Is it illegal to stop behind a police car that is pulling you over?

Q: After a night of drinking, Kelli tells us his brother, who was the designated driver, got pulled over, stopped a safe distance behind the police car, but the officer told them it was illegal to do that. Is this true? -- Kelli, Hibbing, Minn. A: First, I want to say great job on getting a designated driver -- definitely the right choice. As far as pulling your vehicle onto the shoulder, it is illegal unless it's an emergency. There is a safety concern to being on the shoulder which is why it's restricted, so the officer was correct. Unless you're having an emergency, or being pulled over, you want to stay off the shoulder. It's also a huge officer safety concern. If you're pulling onto the shoulder behind an officer, we've been trained to expect that something unfortunate may happen. -- Washington State Patrol Trooper Julie Judson