How to keep the police on your side

reply to post by xynephadyn


wait a minute, you reported your car/tag stolen then you drove the car and the cops did their job by pulling over a reported stolen car, and your mad cause you were not doing anything except driving a stolen car?

Originally posted by angryamerican
reply to post by xynephadyn

 

The question should be what are you smoking. Wares the proof to back your story up. Until theirs proof you just appear as another kid trying to prove a point with a lie.

Why should he provide proof? Why aren't you stomping your feet and demanding proof from the people telling their stories of how good the police are after being let off drag racing?? (which btw, says more about the police letting a rich cops brother off when he'd quite happily ticket an unkempt average joe)

Ahh.. a case of rose coloured glasses I gather.

people must understand that the police are serving the better interest of the majority of people. in this case, yes it does suck that the police put you through that. however, if the person they pulled over was the guy who actually stole your plates, would you still be mad? The police are out there to protect and serve, there are always going to be cops who are power hungry and biased, but most are good people trying to enforce the laws of our nation. By the way the majority elects our law makers, so we can blame ourselves for the laws we have.

Long time lurker, first time poster. Just wanted to chime in on this one and say that I agree with the OP. Since we are sharing stories, here's mine:

It's mid-morning on a weekday, after the morning rush hour on a "business loop" freeway. I'm in a rush, and at that age was always looking for a rush, so I was clipping along at roughly 90mph in a 65 zone, keeping to the outside lane. As I passed a city bus trolling in the number two lane, some idiot in a landscaping truck with a trailer full of mowers suddenly slides over from in front of the bus (no signal, of course!) and boxes me in. Since I had roughly a 20mph differential in speed, a quick brake check was in order. Downshift, merge to the right behind the bus, drop around to the number three lane and hammer the throttle. In seconds I'm back in the fast lane doing 120mph. Yep. That's when I noticed the black mustang closing on me.

So I pulled over. When the mustang interceptor pulled up behind me he still had no "take-down" lights on. I had the engine off, the keys were on the dash and my hands were resting on the wheel. The uniformed patrolman approached from the passenger side, and once he was looking in the window I calmly hit the button and dropped the glass. "Good morning, Officer" were my first words.

This guy looked every part of a thug with a badge. Think Vic Mackey in a jumpsuit and knee high boots. His greeting was a bit less friendly - "Do you know what the definition of reckless driving is, son?"

I said "No, sir" and he quickly responded with a forceful "Excess speed, unsafe lane changes and tailgating qualify, and I have you doing all three. Do you know what happens to reckless drivers? They go to jail and their car goes to car jail, how do you feel about that today?

Still hoping to disarm the situation, my sincere reply was "I'd rather not go to jail sir, and although I can't speak for my car, I'm betting it has better things to do today as well." This elicited the narrowest of smirks from the officer. "Do you know how fast you were going?" Now, I was pretty sure that he didn't actually know how fast I was going, as in this state that speed can constitute felony endangerment. If he had a valid reading, I'd already be on the hood getting patted down. Factoring this in, I replied "Honestly sir, when I'm going that fast I spend more time watching the traffic ahead of me and behind me than my gauges." Another eye-narrowing smirk. "Good answer. So what's the hurry?"

Mind you, I was wearing a suit and had an open briefcase on the seat next to me. "Well sir, the consulting business I am in is very time sensitive and when my clients call with an emergency they expect that I'll arrive promptly. I'm sure you know how whiney a client can get when you don't get there quickly." This time he actually smiled and laughed. "Yeah," he said chuckling, "but my car has blue lights on it that allow me to go that fast."

He finally asked for my ID, registration and proof of insurance. When I produced all three documents he glanced at each and asked "So, do you live at this address, the one on this card, or the one on this card?" (Yes, each was different). I told him that the license had the current address, and again I got a "Good answer." He handed the docs back to me, patted my window sill and said "Slow down and hopefully you won't be my next whiney client emergency." With that, he walked back to his cruiser and waited for me to pull out before racing past me and disappearing down the road.

