Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Near Miss is a voluntary, non-disciplinary officer safety initiative that allows law enforcement personnel to read about and anonymously share stories of close calls or “near misses,” which provide lessons learned that can protect fellow officers in similar situations.
Event summary
As a proactive patrol officer on the midnight shift, I routinely used pretextual stops to make DWI and drug arrests.
In my assigned area, I often parked on a side street with my lights off to monitor a four-way stop intersection on a state road. Traffic was infrequent on this road during the overnight hours as it passed through several miles of residential neighborhoods.
Around bar closing time, an older model vehicle passed through the four-way stop at a high rate of speed. I wanted to catch up to the vehicle, yet still maintain the element of surprise to observe any furtive movements made by the operator/occupants once I initiated a traffic stop.
I exited the side street and entered the state road without activating my emergency lights or turning on my headlights. The state road was illuminated by some street lighting, enough to see the road ahead of me. I accelerated to a speed of approximately 60 mph (posted 25 mph). The road had some winding turns that limited my line of sight.
Suddenly, a car entered my lane from one of the residential side streets. I had to slam on the break and nearly lost control of my patrol vehicle to avoid striking the car, which had entered the road believing it was clear of traffic.
I was eventually able to catch up to the offending vehicle using my emergency lights. The driver was not intoxicated, armed or wanted. She drove through the light because she was distracted while on the phone having a verbal argument with her boyfriend.
Lessons Learned
- Officers should routinely conduct risk assessments and weigh the benefits of their actions against the resulting risks to officer and public safety. In this situation, the risk versus reward did not justify driving on a public roadway without headlights.
- Consider activating emergency lights if traveling above posted speed limits. Keep the risk to public safety in mind.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR NEAR MISS
Support this critical officer safety initiative by reading and sharing the near-miss stories and lessons learned that your fellow officers have shared, and consider sharing your own near-miss experiences at LEOnearmiss.org.