Traffic stops are vital to effective law enforcement and homeland security. These stops contribute to several organized efforts to reduce the daily average of 117 persons dying on U.S. roadways; 40 percent succumb in alcohol-related fatalities. Highways and streets are far safer when police officers consistently issue citations for traffic violations and when officers focus enforcement efforts on speeders and red-light violations, arrest those driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, interrupt street races, and detect fatigued drivers and those whose ability to drive safely has been affected by aging or illness.

Your Vest Won’t Stop This Bullet, a 14-minute video produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, shows the deadly threat that police officers, emergency workers and highway construction crews face on a daily basis: Unpredictable drivers.

The video is dedicated to the more than 700 law enforcement officers who have died during traffic incidents in the past ten years, including four Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers who have been killed since 2001.

Reproduction permission for the video Your Vest Won’t Stop This Bullet was granted to the Department of Public Safety’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Program by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The following video is very graphic, depicting peace officers injured in the line of duty, and is only intended for mature audiences.

An online sample of the video can be found here.

VIDEOS ARE LIMITED TO ONE PER AGENCY. IF YOUR AGENCY NEEDS MORE, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT NETWORK LEADER OR EMAIL hbagley@gohs.ga.gov .