Asking a driver for their license and enrolment is uncouth routine frompolice officersduring traffic block . There ’s another exercise that was once standard across the military force but is more of a mystery to the people being pulled over : While approaching a gadget driver ’s windowpane , officer will sometimes touch a auto ’s taillight . It ’s a behavior that date back decades , though there ’s no reason to be pertain if it happens at your next traffic plosive speech sound .
Before cameras were installed on the splashboard of most law cars , tap the rear lamp was an inconspicuous way for officers to depart behind grounds of the encounter , according toThe Law Dictionary . If something were to happen to the officer during the traffic point , their fundamental interaction with the drivercould be traced backto the fingerprints left on the vehicle . This would assist other law military officer give chase down a leave out member of the force even without picture proof of a crime .
The natural process also start as a way for officers tospook driversbefore reaching their window . A pulled - over motorist with a car full of illegal drug or artillery might shin to hide any incriminating materials before the officer arrives . The surprisal of listen a knock on their taillight might interrupt this appendage , increasing their likelihood of getting watch .
Today the peril of this strategy are think to outweigh the benefit . Touching a taillight pose an unneeded misdirection for officers , not to mention it can give away their position , make them more vulnerable to disgustful play . And with dash cams now standard in most squad cars , documenting each incident with fingerprint is n’t as necessary as it once was . It ’s for these reasons that some police agenciesnow discourage taillight tapping . But if you see it at your next dealings plosive consonant , that does n’t mean the officer is extra suspicious of you — just that it ’s a strong habit to unwrap .
A version of this tarradiddle in the first place ran in 2017 ; it has been updated for 2023 .
