Tips for dealing with LEO during traffic stops without relinquishing your freedoms

Here are some tips to deal with LEO during traffic stops that won't require you to relinquish your personal freedoms. The goal of these tips is to make the officer in question feel as comfortable as possible which may help you in coming out of the situation without any altercations and possibly without any citations all the while negating the need to "bow down" to the boys/girls in blue.

1. Once it has been established you are being pulled over, do so at your earliest and safest convenience.
2. Turn on your hazard lights
3. Turn off your vehicle
4.Wait until the officer arrives at your window before you attempt to pull out any registration from your glove box, and tell them what you are intending to do (the reason to wait is so they don't think you are reaching for any weapons prior to them approaching your vehicle)
5.Place your keys on top of your dashboard (# 3 and 5 are to give the officer peace of mind that you are not going to try and flee)
6.Turn on your interior lights (it helps if your car is not full of trash, the light and clean interior gives the officer reasonable belief that you aren't hiding any drugs, weapons, or people.
7. Roll down both your driver and back passenger windows, especialy if they are tinted (gives the officer line of sight into all of the vehicle so they can see you aren't hiding anything or any body
8. Place your keys on top of your dashboard (# 3 and 8 are to give the officer a reason to believe you are not going to try and flee)
9. Always use the term "sir" or "ma'am", or in other words be polite
10. Always keep your hands at 10 and 2 in order to keep your hands in plain sight, should go earlier in the list but I didn't want to renumber them all. (Thanks to deeplmpactx for reminding me this one)

Obviously these are not fool proof tactics to guarantee that you won't be hassled or ticketed, but I can tell you first hand I have gotten out of well deserved tickets and kept my car from being searched in times that I was carrying things that would have most definitely landed me in jail/prison for felonies.

None of these tactics require you to "sell out" or give up any of your rights, but they do succeed in making the officer involved more comfortable which always helps and may help you to proceed without any citations or hassle.

Hopefully any LEO members can attest to these tactics as being helpful and possibly add any of their own.

In light of recent events and talks of people bitching about police over stepping their boundaries I felt it a good time to share these tactics that I use every time without fail Like I said it has kept me from getting well deserved tickets and well deserved searches. Hopefully it will help someone else in the future.

People should move to a smaller town where theres less chances to cross cops, best advice i can give people.

I agree with all but the window thing. If it didn't piss them off so much I wouldn't roll down my driver side all the way, they don't need to see every where not to have the suspicion, they need to see a reason to generate it. You are kinda giving up a freedom there cause you are allowing them to search more of your car without a reason too.
I get the premise of your thread tho, make the cops job easy so he doesn't make your life hard.

a reply to: sputniksteve

10. Always keep your hands where they can see them.

11. Make eye contact when you talk to them.

Those were all very good tips. Just thought I would add some of my own.

a reply to: Sremmos80

I get what you are saying, and can somewhat agree but like I said the whole premise is to make them more comfortable which in turn make them less hostile and less (hopefully) likely to ticket you or be suspicious of your actions or intent.

a reply to: DeepImpactX

Yes that is another one that I forgot to add and will edit in.

In the uk we only have to worry about the ticket

No guns, no roid rage, just lots of helicopters if you do a runner

-Signal and pull over at a safe spot where the officer isn't in the road, go for a parking lot

-When you're stopped turn on your hazards/put car in park and set brake

-Turn on dome light

-Roll down window

-I guess turn your car off. I never have and frankly think that would be a little weird unless you're getting stopped at gunpoint or something.

-Keep hands visible

-Wait for the officer to approach you and don't go fumbling around in the car for insurance/title until instructed (and have them readily accessible)

-At this point I'll inform them I'm carrying a gun. "Sir for your protection I want to inform you I am carrying a concealed firearm on my _______". You don't have to in all States, but I think it's good practice.

-Be polite and say Sir, Officer, Ma'am

-I think this is huge and often overlooked. If they ask you how you're doing say something positive. Don't be the idiot that says "I was doing better until you pulled me over" even if you're joking, think how old that gets. I just say "Very well Sir, how's you're day going?".

-When asked if you know why you were pulled over be honest. They know how fast you were going. I've found honesty to be the best policy. "Yes Sir, I was speeding." People hate being lied to. If you really don't know, don't guess.

More in a minute... Crazy dogs are crazy.

A little story to back up this OP: I was coming home from class one day when I was in college and got pulled over by a state cop, for apparently no reason. I kept my wallet in my backpack, which was in the back seat. Without thinking, I turned and reached back to retrieve it and the next thing I knew I had a screaming cop with his gun pointed at my head. After we sorted that out, he said that there was an armed robbery in the area and the suspect vehicle matched the description of mine - a silver Toyota, and there were a LOT of those around.

a reply to: Domo1

-When asked if you know why you were pulled over be honest. They know how fast you were going. I've found honesty to be the best policy. "Yes Sir, I was speeding." People hate being lied to. If you really don't know, don't guess.

that is why it is the first question they ask,gives them a pretty good indication of how the rest of the experience will go

originally posted by: VoidHawk
In the uk we only have to worry about the ticket

No guns, no roid rage, just lots of helicopters if you do a runner

Hard not to have roid rage if you are sttting in yoru car the whole time ... I know you meant road.

