Interim Jacksonville Police Chief Brett Hibbs said one of the most commonly asked questions by city residents is, “What should one do when pulled over by police?”
In an effort to answer that question and debunk a few myths surrounding traffic stops, Hibbs and the Jacksonville Police Department put together a training video for the residents of Jacksonville on how to properly proceed during a stop. Hibbs said they made the video for citizens to see a traffic stop from the point of view of an officer.
“We want to answer some of those questions. There are some myths that say you should get out of your car and reach for your paperwork, and as officers, we don’t know what they are reaching for, so it’s best to remain calm and stay in your vehicle,” Hibbs said.
“The video is for young people who have never had any training or advice on what to do, and this teaches them from the officers themselves,” Hibbs said. “We don’t want people to get out of the car, especially on the side of the road. We prefer for them to stay in the car because it can be dangerous for both the drivers and the officers as other cars speed past.”
Sgt. Jeffrey Tillman has been with the Jacksonville Police Department for more than seven years, and he said he believed it was the time to do something good and put out a video to help residents and inform them of what to do in a traffic stop and to see how officers are trained to handle the situation.
The department also had student volunteers from Jacksonville High School, Cabot High School, Lisa Academy and Parkview High School. The volunteers, which included Deorius Cobbs, Timothy Jasper, Myla McGhee and Tori Kiser, were used as drivers and passengers in cars for the video, and they also had opportunities to ask questions and be better informed if they are ever in the situation. Tillman said that although they all went to different schools, each student has Jacksonville ties.
“The experience of working with the JPD was awesome,” Cobbs said. “It was very fun, but at the same time educational. They provided us with plenty of information as to how to avoid any discrepancies with the police when being pulled over.
“They even provided us with knowledge as to how the police are supposed to cooperate with the person in the vehicle. Not only did they provide us with information, but they also made it fun.”
Cobbs said the officers even made a TikTok video with the group. He said the day with the JPD was very special, and if the opportunity was presented again, he wouldn’t hesitate to participate.
“I feel like it went pretty well, and they had a good time helping us out, and in that time, they also learned quite a bit, and it really educated them,” Tillman said. “It was something that will help them out in the future.”
He said that as young drivers, they may do things they might notice that could be an issue, such as reaching down to the cup holders or moving around in the car. Tillman advised that during a traffic stop, it is important for the driver and passengers to not make any sudden movements and to reach only for things the officer asks for, such as their driver’s license and registration, and to be respectful to the officer.
“There are safety things that we look for that could be red flags, and citizens need to know what those red flags are and inform them of those so they don’t make those movements and things of that nature,” Tillman said. “If we haven’t asked for information, we don’t know what the drivers are reaching for, and they could be reaching for something (such as a weapon or something that might look like a weapon) which could lead to a dangerous encounter.”
The video took about two hours to shoot and consisted of multiple angles, including footage from the officer’s body cam, inside and outside of the car, and was edited with text and information, such as proper procedures or guidelines that citizens might need to know during a traffic stop. Tillman said the video should be released to the public soon.
Following are some of the do’s and don’ts of a traffic stop as stated by the video:
• Once you are pulled over, make sure the vehicle is in park with the engine off.
• Refrain from getting your paperwork until the officer asks for it, as excessive movement could indicate that the driver is concealing an item or reaching for a weapon.
• Keep your hands in plain sight.
• Traffic stops require mutual respect. Being confrontational is never conducive to constructive interaction.
• Officers should always identify themselves, state their agency and inform you of the reason for a stop.
• During periods of darkness, consider turning on a light to make the interior of the vehicle more visible.
• Be polite, and cooperate with the officer, and the experience of being pulled over can be a much less stressful experience for everyone.
Tillman, who oversees the School Resource Division for the department, said the goal of the video is to help ease the stress that a driver, especially a new driver, may feel during a traffic stop by teaching him or her how to respond in the situation.
“With everything going on in the world, we are very concerned about it and our citizens,” Hibbs said, regarding racism and incidents of police brutality that have been brought to light recently in videos. “We haven’t had the problems other departments or other cities have had, and I am proud of the good relationships that we have between our officers and citizens.”
Hibbs said he gives a lot of credit to his officers and their professionalism.
“We just don’t treat people the way we have seen in other places,” Hibbs said. “I think the way we interact with others goes a long way, and it starts at the top of our department and following the way they lead.”
Tillman said one of the things the department likes to focus on is its community involvement.
“We like to do things like the Citizens Police Academy and the Junior Police Academy, and prior to the events that have been going on with [COVID-19], these academies helped build relationships with the community,” Tillman said.
Normally, the academies go over traffic stops during the class, including having some citizens play the role of officers. But because of the current pandemic, the spring session of the academy had to be canceled. Tillman said it is important to still put this information out, even though the department wasn’t able to have the class.
Tillman said there is also a fall session for the academy, and he is uncertain whether it will be canceled. He said the program is still in the works; it just “depends on how things go.”
“This particular training was more or less for citizens and assisting them with encounters with police,” Tillman said. “As officers, we do training all year long on traffic-stop situations, but this one in particular was more or less for the community.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.