Quote:
Originally Posted by gnadfly
...I see people on the side of the road in cuffs beside their or the police's car all the time while the police search the car. I assume this is at the officer's discretion.
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#1: (And I'm sure you have) Have you ever tried to "search" for something in a vehicle with the driver sitting behind the wheel? And this one was already hostile.
#2: Officers are trained either way, but for officer safety the proper (and acceptable) method is to have the person get out of the vehicle, pat them down for weapons or contraband, and "secure" them in the back seat of the patrol unit (and they should be handcuffed for officer safety).
The "problem" with that scenario is that DPS patrol units are customarily not fitted with a cages or barriers between the backseat and the front seat (look next time you see one). If they are out on the open road the occasionally must "secure" the person in the passenger seat in front (a practice started in the smaller, sportier units). As in this case he would have relied on locals to transport to the jail or holding facility.