"Old Habits Die Hard" Responding to Overcalls by Marti Ronemus

Here's something interesting I came across, and it's a good example of old habits dying hard.

"Back in the Day" when an officer stopped a driver, it was common practice for the officer to touch a car's taillight. It's a behavior that dates back decades, and many officers still retain the habit. I have personal experience of this and always wondered about it. Here's why:

Before cameras were installed on the dashboards of most police cars, tapping the taillight was an inconspicuous way for officers to leave behind evidence of the encounter.

If something were to happen to the officer during the traffic stop or if the driver denied the stop, their interaction with the driver could be traced back to the fingerprints left on the vehicle.

Interesting, no? But what about us? What old habits do we have that we can't let go off? Where have we left OUR fingerprints? Let's work on responding to Overcalls and see how our habits are.