CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In light of Friday's accident that took the life of Corpus Christi Police Department Officer Alan McCollum, KRIS 6 News asked local law enforcement what they do to stay safe when conducting traffic stops.
The Department of Public Safety said its troopers' safety and the safety of whomever they're pulling over, is always top priority.
Sgt. Nathan Brandley said when conducting a traffic stop, it's important to always pay attention to your surroundings. When troopers and officers pull a driver over, they try to approach the vehicle on the passenger side, farther away from the roadway.
If a driver or passenger is asked to step out of the vehicle, they don't stand between the patrol car and the pulled over vehicle, just in case the patrol car gets rear-ended.
If possible, troopers will also use their speaker to inform the driver to pull over to an access road or business' parking lot.
"That's the reality of our job in law enforcement," Brandley said. "We know that there's dangers out there on traffic stops, so you just have to keep your head on a swivel and try to conduct it as safely as you can for yourself and the violator."
KRIS 6 News also reached out to the Corpus Christi Police Department to see what their protocol is when pulling someone over, but it chose to not comment at this time due to current circumstances.