These tips will go a long way, but I do agree, you don't need to show them more than they can see from talking to you at your window...they'll look past and through you anyway to look around with a flashlight...

on the other side...if you are clean and not doing anything wrong...it might be fun to "tense up,", "seem nervous," and "unresponsive" to see how far they go without doing too much that will get you hurt...for the bravely innocent who wish to directly challenge and show errors in the system and go to court...

originally posted by: AllSourceIntel

originally posted by: VoidHawk
In the uk we only have to worry about the ticket

No guns, no roid rage, just lots of helicopters if you do a runner

Hard not to have roid rage if you are sttting in yoru car the whole time

... I know you meant road.

These tips will go a long way, but I do agree, you don't need to show them more than they can see from talking to you at your window...they'll look past and through you anyway to look around with a flashlight...

on the other side...if you are clean and not doing anything wrong...it might be fun to "tense up,", "seem nervous," and "unresponsive" to see how far they go without doing too much that will get you hurt...for the bravely innocent who wish to directly challenge and show errors in the system and go to court...

Actually I did mean roid rage, as in Steroid rage.

Steroid rage is often seen as the cause of so many US cops blowing people away.

a reply to: Domo1

I think the honesty does work more often than not myself.

I was pulled over several weeks ago for an expired inspection sticker and a dead tail light. The inspection was expired because we had to order a new wiring harness for the taillight. It wasn't just a $5 bulb blown, it was shorted out. Since money doesn't grown on trees, I decided to not pay for a rejected inspection sticker, only to turn around and pay to have it inspected again the next week. So I rode with it expired and my taillight out until the part came in.

I got pulled. Son of a ....

Do you know why I pulled you over ma'am?? Yes sir I do. He asks why and I say for my taillight. He says no... Your inspection sticker is expired. I didn't notice the taillight until I got behind you to pull you over.

So I give him the whole story. Yes sir. I'm not going to try to lie to you. I was waiting because I didn't have the part yet and didn't have the extra money to waste. I knew I was taking a chance at getting caught, but I took the chance anyway and I can't be mad if you write me a few tickets.

He wound up only writing me a ticket for my inspection sticker. He told me to show up in court and tell the judge what I told him and he would be there to verify everything and hopefully the judge would let it drop.

I can only imagine how often people lie to their faces and I really can't stand a liar myself.... So I figure most people do appreciate the honesty. If I were a cop, the minute they lied would be the minute I decided to write a ticket.

a reply to: VoidHawk

got ya, sorryfor the misunderstanding

www.youtube.com...


The above link is similar advice from Chris rock. Pretty sound advice to...

Greetings- I'm retired "off the job" and worked in a California city that once led the nation in murders per capita. Shouldn't #1 be: Don't do anything to attract the attention of the cop? Again I may be the wrong cop to ask because later on in My career and did conduct a traffic stop, I'd ask the driver if they wanted a "sermon or citation"? I never had a driver ask for the citation but if they chose 'sermon' I would berate them and let them go.. If kids were in the car, sometimes I'd ask if the adult 'deserved a ticket' if kids were present then I'd berate them out of 'earshot' Not everyone deserved a citation and most motorists will use caution when they see a cop's patrol car.

I'd opine that when You imagined doing all these things may be construed as 'furtive' especially at night? (Your #10) Some times You'll read words to the effect of "routine traffic stop"

a reply to: sputniksteve

1. Pull into a well lit area. If possible on a camera aka walmart or a convince store
2, turn on hazards to attract attention of passersbys to the stop
3, turn key to accessory position
4.wait until officer arrives at window and dont answer any questions put to u. Always play dumb. They will try to get you to slip up
5. Keys in accessory position incase you have to outrun bullets
6.keep lights off to make yourself a harder target
7.never roll down your windows further than needed to hand the officer any requested info
8.always be ready to fight or flight
9.never address the officer as this could be taken as a threatening action

I decided not to duplicate the two you did

Thats how it is now in america

The police are your enemy and should never be appeased

Or your children will suffer

a reply to: sputniksteve

We have been witness to a spate of police/authorities gone wild, it will only be a short time before some enterprising person makes a video like "Cops Gone Wild", "Authorities Gone Crazy", "Faces of Megalomania 6", "Authorities on Rocket Sauce", or something to that effect.

originally posted by: VoidHawk
In the uk we only have to worry about the ticket

No guns, no roid rage, just lots of helicopters if you do a runner

Even as a white looking dude, I fear for my life when I see lights flashing behind me when I'm on a secluded rural road. Your life is in their hands and, when it's just you and them, they can do anything they want to you. I can't help but imagine the crappy things that might have happened in that cop's day before he pulled me over that might make him want to take it out on somebody. Maybe I look like the dude he just caught his wife in bed with and it sets him off. Maybe one of my bumper stickers piss him off.

And gods forbid we get caught exercising our 2nd amendment by having a gun in the car; that just makes it easier for them to say you pointed one at them.

These are things you don't have to worry about in the UK. At worse, they may rough you up but even then, you have free health care so... whatever.

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe
I agree...got pulled over for an expired sticker. The insurance card I was carrying had expired as well. I had not gotten a new one as I was about to be given another car...swapping out one Schiess-kiste for another slightly better one. Asked the cop..."Got time for a story?" He said "Sure", and I explained the whole tawdry tale. He said to send him proof of insurance, and show up in court with a receipt for the sticker, and he'd ask the Crown to drop it. I did what I was told, he followed through. Cops can be cool with you, if you are cool with them. No sense being an arse with them.