The MSU police work hard every day to uphold the laws and ensure the safety of everyone on MSU’s campus. To provide more insight into their actions and prepare citizens, the MSUPD put together a brochure that explains what to do when stopped or contacted by the police. The department is proud to have been the first agency in the country to introduce a brochure such as this more than a decade ago.

Included in the brochure are explanations for how your actions can reassure the officer and how you can expect to be treated. The MSUPD’s goal is to protect you and to ensure their own safety. Hundreds of police officers are assaulted while on traffic duty each year, and as a result, certain safety precautions have been put into practice.

Here are a few key points from the brochure:

If you are contacted on the street:

• Stay where you are
• Answer questions truthfully. You also have the right to ask questions of the officer
• Remain calm

If you are pulled over in your car:

• Wait for the officer and stay in your car with your hands on the steering wheel
• If it’s dark, turn on an interior light
• Wait to retrieve your license, registration and proof of insurance until the officer requests it
• Exit the car only if the office requests it
• Do not argue at the scene; you have the right to contest a citation at a later time

If you have a compliment or complaint about an officer’s actions, you can contact MSU police directly or contact the Police Oversight Committee.

Reach the full brochure  and learn more about MSU community team policing at police.msu.edu.