This is why you should NEVER NEVER Talk To police....

I'm quoting you but responding to Lil' Pun as well. Your first point is fair. Some people can just be generally incredibly nervous people or have a bad history with the police. That's unfortunate, and they may be subjected to a little more inconvenience, but for the most part, even when cops do take a normal citation longer than expected and start questioning you, they remain professional. So it may inconvenient or uncomfortable, but they aren't going to be like "HA! You look nervous I'm arresting you right now!"

Most cops are discerning, and if you have nothing to hide, usually you won't be overly inconvenienced or arrested or anything. Most traffic stops go without a hitch, even with nervous people. Like I said, cops understand the position you are in. And if they have no reason to be suspicious, they don't want to be pulled over on the side of the highway any longer than they have to. It's a hassle to question you, pull you out of the car, etc., and most of them don't have a burning desire to do it.

Your last point is right though. There are some knuckle head police officers who abuse their power. The law does as much as it can to inhibit them without taking away their ability to protect the peace.

As for discerning between nervousness, if you are stammering, lots of activity (moving hands a lot, looking around a lot), can't articulate what's happening, rushing your answers, shaking, perhaps sweating a little, looking around your car real fast, etc. those are potential signs that a cop would pick up on that are suspicious. But still, like I said, cops KNOW YOUR SITUATION and they know you aren't happy to be pulled over.

Typical traffic stop:

Lights flash. You pull over. The cop has run your license and comes to your window.

Cop: "Good morning sir, license and proof of insurance please.
Me: "Good morning, here you go sir."
Cop: "Do you know why I pulled you over? (or some derivate thereof)
Me: "Yes sir, I was going too fast."
Cop: "I had you clocked at 85mph back there in a 70, what's the rush"
Me: "No rush sir, just lost track of my speed."
Cop: "Ok well this will just take a moment."

Cop proceeds to fill out the ticket, have me sign and then tell me good day.

 

You just blew the entire point of the thread....NEVER talk to cops....you just admitted you were speeding.

You should have said "I have no idea why you pulled me over"

Watch the video it is entertaining and enlightening.

This is the part that gets me the most, I think a number of cops forget that they are public servants, they work FOR US.....


DD

 

lol, WWR: "I am the law!!"


Seriously, i get really annoyed by police officers that use profiling instead of intelligence to do their job. As a black man, who drives a big american car and listens to his music loud i've been pulled over and searched numerous times but mostly for dumb stuff.

The last and most ridiculous occasion was last year. Me and my brother were driving back from seeing the comets get stomped. A police officer pulls us over because the side marker light on my brother's old beat up Hyundai was hanging loose. He gave us the routine spill. Where ya been? Where ya goin? He decided he had probable cause to search us, and my brother's car after hearing that we were at the Comets game!!

It was so unbelievable that two non-gay black men were at a comets game. He asked alot of random questions about the game too, like who won, what was the score, who had the highest score to see if our stories matched.


Sure if you don't want to be harassed you can wair tight clothes drive a fuel efficient car and listen to soft pop rock but should i have to change my life just to not be harassed. Some people just don't understand what it feels like to deal with this kind of crap.

 

Actually DD, that would still be "talking to cops."

By saying - "I have no idea why you pulled me over", you are still giving them evidence. What if he finds out from a passenger that you had made a comment earlier - such as "we gotta speed up to get there on time" or "hopefully there aren't any cops around" - then he's proven that 1) you were speeding and 2) you lied to the cops.

Whether you say "Yes sir, I was going too fast" or "I have no idea"...you're still, according to the video in the original post, doing the wrong thing. "NEVER talk to cops" doesn't mean you're supposed to act dumb...it means you aren't supposed to talk to them.

On a roadside pullover, this would make you seem very suspicious.

 

Your story is just not as common as you make it out to be though. People do get harassed and people do get profiled, but a lot of people act as though they get mistreated constantly by police.

In fact, most people who deal with police get treated very professionally, yet they still talk trash about the cops. It all stems from the fact that they don't like getting in trouble.

