Lake County Deputies Practice The Art Of The Traffic Stop
(CBS) -- Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Halek takes part in a mock traffic stop in Libertyville.
"Good Morning, I'm Deputy Halek, do you know why I pulled you over today?" he asks another officer who is posing as a speeding motorist.
Halek says approaching a vehicle always has its risks. Police have to be ready for the unexpected, so, how they ask questions and how they interpret a motorists' body language is key to the outcome.
"How you talk to people, the words you use, when you use them, are very important," Halek says.
"Communication is key," he adds. "Whether it be someone coming into our records desk to request a police report or someone getting pulled over, it can be a stressful situation. Stress levels are up on both sides, so what relieves that stress is communication between the civilian and the officer."
"We train our officers in better communication," says Chris Covelli, Lake County Sheriff's Department spokesperson. "In order for us to do our jobs, we have to be perceived as legitimate to society. We also have to make sure we all know how to respond to someone who is in mental crisis. They need to identify it and stabilize it before there is any violence."
Veteran Officer Robert Skrypeck has been on the force for 22 years. He says no one wants to be pulled over by the police but patience and courtesy is key to the outcome on both sides.
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"Traffic stops don't have to be unpleasant. Respect and demeanor go a long way. This goes for a young student learning how to drive to adults. Be compliant, do what the officer asks you. The more pleasant you are, the better a chance you'll get a warning. Don't pull attitude, it can only lead down the wrong path," says Skrypeck.
He urges parents to talk to their young drivers about what to do when they're pulled over.
Halek says officers are policing in a new climate, a time of "conceal carry" and tension between the police and the communities they protect. In the new age of camera phones, and live streaming, he says he always assumes his actions will be recorded, which makes police more accountable.
"I'm sure when I walk up, in 90 percent of cars, I'm being videotaped and audiotaped. I know now that this point in time, everything I do and say is going to be on tape and possibly shared on social media," he says.
Halek says videos like the ones from St. Paul, Minn. and Baton Rouge, La. has his team of colleagues in Lake County learning from what went wrong.
"Our job is always evolving. It's a learning experience for us. Unfortunately, we are learning from someone else's mistake, maybe they lost their lives and that's unfortunate. We as officers and you as citizens have to learn from each other sometimes," he says.
