Editing Traffic stop (section)

===Procedure===
[[File:El Centro Police Department Chevrolet Caprice PPV on traffic stop, c. August 2021.jpg|thumb|An [[El Centro, California|El Centro Police Department]] officer conducting a traffic stop]]
A stop is usually accomplished through a process known as "pulling over" the suspect's vehicle. [[Police car|Police vehicles]] (except those used by undercover personnel) traditionally have sirens, loudspeakers, and [[Light bar|lightbars]] that rotate or flash.  These devices are used by the officer to get the attention of the suspect and to signal that they are expected to move over to the [[Shoulder (road)|shoulder]] and stop. Failure to comply could result in citation of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and possibly raise suspicion that the driver is attempting to flee.

Similar alerting devices are also typically equipped on other emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances, although police departments often use blue lights to signal drivers to pull over. In all cases, such signals and the laws requiring that other vehicles pull to the shoulder allow the emergency vehicles to pass other traffic safely and efficiently when responding to emergency situations. In the case of a traffic stop, the officer pulls the patrol vehicle behind the subject vehicle as it stops instead of proceeding past as they would during other emergency responses.

Depending upon the severity of the offense which the officer believes to have occurred, the officer may either arrest the suspect, by taking them to jail, or check for any outstanding [[Warrant (law)|warrants]] before issuing a citation also called a notice to appear or summons in some jurisdictions, which is essentially a [[traffic ticket]]. In some cases, officers may choose to simply issue a [[Warning (traffic stop)|verbal or written warning]].

If the driver is not the owner of the car, they are only penalized for the ticket. However, in most cases, the owner of the car that was stopped has increased insurances rates. This is due to a rule put in place to protect insurance companies from fraudulent procedures.

Many states have enacted laws requiring freeway traffic approaching the police vehicle to merge over to the left, leaving an entire lane as a buffer zone for the officer.
{{anchor|Felony traffic stop}}[[File:Los Angeles Police Department Ford CVPIs on scene of felony traffic stop.jpg|thumb|Los Angeles Police Department officers conducting a felony traffic stop]]
A "felony" or "high-risk" traffic stop occurs when police stop a vehicle which they have strong reason to believe contains a driver or passenger suspected of having committed a serious crime, especially of a nature that would lead the police to believe the suspects may be armed (such as an armed robbery, assault with a weapon, or an outstanding felony warrant for the registered owner). In a high risk stop, officers attempt to provide their own safety by issuing instructions to maintain absolute control over every step of the proceedings.

They will have additional officers on scene for back-up, often waiting for additional officers to join up before initiating the stop. They will typically have their weapons drawn, and stay back from the suspect's vehicle, using their patrol cars for cover. If there is no choice but to make the stop on a busy street, then they will often stop traffic. They will address the driver and any passengers over the PA speaker of the patrol car, typically instructing the driver to turn the engine off, remove the keys from the ignition, and sometimes toss them out the window. They will instruct the occupants, one at a time, to exit the vehicle with empty hands showing, place their hands on top of or behind their heads, walk backwards some distance, and then lie flat on the ground, where they will remain until all occupants have done likewise, at which point officers will move up, apply handcuffs, do a body search and then secure the suspects in the patrol cars. The vehicle is then typically searched for weapons and other evidence in accordance with the arresting department's [[standard operating procedures]] ("S.O.P.'s").

The [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] has held that an officer who stops a vehicle as part of a routine traffic stop has the authority to order the driver to exit the vehicle,<ref>{{cite web | author=per curiam opinion | author-link=Per curiam | url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct-cgi/get-us-cite?434+106 | title= Pennsylvania v. Mimms, 434 U.S. 106 (1977) | work=[[Cornell Law]] | access-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref> as well as to order any passengers to exit the vehicle.<ref>{{cite web | author=Chief Justice [[William Rehnquist]] | url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/95-1268.ZO.html | title=Maryland v. Wilson, 519 U.S. 408 (1997) | work=[[Cornell Law]] | access-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref>