A police wall stop, also known as a “walled off stop,” a “Wall Stop,” or “whisper stop,” is a tactic used by law enforcement to conduct a traffic stop and search of a vehicle without revealing the reason for the investigation to the officer conducting the stop. This tactic is often used in drug trafficking and money laundering cases, in which law enforcement receives confidential information and is advised by detectives to look for a specific vehicle in a certain area. The patrol officer is then told to find a reason to stop the vehicle, such as a traffic violation, and conduct the stop when the vehicle is identified.
One of the main reasons for using a wall stop is to protect the confidentiality of the informant and prevent legal defense counsel from discovering the involvement of the informant in the investigation. If the stop is based solely on the information provided by an informant, the police may be required to disclose the identity of the informant and other details about the investigation. However, if the police have reasonable suspicion separate from the informant’s claims, the stop will be considered legitimate.
If you are a police officer asked to do a wall stop, you need to ask some questions. Lucky for you, we have this wall stop checklist for you. Go through these 10 questions when you are asked to do the stop to make sure your case stands up in court and you keep yourself out of trouble.
Keith is a retired Police Sergeant, working his entire 29 year career in the San Francisco Bay Area. Keith is a recipient of the prestigious California’s Narcotics Officer of the Year Award and is a prior winner of MADD’s California Hero Award. He has years of experience as a Narcotics Detective and a Narcotics Unit Supervisor and is a Drug Recognition Expert Instructor (IACP #3292). Keith has developed several courses for the Department of Defense, California Narcotics Officers Association, and California POST, and numerous police agencies and private corporations.
Keith has held other assignments besides narcotics including Training Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, COPPS Officer, Traffic Officer, and 20 years as a SWAT Team member and Sniper Team Leader. Keith has taught thousands of officers and businesses around the world about drug use, drug trends, compliance training and drug investigations. Keith is also the founder of Christian Warrior Training, where he provides free resources and training to church security ministries. He is recognized as an international drug expert and has testified as an expert in court proceedings on drug cases, homicide cases and rape prosecutions. Keith earned a BA in Business Management from Saint Mary’s College of California and a MA in Criminal Justice. Keith is the Founder and President of Graves & Associates, a company dedicated to providing drug training to law enforcement, the Department of Defense, and private industry internationally. You can follow Keith on social media on Facebook (DopeCop and DrugEnforcementCops), twitter (DopeCop) and Instagram (DrugEnforcementCops).
