The Limbic System Deep Dive: How Does This Relate to Successful Proactive Policing?
When individuals with guilty knowledge, such as criminals or those aware of their wrongdoing, encounter police, they often exhibit instantaneous behavioral and physiological reactions, such as freezing, fleeing, or engaging in a fight response to avoid apprehension. These responses often manifest as extreme nervousness, betraying the suspect’s state of mind. These rapid, reflexive reactions are […]
Understanding the Human Threat Response: Freeze, Flight, and Fight
In the complex and dynamic world of law enforcement, the ability to recognize and interpret human behavior under stress is a powerful asset. The human threat response, commonly referred to as freeze, flight, and fight, is a survival mechanism hardwired into our biology. Many times, you will hear the order of those responses be referred […]
Does an Open Container Give You Probable Cause to Search the Car?
One open beer in the console and a driver who will not hand it over. Can you enter the car and look for more? A hard yes, and why one-and-done is not the rule.
The Three Golden Rules of Search and Seizure
Three rules drawn from thousands of court cases: articulate why, seriousness cuts in your favor, and never let a warrantless search go further than a warrant would have.
Can Officers Ask for Consent During a Traffic Stop Under Rodriguez?
Does asking for consent to search extend the stop and violate Rodriguez? No. Here is what courts actually measure, and the two states where the rule is different.
What Is LEOSA? A Plain-English Guide for Active and Retired Officers
LEOSA lets active and retired officers carry concealed in any state. Here is who qualifies, where it does not apply, and the magazine rule that catches people out.
Can You Order a Driver to Roll Down Their Window?
Dark tint, a cover officer who cannot see inside, and a driver who will not lower the glass. Why Mimms and Wilson probably get you there, and where opening the door crosses into a search.
Can an Officer Make You Roll Up Your Window for a Tint Test?
A driver rolls all the windows down before you reach the car. Can you order them back up for the tint meter? Why that meter is a Fourth Amendment search, and what justifies it.
Can a Judge Ban Cameras Inside the Courthouse?
An Alabama judge posted an order banning cameras in the courthouse hallway. What the First Amendment allows, what judges control, and when filming becomes obstruction.
Must You Bring Your Supervisor on Scene if Requested?
Here is the question. If someone on a traffic stop says, “I want to see your supervisor, bring them to the scene. I’m not going anywhere until I talk to your supervisor,” do you have to call your supervisor, or can you just handle the situation and tell them to go down to the police […]
Can Police Do a High-Risk Stop Just Because a Car Might Be Stolen?
A LoJack hit, cold plates, and a matching Suburban. Everything lined up and the car was not stolen. What the Ninth Circuit said about guns drawn on a property crime.
When Is Miranda Required?
Officers are taught that Miranda kicks in when a person is not free to leave. That is not the standard, and saying so in court can cost you. The three components that actually trigger it.
Do Police Have a Duty to Protect?
An officer asks where the case is that says police have no duty to protect. It is DeShaney v. Winnebago County, and here is what it actually holds.
Lawful Police Conduct During a Drug Investigation
Our question is: Were the police lawful during this drug investigation? This is a bit of a long fact pattern. There’s a lot to it so this is going to take a little longer than usual. But isn’t that why we’re here, so I can dissect the legal issues that you are facing out there […]
Pat-down on An Overdose Suspect
Can you patdown an overdose suspect? This question comes from an officer in Wisconsin. The officer says, “You respond and revive a suspected overdose patient. Can you conduct a patdown prior to them being transported by EMS? This is for the safety of the staff, due to drug abusers commonly carrying tools related to their […]