Thinking back on it today, I believe that it was not just the calm demeanor and honesty I showed the officer that got me out of what could have been a very ugly situation. The one thing that started this all out right was that I had shown a high level of situational awareness by targeting an approaching unmarked cop while blasting down the road at 120mph, then pulling over immediately. Yes, I was going stupid fast, and yes, I know you have me for it. Let's go from there...

Only Rasta can liberate the people
Over hills and valleys too
Don't let them fool you
Don't believe for a minute that they are with you
Jah free the people
Over hills and valleys too
Don't let them fool you
Don't believe for a minute, they don't like you

My father is a retired police officer. I have aspirations to be one myself. Both of these realities give me an advantage in understanding how to properly interact with officers. This understanding has got me out of at least three sticky situations involving the police.

The first situation involved me doing 95 in a 65, in Riverside county, on I-10. I had a girl with me, and we were driving back to San Diego. He pulled me over, and I was up front and honest about my actions. He let me go with a ticket, but he could have impounded my car (for going 30+ MPH over the posted speed limit.)

The second situation involved me purposefully going down a one way street. There is a looping road in a part of a large park (Balboa) here in San Diego. Along this road is a parking lot. The entrance to the loop is a gate that is closed at night. I was dropping off some female coworkers of mine after we had got some coffee at a local Starbucks, but since the road was "closed", I had to go the wrong way to get to the parking lot. Because of the reputation of that park to get pretty nasty at night, I didn't want to just drop them off at the gate, and make them walk. I explained all this to the officer, and although he berated me anyway, I think we both understood that although what I was doing was unlawful, it was also necessary. I got away with no ticket, and a sense of pride.

The third situation involved my current girlfriend and I. She lives in Las Vegas, and one night she and I went out to the middle of nowhere and did what young people of the opposite sex do in cars in the middle of nowhere. Eventually a cop came. The first time she made her presence known, simply by parking behind us with her lights on. She left, then came back a few minutes later. She asked for my girl's ID, and I voluntarily offered mine. She came back, and told us where to go. She knew what was going on, and she knew we weren't doing anything truly illegal. She let us go without a problem (and a funny story to tell her friends back at the station).

Bottom line, be as cooperative, understanding, rational, and respectful as possible.

Star and flag for original post.

[edit on 12/23/2008 by prototism]

[edit on 12/23/2008 by prototism]

Just posting this here as I was browsing around this site looking for info on something else.

I'm a UK police officer (traffic), and I'd agree wholeheartedly with the OP. Be nice to us, and we'll be a hell of a lot nicer to you, simple as that.

Bear in mind that when on duty, I've quite possibly spent the last few hours pulling people over and getting spat on, cursed at, threatened and generally abused. If you sit there, smile, follow instruction and act politely, you're my new best friend as far as that shift is concerned!

One point to note though - When stopped for speeding and asked if you know how fast you were going, the correct answer is 'Yes, I was going too fast, I'm sorry' or some such response. If you respond with your exact speed, that's an admission of guilt, whereas if I tell you your speed, that's me giving you information. It does give me a little more freedom to let you off if you haven't just confessed to the crime.

Originally posted by Voxel
I have been pulled over for various infractions over the years but I have never received a ticket (not even when I was doing 67 in a 45.) I always get away with verbal warnings because I learned a long time ago how to deal with the police. I have provided this knowledge to many skeptical acquaintances over the years but I am unsure how many, if any, ever heeded my advice..

---

I hope this procedure helps others as often as it has helped me.

Jon

VERY MINOR EDITS

[edit on 12.22.2008 by Voxel]

You also forgot to put...

"Turn that sh*t off...!" (turn off the rap music)

"Stfu!"

And also...

"Never drive with a mad woman sitting next to you...!"

-----

In all seriousness. Somebody mentioned having charm. That can and will work. Depending on the situation. Which includes what kind of mood the peace officer is in.

