We are usually so busy that unless on a traffic emphasis, the little stuff slides by definition. I use all the lights I have to warn on-coming traffic, but I can't help the fact that people freak out and do stupid stuff. I'm just happy if they do what they're supposed to do and move over (it's a law now, but I was taught back in the 70s that it's just good courteous practice to move over from all traffic hazards). Sadly, many agencies/academies forget/don't train that the first thing we are on the side of the road is a traffic hazard.
State police/Highway Patrol agencies tend to be the worst about tactics and safety during enforcement encounters. They get so wrapped up in writing tickets that they get into amazingly unsafe practices (complacency). Often their training is substandard, too. WSP is infamous for bad tactics and serious officer safety violations, resulting from a combination of bad policies, archaic training, and volume pressures. They have their own academy, which last I knew did not meet state standards - they are certified by statute because they can't earn it. They lose their best new people because of the abuse, but anyone who leaves WSP tends to have a hard time in field training with a real LE agency because their bad practices have to be undone before learning to do it right can occur. (They do well at some inane stuff, like pursuits, but their response to a real police call can be awful - most of the dedicated troopers get themselves retrained by local officers if they work in a more rural area and might go to police calls.) They also have one of the worst (if not yet the worst, they will be soon) records in civil litigation in the state, and will soon be paying what is almost certainly the biggest civil rights violation judgment in the state.
Blocking the road: Too many variables to answer with precision, but it will vary by the nature of the collision and resulting investigation. Those scenes can be very complex and require hours to adequately investigate and document. Sadly, there are also often problems with HUA drivers coming into scenes and hitting officers, medics, and the like. Fire trucks make good protection if you can get enough of them.
Being on the highways and byways of this great nation on a daily basis, I see a little of everything that can happen on the road. I've been wondering about this lately. In training, is there any mention of obstructing traffic? Causing traffic jams? About half of the "traffic jams" I see during rush hour are caused by an officer on the side of the road, usually writing a ticket. Is there any discussion about letting the small ones slide so as not to cause a backup? It would seem to me that this would be common sense. What is the recommended practice?