 

On a roadside pullover, beyond polite and professional gets it over with as fast as possible and you get back to work with a ticket or, if lucky, a warning. Being evasive is foolish. If you try hard not to talk to a cop on a roadside pickup, you are ASKING for him to get suspicious of you.

 

On a roadside pullover......I talk to them in a respectful manner, but do not admit fault.

But according to the guy in the video you should not say anything.

DD

 

Have you ever had any issues using your technique?

If not, are you now going to refuse to speak?

 

I've received three tickets in my lifetime while dealing with police officers at least over 20 times. In the majority of my cases, the police are not friendly. I believe it is more common than you assume.

 

And then if the officer arrests you, the first thing out of his mouth is "You have the right to remain silent".

And when it comes to court, the testimony goes something like this:

"I first became suspicious of the accused when he exercised his Constitutional right to remain silent."



Personally, I am as polite and respectful as possible during traffic stops. But it is something of a sad commentary on the document that forms the bedrock of our republic if choosing to exercise the rights granted by our Constitution places a person under suspicion.

 

Exactly.......

 

They are normally polite, if not friendly. If that has not been your experience, I'm sorry.

I think some of that feeling though comes from a citizen's own preconceptions and unhappiness about the circumstances. You are pulled over for breaking the law. Many people feel it's ridiculous that THEY got a ticket for speeding. Doesn't the cop have anything better to do? I know it was a school zone but there were no kids around! GEEZ! Go suck down another donut or arrest someone who's REALLY breaking the law.

 

You can generally tell when someone is nervous just because an officer has detained them. I pulled over a girl the other day for not showing a registration. Little 19 year old. She was as nervous as all get out. Do I think she had anything to hide? No. She was just nervous in dealing with the police.

Also, I don't think some of you may know. I can run a criminal history on the guy. If the criminal history comes back with the guy having ten arrest for coke and spent hard time in TDC........well.....his nervousness might not be because of the presence of an officer.

I'd just arrest you for what I stopped you for.
Or write you a ticket for every thing I could.
It's easier to talk to the police.
If you don't have anything to hide why would you sit there like a mime?
You look suspicious and you'd be detained for a longer period. The officer is getting paid to be there, you aren't.

The passenger isn't detained, so therefore doesn't have to answer to anyone.
(unless he was also committing a crime, or gets out and starts walking down the sidewalk)

It isn't worth my time if I don't think it'd be worth searching your car.
Sure, it could be done to inconvenience you.

Well that's a normal situation.
Again, if you don't look suspicious/act suspicious/don't have a criminal history, you'd be sent on your way.

I am sorry you have had bad experiences. It would be a pleasant experience to be stopped in my jurisdiction.

 

I think you are misunderstanding me. When a cop pulls you over, you are not under arrest, and so Miranda does not apply. If he asks you a question and you ignore him, of course he is going to be suspicious. If he says "Do you know why I pulled you over?" And you just stare ahead and ignore him, what is he supposed to think?

And if you say "I'm exercising my right to remain silent" of course he then is going to think there is something wrong. He's pulled you over for speeding and you are spouting off your Miranda rights like he's arrested you for murder? And you think he should what? Write you your ticket in silence and roll on?

 

It's not your fault unless you were one of the police officers.

I am not talking about traffic stops only. I am talking about anytime a police officer has come into play in a situation I've been in, including traffic stops.

 

Thanks for that reply.


You said what I meant.

 

You watch too much TV. Thousands of people are arrested every day and never hear those words "You have the right to remain silent".

The detectives who are questioning you in the interview room are usually the ones to inform you of those rights.

 

WWR,

What are the qualifications required to join your particular branch?

Age?
Education?

what?

DD

 

Ok well I don't know your particular circumstances so I won't be foolish and try to tell you how things should have gone. But, outside of traffic stops there are plenty of reasons why cops aren't friendly in other situations.

 

Missing the point.

But I do watch too much television.