Traffic Stop 101

Kruz

Kruz

New Member
This was posted on another forum by a Law Enforcement Officer, I think everyone can benefit from it..:D

I decided to take the time and type all this out because I have seen a few "what to do if pulled over" threads, and thought it might be helpful to others here. Nothing I say here is law, legal advice or double secret insider information; it is just my thoughts after a long day of making traffic stops. Other LEO's please add on, I am tired now and I am sure I haven’t thought of everything.

What to do before the stop-
You know when you are going to get stopped, you probably even know why.
You look in your rear view and see that cruiser on your bumper.

1-Maintain your speed. If you are going mach 3, gradually slow to the limit and sit tight. Don't jam your brakes, it won’t help you now. It also won’t help if you go 15 mph under the limit after you have been noticed, it won’t reduce the severity of your violation.

2- Don’t just pull over because you know I'm going to stop you, wait for me to signal

OK, now we have traveled a few blocks, and the overhead lights come on. Heres how when and where to stop.

1- those lights on top of a police car are not Christmas lights. It means pull to the right... not the left... the right. Did I say not left? Yup, pull over to the right. You never know, I may not be after you, but need to get around you! Just pull over to the right!

2-you don’t need to jam on your brakes, just ease on over and stop

3- You don’t need to find a "safe" place to pull over. That is my job; I turned on my lights when I did for a reason. I am willing to bet I know the area and traffic patterns a little better than you do.

4- if you must pull off the road and into a driveway, remember that there is another car behind you that has to fit in that drive way too. Don’t make me block the entire outside lane with my car. Also remember that we are now going to inconvenience the homeowner who won’t be able to use his driveway for the duration of the stop. If it’s at night, we woke them up too.

5- if you pull into a parking lot, please don’t pull into a parking spot. This is very annoying to me. Just pull over. If you pull into a spot, I have to block an isle with my car, among other reasons I won’t go into here, and it’s just very annoying.

5.5- stay parallel with your orginal direction of travel.

6- now is not the time to put your seatbelt on

So now we are stopped, and your about to meet me.

1- if you don’t have your papers ready, don’t be digging around in your car for them. Wait, and tell me you don’t know where your insurance card is, we will deal with it in a better manner. This is also the time to tell me if you are armed.

2- don’t complain to me that my spotlight is blinding you... Duh! Why do you think I did that?

3- save your cutie pooh jokes... I've heard them a million times. They are not funny the 1st time around, and they are not funny 1000th time. A perfect example of this is; when an officer walks into the room, yell out "I didn’t do it" or "Officer, arrest my buddy here for xyz" I have heard that stupid crap so many times it makes me want to puke.

4-Don't ask me "is there a problem officer?" Of course there is, I didn’t stop you because I want to have tea and crumpets. 95% of the people I stop know why I am stopping them. I know, you know so drop the act. If you truly don’t know why, wait until the officer is done talking, if he did not say why, then ask. I am supposed to tell you why, but I am human too and I do forget from time to time.

5- when asked for your D/L, just give it to me. Don’t play games like "I am not going to until you do this or that" You are picking a fight you will not win.

6- If you are guilty, admit so. I don’t care if you are late getting the kids to the pool. I care that you were speeding. Acknowledge your mistake, and I am far more likely to consider my job done with out giving you a invitation to a party at the court house.
If you are not guilty, court is not held on the side of the road. Make your arguments in the courtroom.

7- If you do not have insurance, don’t lie to me. People lie to me all day long; I know when people are lying to me. You are fooling no one.
If you do have insurance, have the card that proves so in your car. I cannot look up some magic number to see if you have it or not. I need the current card from your company to prove so. No proof of insurance means a definite ticket from me.

8- remember that I am just a regular guy with a family, friends and few dogs. I am not a uniform, and I am not the cop that mistreated you 15 years ago in Boise.

9- if you are a passenger in the car, a great rule to follow is "do not speak unless spoken to"

10- hands on the upper part of the wheel, dome light on. It’s a nice touch if you shut the car off too.

11- turn down your radio, don’t be on the phone. That is an instant ticket from me too.

12-if you are a woman, crying does not help you. If you show me any body parts that I would not normally see, you will get at least one additional charge. Although you may be a great looking woman, you are not worth my career or my marriage. And no, I won’t go out with you. I guess all that would go for guys too.

13- do not get out of your car for any reason, or open your door unless you are told to do so. That is viewed as a hostile move, and it will not be pleasant.

14- no, you may not see my radar. No, I am not required to show it to you. I will not bring anyone into my car without being secured.

15- watching TV does not make you a lawyer, or even knowledgeable about what my job is.

16- I dont care who you know. If you played golf with the chief last summer, good for you. He's the one who sent me out here to write you a ticket. Also, I play golf with him often.

I go back to my car for awhile, this is what I am doing; I am running out your history, both traffic and criminal. I am writing out a citation/warning and notes on my log card. This sometimes takes longer than I like due to radio traffic, and waiting on responses from other agencies.
Now we meet for the second time-

1-If I give you a ticket, don’t argue. It’s done at that point, your wasting both of our times.

2- you will be asked to sign the ticket. It is not an admission to anything. It is simply that you acknowledge the fact that you were issued at citation. Yes, I can and will jail you if you do not want to sign for the ticket. I can also keep your D/L as a bond.

3- keep in mind that you rolling a stop sign may not seem all that big of a deal, but it would be a big deal if we were on your street.

4-If I give you a break, it not because I like you, and we are not friends now.

5- sorry, nothing personal, but don’t try to shake my hand. I am not going to reach inside your car, that is a great way to get killed.

6- When we are all done, don’t sit on the side of the road putting all you stuff away. Move on down the road. I don’t want to sit behind you while you call your momma to complain about me.


