A lawyer has shed some light on why police officers always touch the back of vehicles when they pull over a car and it’s actually pretty dark.
Although many of us won’t have ever been pulled over by a police car while driving, you may have noticed on TV shows or in movies that when police officers stop a vehicle, they often touch the back of the car. But why?
Over on Reddit, some people have shared theories about why this might be.
Most police officers do this when a car has stopped (YouTube/Dirceu Valadares)
Meanwhile, clips of officers touching car boots when they’re pulled over have gone viral online.
One person wrote: “I was pulled over the other day for a bogus reason, (I won’t get into it) and as the police officer approached my car, she ran her finger from my rear spoiler all the down the side of my car. It made me cringe watching her, knowing that I had just polished my car after a nice wash.
“The next week I was getting gas and I saw an unfortunate soul have the pleasure of being pulled over as well. Once again, I saw a police officer touching the back with his pointer finger and proceed to drag it across the car!”
While the Redditor was left confused, one lawyer has offered some insight into why this happens and it actually makes so much sense.
Michael – aka the Atlanta Lawyer on YouTube – shared a short clip explaining what happens and why.
“Did you know the police touch the back of your car every time they pull you over?” he said.
It’s primarily for the officer’s safety. (YouTube/Dirceu Valadares)
“They do this to put their DNA and fingerprints on the back of your car. This helps to identify the car in case the officer is injured or the driver speeds off.”
Meanwhile, trooper Steve Montiero explained another reason during an interview with News 6.
“When law enforcement officers conduct a traffic stop, there are plenty of procedures that need to be done, not only for the safety of the violator, but for the safety of that officer,” he began.
“One of those things is proving that that officer was with that car, so when officers approach a vehicle, they touch the rear of it.”
Montiero continued: “The first reason is to make sure that the trunk is closed.
“It may sound a little crazy, but you want to make sure that no one is about to jump out of the trunk and that it’s properly secured.
“Touching the rear of the vehicle puts the officer’s fingerprints on that car, showing that he or she was there with it.
“In case the driver decided to flee the scene, or if something happened to that officer, it ties both the vehicle and the officer together.”
