Why Do Police Officers Touch Your Tail Light
Camila Farah
This is done in order to secure proof that the officer did pulled over and approached the subject vehicle in case he or she find themselves in a dangerous situation.
If you re seeing officers touch the tail lights i would guess it is because they became lazy and are going through their routine mindlessly rather than understanding the reasoning behind their. Tapping the tail light establishes a physical connection between the vehicle and the police officer. This provides critical evidence so investigators can place the vehicle and its owner at the scene in case you try to flee. Actually you ve seen this quite a bit.
In the old days they might have gone and authenticated that fingerprint if the case went to trial. So one of the reasons why cops touch tail lights is to startle the person inside. The main reason for this indeed weird practice is for the police officers to leave their fingerprints on it. When a police officer touches your tail light or bumper she leaves fingerprint and dna evidence behind.
The driver is likely not expecting the noise of the tap which typically causes him or her to stop for a moment giving the police officer additional time to witness what the driver is trying to hide if there is anything. With most traffic stops the officer will need to prove that he or she approached your car while pulling you over. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book for officers who need to have physical proof of what took place.
Source : pinterest.com