Look - if you want to keep your registration and insurance in your wallet and not in your car that's your business. The only downside I can see is if you let someone else drive your car.
But the idea that reaching for your glove box means you're going to be shot? Nonsense. I mean going for your pocket to get your wallet is just as suspicious.
Look, I'm not going to say that no one has ever been shot by police. Google Philando Castile for a particularly egregious story (black man pulled over, he tells police he has a licensed firearm, does no sudden movements, is shot). But going for the glove box after being asked for your license and registration happens in ever single traffic stop that ever happens. Police do not shoot you for doing so - just follow police directions, don't make sudden movements, etc.
But when police ask you for your documents they fully expect you to open your glove box.
Now that I'm out of it and moved on to other things, I worked traffic enforcement for over 20 years, particularly with commercial vehicles. Truckers have snipe bars, hammers, jack knives, pry bars...all kinds of stuff that could be weaponized usually within reach (claw or mallet hammers are usually kept on the floor along side the drivers seat).
But of all the times and all the professional truck drivers I dealt with over the years, I could count on one hand and not need all my fingers where I felt a stop could go sideways and be in a threatening situation. Passenger vehicles are the wildcard. With truck drivers we know there are items that could be used in a deadly force assault within reach they use as a tool of their trade, passenger vehicles...not so much and is why they are more dangerous.
For passenger vehicle stops, we were trained to stand not at the window but at the side of it so if someone did pull a weapon, they had to also awkwardly reach behind them while still seated to use it, which would allow a brief extra moment of reaction time or allow time and distance to separate.
Standing at the door instead of the window also prevents an easier exit for the driver if they wanted to get aggressive as now at the door frame they have body weight to push out of the way to get out whereas at the window, they have momentum and space to open the door wider then swing or kick the door open.
The above all ties into this and agree with what you've said: of all the passenger vehicle stops I conducted, yes- the console or glovebox is roughly 99.5% of where people keep their vehicle documents in a passenger vehicle and where I expected them to be. Not every officer will do this but I also got into the habit of asking where they are normally kept so I knew where the driver would be reaching or should be reaching. If I was told "it's not my car, it's my buddy's" or "my mom's" or "it's a rental" (which I'd already know based off the license plate) or whoever's, that's where extra caution had to be taken as we don't know who is driving the car (unless it's a repeat traffic offender-lol).
I understand the fear and anxiety people do or could have when pulled over so I always did my best to help them calm down by just talking to them like they're another human being and not an asshole. Being an asshole from the start (from one or both parties) just escalates the situation. So I'd be professional and friendly externally without letting my guard down internally.
In general for those who took the time to read this post and coming from a former member of LE that conducted a lot of traffic stops over 20+ years, the two easiest things to do at the start if you're pulled over are:
#1:
DO NOT start trying to find your shit before the officer has initially spoken with you. It's habit and we think "maybe I won't get a ticket if I have all my paperwork ready for the officer" or just to be courteous and speed things along as we know it's going to be asked for anyways but we're watching your movements and any passengers' movements through the back window. Even through rear tinted glass, we can still see faint outlines of figures moving about. If it's at night or blacked out, the vehicle may slightly rock back and forth (depending on wind) so we know people are moving around in it. If you're reaching around and down looking for vehicle info or reaching for a wallet in your front or back pocket, your body movements are all telling us this while the officer is entering/radioing in the t-stop info to dispatch. We don't know what you're looking for or reaching for or perhaps trying to hide. As your reverse lights also flash when you put your vehicle into park once you've pulled over (if you have an automatic transmission), it's another giveaway if you've left it in drive (big no-no) and are just sitting on the brakes (brake lights will be on-if one or all work) or if you've put it in park. So put it in park and wait and also allow the officer time to enter or radio the t-stop info. If you have a standard transmission, put it in neutral and the park brake on. Stay in your vehicle for your own personal safety first and foremost (other traffic passing) as that will also get the officer's guard up if you immediately get out before the officer has spoken with you. It's bizarre how many people will do this.
#2: Keep your hands on the steering wheel or up where they can be seen (not near the gear shifter either). Once asked to produce your documents, simply tell the officer where they are
before you start getting them so they know where you're reaching (or should be reaching). If your wallet is in your jacket or pants, tell them that too so the officer knows where you will be or should be reaching to retrieve it.
Trust me, t-stops go alot smoother with a little more communication between both parties at the driver's window.