I am sure I will think of more but I am tired. Feel free to ask whatever questions you have, or if you’re an LEO please add on.
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Good post, Kruz. I've actually gotten out of tickets I fully deserved simply because I didn't argue and was polite.

Oh, and I always, always say so up front if there's a gun in the car.

Something else to remember: You've heard about cops being shot during routine traffic stops? So have they. I always keep my hands where the officer can see them and I never move suddenly no matter how pissed I might be at having been caught.
 
all very good, i enjoyed reading this.

and i know he says that tv doesn't make you knowledgeable about what his job is.... but i have learned a LOT about how to and not to act in certain situations, from watching COPS!
 
3- You don’t need to find a "safe" place to pull over. That is my job; I turned on my lights when I did for a reason. I am willing to bet I know the area and traffic patterns a little better than you do.
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BULLSHIT! Pulling people over on two lane roads when it's widening half a mile up or in the middle of a construction zone. Both VERY common.

6- If you are guilty, admit so.
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Admit it & give him a reason to write it & a cofession for court. Say nothing but yes or no.


2minkey said:
don't forget...

never consent to a search.
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Correct.
 
I keep my registration and proof of insurance under the 'vanity mirror' on the visor. That way, my hands are quite visible when I am reaching for my paperwork when/if I'm pulled over. Being polite is a huge plus as well.
 
I'm always amazed at how many people will argue with, resist, or run from the police. That's a fight you simply are not going to win.

don't tase me, bro!
 
Inkara1 said:
Did you see that the cops in the "don't tase me, bro" case were cleared of wrongdoing?
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Yep. That was no surprise - they were merely doing their job. If that little attention whore twerp hadn't fought them, they would have simply escorted his sorry ass out the door and turned him loose. He brought it on himself.
 
Here is another tip I've picked up from one of the car magazines I read (probably Car & Driver, I think it was that mag that had a similar list of traffic stop tips from a police officer): If for some reason you cannot or don't want to pull over to the side immediately when you notice the flashing lights come on, acknowledge to the officer that you are aware he's intending to stop you and that you will stopping momentarily. This is accomplished by holding your right hand up for a moment, like you did in school when you wanted to ask a question. Make sure all five fingers are pointing up, too, and not just a certain one of them. This signals the officer that you are aware he wants to stop you and that you are going to stop, and that you aren't ignoring him and aren't so blind and deaf that you haven't noticed him.

Now a question: Why the comment and agreement to never consent to a search? It's my understanding that if an officer wants to search a car, he will do it one way or another, either by your consent or by making you wait for a warrant to be issued or by arresting you on some other suspicion which then allows him to search. If your car is going to be searched anyway, why antagonize the police by making them jump through their hoops, especially if you have nothing wrong for them to find in the first place? And if you do have something you shouldn't have, isn't it better--meaning, won't it look better in court later--if you just tell the officer what you have and where it is, rather than doing it the hard way?

That the cop can search your car one way or another, with or without your consent, is just something I've alwasy thought is true; maybe I'm wrong? But then again, I know there's nothing illegal in my car, and I usually have the mentality of "nothing to hide = nothing to fear" so why wouldn't I let him search if he wants to?
 
He has to have a pretty valid reason to get a warrant. If you've done nothing wrong he's unlikely to get a warrant anyway. When a cop searches your car they're not liable for any damage, you could end up with a ripped apart car that you're responsible for dealing with.
 
Nixy said:
He has to have a pretty valid reason to get a warrant. If you've done nothing wrong he's unlikely to get a warrant anyway. When a cop searches your car they're not liable for any damage, you could end up with a ripped apart car that you're responsible for dealing with.
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Once you are stopped, he has probable cause. That much is true. However, since you are in the vehicle, he must get consent to search. The reason you should refuse is because, if the stop is bogus (it happens quite a bit to certain people), he/she will back off. If its serious, then he/she will have no problem getting a warrant anyway. It will take time, but that's not his/her problem. Its yours. ;)
 
There's one other tip I forgot.

If it is raining when you are stopped, turn off your windshield wipers. The vast majority of cars sold in left-hand-drive countries fling the rain off the windshield from right to left, and of course the left is where the officer is most likely to be standing. Flinging water onto him/her is definitely not going to improve the situation...
 
JJR512 said:
There's one other tip I forgot.

If it is raining when you are stopped, turn off your windshield wipers. The vast majority of cars sold in left-hand-drive countries fling the rain off the windshield from right to left, and of course the left is where the officer is most likely to be standing. Flinging water onto him/her is definitely not going to improve the situation...
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Cops make traffic stops in the rain? Not around here. :grinno:
 
My recollection of Florida is that it rains every day for exactly one hour, from 3:00PM to 4:00PM (or was it 2:00PM to 3:00PM?). Maybe that's when the fresh donuts are made?
 
JJR512 said:
My recollection of Florida is that it rains every day for exactly one hour, from 3:00PM to 4:00PM (or was it 2:00PM to 3:00PM?). Maybe that's when the fresh donuts are made?
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Yup, and all the cops are either at Krispy Kreme or Waffle House. :D
 
It's 3 p.m., at least in St. Augustine.

Whenever I've been pulled over, the cop has always come up to the passenger's side window. I suppose it's for his safety, but it's kind of annoying when I'm expecting him to come up to the driver's side, and so I get ready and get the window rolled down, then hear a knock on the other side, so I have to reach over and turn the crank.
 
Inkara1 said:
... so I have to reach over and turn the crank.
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Power windows man!!

The "reach and crank" is mostly why I got power windows. I can manage to crank my own no problem...it's when you need the passenger window down, or when someone gets out an d leaves it down and you need it up that's the hassle.
 
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