Take me for example. I'm not a peace officer but I do work as a security guard at a variety of different places. One of which includes a dollar store. I'm mainly there to prevent shoplifting (sad when you have somebody ripping of a dollar store, lol). There was this one instance where I confronted a gentleman whom I suspected to be shoplifting because the store clerk came and told me that a customer witnessed said gentleman putting something in his pocket.

I look at him and say "...him?! o.O" . I doubted it because of the way the guy was dressed nice in business attire complete with a bow tie. But I thought "Whatever. Might as well question him." (This was before I realized he was a regular customer. Because I didn't recognize him at first. I hadn't worked that post in a month.)

So I go up to him try and catch his gaze and then look back at him again and say "Sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" He replies "No, thank you." And then out of the blue I just say "What's in your pocket there?" He looks at me with this charming grin and says "Money...!" And he pulls a bundle of cash out of his pocket and shows it to me. And then I apologize to him. And he's like "Oh it's okay. Why? Did Jeff over there say I was stealing?" (Jeff was his co-worker who was standing nearby snickering). And I say "Yeah. I guess so." By that time I recognized him as one of the regular customers.

And he turns and looks at Jeff and says jokingly "Oh no, honey! You're gonna get it when we get back to the office. I'm going to give you a good spanking!" And to kinda add to the humor, I withdraw my handcuffs from my utility belt and say "Sir. Would you like to borrow these?" And he's like "Ooh yes!" "Definitely!"

So like the OP says. Cops are people too. That includes security guards too. And having charm does work. Charm and humor is a stress reliever.

i agree with the OP... treating them with respect and how you would want to be treated is the most important factor!!! I willl admit I speed a little too often...my car has extra horsepower or something? I don't know, it's a little cavalier, and it feels like you are going slower than you actually are. That being said, I have been pulled over 9 times, and I got a ticket once, because my tags were expired...by 2 days. A couple years ago I had to pee REAL bad, and I told the cop that, and he didn't even take my license; just let me go.



honesty is the best policy!

reply to post by Seekingmyself
If you are the girl in your picture, have you ever cried your way out of a ticket? Flirted?

I am truly curious.

This definatly works, my motor tax certificate was out of date by a month when i got stopped on a check point, they have the power to take your car and destroy it, worst case scenario.. But because of my politness and honesty i got away with a slap on the wrist.

reply to post by prototism


that is me, yes. I cried the very first time I was pulled over, because, well, I was 16, had just gotten my license, and the officer who pulled me over was from an area that was notorious for having not-so-nice cops. So yes, I cried my eyes out that time; I was terrified! Turned out his daughter had the same name as me; and he ended up informing me scary statistics about teen drivers and sending me on my way. But no, I haven't flirted. I will say that I am a people person and very warm-hearted by nature; I am a waitress if that tells you anything about my personality... I have always been kind and nice to officers, but never anything that could be construed as flirting, no. Why so curious?

reply to post by prototism


and anyway, I don't think "flirting my way out of a ticket" would even work. I feel like that would be very irritating to a police officer, who could be happily committed or married with kids. I'm sure women do it often; if I were an officer it would annoy me if someone tried to flirt their way out of a ticket.

reply to post by Seekingmyself
It was sort of a backhanded compliment.

In other words, although you are "attractive" enough to be able to get out of a ticket by flirting, I wanted to know if you knew this ("confidence"), and therefore, have tried said approach.

No judgment of character was meant to be passed.

Originally posted by AgentBlack
reply to post by Revealation

 

wow, could not be more wrong! there are no quotas.

actually you are wrong i have been pulled over doing 95 in a 65 and the officer flat out told me they have a monthly quota all the while writing me a warning because i was honest and nice to him.

Ok, first i want to start off by saying this is the exact way you treat an office. With respect kudos to the OP.

Second, this does not work on city cops. City cops generate revenue for their city by tickets. the more tickets, the more money, the more OT is offered. try telling this to a city cop.. wont work..

Troopers are now on quota with tickets. so good luck with that one. FYI this is NJ

Originally posted by xynephadyn
That is just one, of many examples of police brutality and absurd reactive displays of absolute power.

