Panic during CT traffic stops? It’s nerve-racking for officers too; police are trying to change that

When flashing blue-and-red lights in your rearview mirror mean a traffic stop, don’t just keep going, don’t try pulling onto the highway median, and don’t frantically rummage under the seats while the police officer is approaching.

And be sure the car is in park or even shut off when the officer arrives.

“Absolutely I’ve had drivers who didn’t put the car in park or they hit the windshield wipers — because they’re nervous,” said Sgt. Brenna Bolduc, a police patrol supervisor in Groton . “I’ve had young drivers pull over on the left, or they slow down and put their head out the window. They don’t know what to do, nobody’s told them.”

For the past several years, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association has been looking for ways to educate the public about traffic stops — including the fact that police officers as well as drivers are on high alert. Working with state agencies, this year it came up with the Breaking Barriers campaign.

Bolduc along with patrol officers from several other Connecticut departments recently put together two short videos on what to expect and — how to act — during a traffic stop, and they’re hoping driving schools will incorporate them into their lesson plans. The state departments of transportation and motor vehicles are working together to get the videos out to driving instructors, public schools and community groups.

The goal is to calm the tensions that can arise during car stops, which would let motorists and police alike feel more secure.

“Police officers are there to protect our roadways and to protect all of us. Sometimes we all get nervous, especially at a young age when you’ve never been through that, or as an older individual like me,” Motor Vehicles Commissioner Tony Guerrera said at press conference Thursday to introduce Breaking Barriers.

Flanked by police chiefs from a half-dozen Connecticut cities and towns, Guerrera said the new videos could do a lot for new drivers and those still getting licenses.

“This is a very important initiative to share these videos in the schools and have those conversations. We all tend to get nervous when we see those lights turning and the sirens,” Guerrera said.

In one video, several young drivers and police officers get to talk one on one about traffic stops, ask questions and express concerns and fears.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m the prey and you’re the predator,” a young man tells a female Hartford officer. Moments later, he tells her “When you guys pull over someone in the community, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” and she quickly responds “Did you know that we feel the same way? … Every single time I stop somebody, I am nervous.”

Speaking with a young man, Watertown police Sgt. Reynaldo Torres says “It’s a nerve-racking experience for us as well. You’re hyper-focused, it’s one of the most dangerous encounters we make.”

A civilian asks why police touch the back of the car when they approach; an officer replies that it tells whether the trunk has been popped, and also puts the officer’s fingerprints on the car in case the driver speeds off. Another person asks why a second cruiser shows up even for a routine stop; Bolduc replies “We don’t know who is in the car. It’s for safety.”

In a second video, a woman talks through what she thought during a traffic stop and what she should have done differently.

The videos are posted on Youtube and available with Spanish subtitles. Guerrera said he expects the videos will be put out on other social media channels shortly and distributed to driving schools across the state.

What everyone in Breaking Barriers agreed on is that dealing calmly with a police stop is a vital skill for motorists. Since student drivers get training on everything from adjusting mirrors to parallel parking, the police chiefs’ association wants to add a little education about handling what can be the most stressful time for someone behind the wheel.

Torres and Bolduc acknowledged that even off-duty police can feel stress if an on-duty officer pulls them over.

“It’s almost an involuntary type of feeling, it’s a nerve-racking feeling for anyone to be in regardless of whether you’re a police officer or not,” Torres said.

But that’s when staying calm and remembering a few key tips is important, police said. Drivers should pull off to the right as soon as they see police lights behind them, then put the car in park. It’s a good idea to turn on the dome light, turn off the radio, roll down the window and then hold the steering wheel near the top so police can see their hands. One of the worst mistakes is to quickly reach under the seat or into the glove compartment for anything, and another is to simply keep driving while the police officer follows.

In recent years, social media has displayed videos from police dashboard cams at traffic stops showing drivers who either abruptly speed off, jump out of their cars without warning, or pull guns or knives as police approach their cars. Police body cams also show well-meaning drivers who mimic similar behaviors, such as lunging toward the glove compartment or quickly reaching under a seat — alarming officers but intending only to get an insurance card or registration.

In some videos, drivers appear to become belligerent or sarcastic even before the approaching officer speaks. But in other cases, videos in Connecticut have shown officers becoming rude, combative or insulting during a traffic stop. In all cases, the guidance is for motorists to remain calm; defense attorneys often cite this as their first answer when asked how a driver should respond to being pulled over.

Sal Calafiore, owner of the Santo Driving School in Rocky Hill, and David Burgio, his lead instructor, hosted the news conference and said they strongly support the campaign.

“It’s long overdue, this should have been taught years ago. Maybe they should put a couple questions on the exam, too. When you have students not knowing whether to pull to the left or the right when the officer pulls them over … or they’ll stop right in the middle of traffic. You’ve got to know these things,” Burgio said.

“Sometimes they drive onto the median. I’ve got a friend who owns a tow company, he says he has to pull them off the median because they get stuck in the mud,” Calafiore said.

Hartford Chief Jason Thody said he will get the video to his city’s schools as well as CREC schools.

“I also think some of our nonprofits that deal with youth could show them, Compass Peacebuilders comes to mind. And the Y. The videos are great, they show a different side of a car stop,” Thody said. “One of the more compelling things I heard was letting people know the cops are nervous, too. A car stop is a very dangerous thing for us.

“And I want to make sure all of our cops watch them to show what people are seeing,” Thody added. “It’s important to emulate some of the things in the videos: Not escalating a situation, explaining things in a clear way, being approachable. I think it can be a good training aid for cops too as a refresher.”