ASHLAND – When representatives from Ashland’s law enforcement and first responder agencies took the stage for an Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce safety services panel discussion Wednesday, one question seemed to garner the most attention from audience members.
Moderator Dan Lawson asked panelists to explain how drivers should respond when pulled over for a traffic stop, and the officers had plenty of tips to share.
“People think the first thing they have to do is rush over to the glove box and get their registration, take off their seatbelt and start moving all over the car,” said Lt. Ray Durant, Post Commander of the Ashland Post of Ohio Highway Patrol. “Just sit there and make contact with the officer. They will explain to you why you were stopped, and then if he wants your license and registration he will ask you for it at that time.”
If the stop is at night, Durant continued, turning on the cabin lights in your vehicle can help put the officer at ease.
Another tip, Durant said, is to pull over as quickly as possible once an officer initiates a traffic stop.
“If you need to move, the officer will tell you,” Durant said. “Don’t say, ‘This isn’t a good spot’ and keep driving down the road or pull into a back alley. Then things are going through the officer’s head, ‘Where’s this person trying to take me?”
Ashland County Sheriff’s Capt. David Blake said drivers should try to remain as calm as possible and should try to keep thier hands visible to the officer.
If a driver has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, Ashland Police Chief Dave Marcelli said, the officer likely will already know that when he or she approaches the vehicle.
Explain the reasons for your actions before reaching for your purse or back pocket to retrieve your licence or registration, Marcelli said.
In addition to Durant, Blake and Marcelli, panel participants included Ashland County Emergency Management Director Mark Raefeld and University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center Emergency Management Director Steve Carroll.
The five panelists each explained what their departments do. All emphasized the importance of planning, training and interagency collaboration in keeping the community safe and mitigating emergency situations.
For example, Carroll explained that the hospital has detailed plans in place for weather events, fires, IT outages, floods, active shooter events, mass casualty events and evacuations. He works closely with the Ashland Fire Department to ensure firefighters know the hospital well enough to respond quickly and appropriately in an emergency.
Durant reinterated the value of that cooperation.
“I’ve been at several posts in my career, and I’ve sat on panels like this before, but it’s hard for me to remember a time when I’ve been able to sit at a panel and know each and every last one of the people,” Durant said. “That’s an awesome feeling to work with these professionals.”
Rafeld agreed, adding that he works regularly with each of the other panelists, both in preparing for and responding to emergency situations.
“I can’t say enough about the partner agencies I work with and how good all of you all should feel knowing these individuals are in charge of their departments, because they along with the employees that work with them are nothing but top-notch.”
