Opinion ID: 2211374
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Description of TRIP

Text: An owner of a registered medallion taxicab or licensed livery vehicle in New York City can choose to join TRIP, a program instituted in 1994, [1] by signing a Registration Form acknowledging voluntary participation in the program. As the Registration Form provides, by joining the program the owner agrees that the police may stop the aforementioned vehicle at any time in accordance with the Program's guidelines. In these instances, police actions will include a brief inquiry of the driver and visual inspection of the vehicle. A vehicle owner also agrees that any driver using the enrolled vehicle will sign a consent form containing a similar acknowledgment. Participating owners are given identical, numbered decals to be affixed to their vehicles, one on each rear side window and one conspicuously within the rear passenger compartment where the passenger can read it. The decals, bearing the New York City Police Department logo, state in English and Spanish: THIS VEHICLE MAY BE STOPPED AND VISUALLY INSPECTED BY THE POLICE AT ANY TIME TO ENSURE DRIVER'S SAFETY. A vehicle owner may discontinue participation in the program by removing the TRIP decals and notifying the precinct of record. Under TRIP guidelines, spelled out in the Police Department's Operations Order No. 46, members of the police force on patrol, including those in plainclothes, may briefly stop and visually inspect a vehicle bearing TRIP decals. If at the scene the driver consents, the police may open the passenger compartment doors. Vehicle occupants may not be removed during the stop unless independent factors cause the officers to fear for their own safety, and the police may not ask passengers wishing to leave for identification or otherwise detain them in the absence of reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. The police are required to maintain a detailed activity log of all TRIP stops, including information regarding the driver and the vehicle stopped.