Ummm...pulling over a car with stolen plates and detaining the driver for an hour is NOT police brutality. Demanding that you (a suspected car thief) exit what appears to be a "stolen vehicle" and lay down on the ground is NOT brutality (even if it does ruin your outfit).

Police brutality is when they beat the hell out of you, mace you for no reason, strip search you violently etc... Ruining the outfit of a 22 year old driving a fast sportscar may offend your princess sensibilities, but it in no way qualifies as police brutality. You are darn lucky they didn't decide to put you in lockup for a few hours while they "sorted it out".

Also, give the judge the same respect also. Make sure you always refer to the ticketing officer in the same regard when questioned. If the judge ask you if you felt wronged. Just say, that you know the officer was being as fair and polite as possible. Remember, everyone in the court watching is not there for a case. Some classes and visiting judges are there too, so the judge likes good Public relations for him and his officers whenever possible. So be as courteous as possible. Also the judge may ask you a question that is not pertinent to the case. Like have you had a violation ever. He is looking at your record on his laptop, so don't lie. Just say yes your honor. Let him ask the next question. When and where? Then reply exactly to the question do not elaborate unless the judge ask. These are character question. See, the judge may wanna dismiss the fine and the ticket, but needs to see you are worth his discretion. So be compliant. Don't volunteer information but be honest if asked.

You will be surprised how easy it goes on you.
And always say thank you your honor! Regardless.

Don't be late for court, unless you have medical or mitigated circumstances with the proper paperwork to show and make copies for his clerk too!

Be respectful to the court even if you lose, because you may be in court again and the judge may soften up a tad bit if he remembers how you behaved.

Originally posted by MadMachinist

Originally posted by AgentBlack
reply to post by Revealation

 

wow, could not be more wrong! there are no quotas.

actually you are wrong i have been pulled over doing 95 in a 65 and the officer flat out told me they have a monthly quota all the while writing me a warning because i was honest and nice to him.

I was talking with a cop one night in a 7-11 along with the owner. I learned two things that night:
1) Yes, they have quotas but he waved them off as "soft quotas" and said they weren't illegal.

They probably generate "guideline" numbers on statistical analysis of their ticketing. I am not against the idea all together. The thing I wonder is whether there is room for change in quota systems.

If a road improvement changes traffic flow for the better, does the quota system adjust to the reduced number of infractions in that area? If it does not adjust, the cops will have no choice but to look for lesser and lesser cause and that helps no one in the community.

2) Cops have a different sense of humor from most of the public.

Maybe its because of what they have seen of maybe its just the fact that they are predominantly alpha-male types but police officers have a different sense of humor that is off-putting to a lot of people. They know this and use it to their advantage sometimes.

I asked him about his "retractable stick thing" and he suddenly got a serious look on his face and replied, "It is called a Tactical Baton." and he had his hand over the pouch, "This isn't a toy. I can take you down and wrapped up in a few seconds. Wanna see?" He looked dead seriously.

Look I am a minority but I also know the law. There is know way a cop will assault someone without provocation; in front of a witness; in a place full of cameras. There isn't even a reason to be nervous so call his bluff.

I drinking my coffee at the time.

After finishing my sip, I just chuckled and said, "Uhh, nah. I just wanted to see it tonight.", he grinned. I continued, "How heavy is it?"

He started laughing and pulled out the baton, snapping it open with a quick flick of the wrist. "Lighter than you'd think.", he says as he hands me the baton.

It is "cop humor." We ended up talking about how it is from martial arts and they don't actually hit people with the thing even though it can break a wrist. It is a weapon used for grappling and submissions. He was a pretty cool guy actually.

Jon

Originally posted by Syntaxstealth


Troopers are now on quota with tickets. so good luck with that one. FYI this is NJ

nj is all about money,,,, rarely do you get off,,,,and tickets keep going up and up


also---it really does matter where you live,,,,, in nj they harass and just out to make money----down south in TN the cops were mactually nice and about---protect and serve-----a nj cop acts like your scum-----i got pulled over in tn---no ticket---and he says---have a nice day sir----i almost fell over out of shock