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Crime

29th Jul 2022

Cop explains why officers always touch the back of cars they pull over in the US

Kieran Galpin

Cop explains why officers always touch the back of cars they pull over in the US

The more you know!

A police officer has revealed why cops in America always seem to put their hands on the back of vehicles when they pull them over.

Officer Tony Messer took to TikTok, where he shed light on what he described as one of “the top three questions” police get asked.

The policeman explained that officers on a traffic stop will touch the vehicle to “leave fingerprints” and aid in future investigations.

“These fingerprints is just incase the worst of the worst happens when you approach the driver,” Messer explained.

“If a driver was to flee after committing a crime, this would link the vehicle and your fingerprints together to give the detectives another piece of evidence.”

@officer_messer Follow me on Instagram for more videos! #humanizingthebadge #copsoftiktok #Policelife ♬ original sound – C Tony Messer

Messer also invited other officials to join the conversation, acknowledging that officers in different areas will have “different points.”

Jumping in, another officer added: “I do it for fingerprints and to be sure the trunk is closed to avoid a possible ambush.”

A second said: “I’ve been trained in military law enforcement we touch it to feel for kidnapped victims from them moving around in the trunk on top of what you said.”

Messer is very active on the popular video-sharing app, usually posting a mix of police content and clips from his time playing Grand Theft Auto. Though most of us playing GTA typically create needless chaos, Messer plays a policeman character in his Twitch streams, usually saving various NPCs from other players.

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