OUMOOSE:
Just curious about this after reading your post. If there is no one in the back seat nor passenger seat, do you ask to open the door or just open it? Personally, I would consider it an invasion of privacy for a LEO to do anything but come on the driver side and ask for my paperwork unless I was suspect for something else, which he/she better clearly state.
OUMoose,
The Supreme Court ruled on this matter, and LEO's can make those request, and ID everyone in the vehicle which I do, if I suspect something. I have found many felony warrants that way. Officers do have the right to search the areas in the driver's control or lunge areas. I never state any reason other than telling them I pull them over for speeding,or another violation. If I pull over a robbery suspect, he thinks I know he is a robbery suspect. By telling them about a violaton make them think they are getting off with just a ticket. Tgace is right, I'm not going to tell them I saw their drugs, or the car is reported stolen. Look at the Female Officer that did just that. She almost die from the attack by a male suspect, but ended up with mental plates, and screws. Another example would be the Alabama Male Officer that was assaulted by a male DUI suspect. I always tell them, I'm going to quickly run your information and then I will decide on what to do. Then when back up arrives, its a whole new ball game.
Jerry:
Of course, you now have your side to the rear-seat-passangers, and (though unlikely) the trunk; not to mention you can't see if someone comes up to your patrol car, or sneaks around the back of the vehicle.
Jerry,
Your thinking and thats great. If you do the driver's side approach and someone is in the driver's side backseat. Then stop just behind the door jam of the rear door. Then ask the driver to pass the info to their passager then to you. The same would be true if you did the pass. side approach. If you did walk all the way to the front of the vehicle and faced them you can see all that, your right. But you pass all of them giving them all a chance to open the door knocking you into traffic, or to shoot you. They are a clear target, but so are you. Doing it the way I said gives you more escape routs, and better chance to come out alive.
Side Note:
When I do traffic stops I don't care about your comfort. I just care about myself going home at the end of the shift. Most people put on a suit before going to work, we put on a Vest to stop bullets, and a gun to fight back. When most people tell their loved ones, "I'll see you after work" they mean it, we hope it's true. When someone with a CCW premit carrys a weapon to protect them self from an attack that may, or may not ever happen, we go out looking for the bad guy and it will happen to us. We have a dangerous job, and we all know the risk. By using good sound techniques we can have reduce those risk. When you are pulled over, you know who we are, but we don't know you. I went through a background check (talk about no privacy), Psyc exam, Polygraph exam, and so on just to make sure I'm the highest qualty preson. The private person can't say the same. It's not that we think your a criminal, we just want to go end our shift the safest way possible. For the community to understand that, and to do what they are told will end with a possitive out come. Yeah, you may get a ticket, but that is my job protecting you even from yourself.
