Many officers have been murdered, and or seriously injured by felons after the officer makes what he thinks is a routine stop of either a traffic violator or a person on the street. The person being stopped believes that the officer is well aware of the crime that the person has just committed, and trying to avoid the police, (think robbery, murder), but the officer unknowingly is caught unaware and many times in a fight for his life when assaulted by that felon.
In Depth
Police protocol: ‘No such thing as a routine traffic stop’
Traffic stops and related incidents are the second biggest cause of police deaths
By Fabiola Carletti, CBC News Posted: Jun 29, 2011 4:19 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 29, 2011 4:59 PM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/police-protocol-no-such-thing-as-a-routine-traffic-stop-1.1031532
For this reason, if I am stopped by the police, I place both hands on the wheel in plain site until the officer gets up to the window. I don't try to grab my registration and insurance card, etc. Once the officer asks for the registration and insurance card, THEN I open the glove box and get it for him/her. The last thing I want to do is make someone with a gun nervous...