Every officer organizes his or her patrol car and duty gear differently. You need to create a setup that ensures that you feel safe and are prepared to act quickly, which can be affected by the equipment you’re issued and the layout of the cruiser.
A recent officer-submitted tip discussed the safety concern of leaving a duty bag on the passenger seat in case of an emergency where the passenger door becomes your primary escape route. This brings up questions not only about placement of your duty bag, but the proper materials that should always be within reach and how to manage them during routine situations such as a traffic stop.
Below, Police1 members weigh in and offer insight into how they manage their duty bag on a daily basis:
“I carry my duty bag on the front passenger seat so I have my papers close to me. What I would particularly suggest is that the bag be secured by the seatbelt in case of a collision. I prefer to carry nothing in the back seat area so that when I put a “client” back there, they have nothing to use as a weapon.”
“I carry my posse box, ticket book, alcohol tester, and insulated water bottle on my front seat. War bag is in the trunk. Everything pretty much stays in place, and if necessary, another officer could jump in, pushing my stuff out of the way as he goes. Like other commentators point out, a passenger side exit isn’t too realistic these days with the console and the MDT. It could be done in an extreme, but it’s not all that practical. Plus we use twin vertical racks in the center for long guns, and you’re likely to tear something (like your hip or rib cage) on the rifle mag-- it sticks out a bit.”
“Just an opinion but the seat is the best place for the bag. On a traffic stop your head and eyes should be up and on the suspect vehicle. If your gear is in the trunk you loose your line of sight to what is happening in the vehicle. If your eyes are on the car then no one will get too close to you. If a suspect starts coming towards you get your car in reverse and your pistol out.”
“None of the stuff in your bag (safety gear, xtra cuffs, hand cleaner, field test kits, binocs, etc. etc) is essential for immediate access. All you REALLY need is your flashlight & summons book. Everything else can be obtained from your bag, which should be in the trunk, as needed. Contrary to what you were told in the academy, your patrol car is not your office. It is your port of refuge and safety during a combat situation. Keep all those papers in the trunk...”
“6'0 and 220, No way I’m going to fit going over my console and past my MDC. On a tactical exit of the vehicle it’s a hundred times faster to exit out of the driver’s seat and confront the threat that way. Otherwise a passenger seat exit is going to expose my backside for too long; the threat could casually walk back to my driver’s side and dump a few rounds into me as I try to exit out the other side. I do however agree on the problem of my patrol bag and contents becoming projectiles in an accident. Being able to reach over and grab what I need without looking though is important. How many times a night do I reach over and grab my flashight or cite book without looking? A half dozen times or more. I think it’s better to have my resources on hand than to be distracted by going to the trunk or floor to retrieve needed items.”
“OK, we can beat the what if’s to death, but I believe you jeapordize your safety by placing your duty bag elsewhere. Then when you need something from your bag during an encounter your focus and most likely your vision is diverted from the incident to locating first your bag then the item within the bag.”
To read all of the officer comments on this tip, click here 
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