Police Encounters with Suspects and Evidence

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Emily Burleson 1/15/2013 Mr. Zimmer CJ227 Police Encounters with Suspects and Evidence Did Officer Smith have a reasonable suspicion to make the initial traffic stop? One of the more dangerous jobs an officer has is traffic stops. “The officer never knows what will happen during that stop and must stay alert so nothing can happen to the officer (Anti Essays)”. Officer Smith had reasonable suspicion to pull the car over for a broken taillight, which is a traffic violation, and can receive a “fix-it” ticket or a “correctable violations” ticket. Plus the car she pulled over matched the description of a vehicle that killed a fellow officer. Was the “pat-down” of the driver legal? Officers have the right to do a pat-down search of the outer clothing to see if the suspect has any weapons when stopped with reasonable suspicion and when the Officer has a reasonable fear for his or another person’s safety. “Officer Smith conducted a Terry Frisk, which requires a reasonable suspicion the subject might be armed (Anti Essay)”, since the car she pulled over fit the description of a vehicle that killed a fellow Officer, she had the right to pat-down the driver for her safety. She had to stay alert because she did not know what the subject might do, so she had to do the pat down to make sure the subject was not carrying a weapon that could harm her. Did exigent circumstances exist for Officer Smith to give chase to this vehicle? When the subject decided to flee in the vehicle to evade Officer Smith, the subject could be arrested and the vehicle could be impounded. “In the case United States vs. Rengifo indicated that “exigent circumstances occur when a reasonable Officer could believe that to delay acting to obtain a warrant would, in all likelihood, permanently frustrate an important police objective, such as to prevent the destruction of evidence relating to
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