops may develop into serious confrontations or pursuit situations; therefore, certified law enforcement officers must be pre pared to react accordingly. C. Certified law enforcement off icers are authorized to conduct vehicle stops for traffic viola tions, during the operation of an approved DUI checkpoint, while conducting investigations, or in cases involving criminal activity. D. No vehi cle, marked or u nmarked, will be used to conduct vehicle stops without the use of audi ble and visible emergency signal devic es approved by the De partment. A. Identification as Police Offi cer – Plain -clothed officers who at tempt to conduct a traf fic stop for traffic viola tions af ter assessing the ur gency of the situation will make cer tain they are clearly identi fied as police officers. Such identi fication in cludes, but is not limited to