How to keep the police on your side

reply to post by shortywarn


I live in this Peninsula of Jersey we keep talking about! (If I have to cross bridges to escape from this place in three different cardinal directions, it is a peninsula!) I don't know who you have dealt with but I am basing this all on my dealings with troopers and local police from several different counties at several different times of the day and night.

Maybe I just look friendly? Oh, speaking of appearances...

When you go to get your drivers license photo taken, try to look as bad as you can.

I am absolutely seriously. (This means you too girls!)

Go in drunk if you can or at least have a few before you get your picture taken. Remember that little photograph (and now the digital copy on his computer) is the officer's baseline photograph of you! He is going to judge your current state based on how you look compared to that photograph.

I go in when I am sick and rundown. My hair is messy and I am red-eyed.

Unless I am bleeding from an open chest wound, I will look better at the moment than my license photograph. I truly believe this has helped me get out of many awkward situations and ensured that I have only ever had to endure one pointless search.

Jon

I have have gotten so many tickets I lost count. I have tried the "honesty" thing, but I'm always very short with cops because I DO NOT trust them. I guess when you have seen cops beat up somebody for no reason it changes your view. I will try this the next time though and see what happens, it can't hurt right?

I have gotten pulled over many times as well (was driving a beloved old cadillac and could not pass emmissions despite many repairs, so my expired tags got me pulled over a lot).

Anyways, from what I have experienced cops are either very nice/polite or they are complete jerks. I am always polite to them, and will always try to be chatty and hopefully talk myself out of a ticket, but it seems their attitude is often set when they pull you over. If they are jerks there really isn't anything that will change that attitude, and it is easier to just take the ticket and not try to engage with them at all.

Great Post Voxel,

I've used this same method a couple of times and it works exactly like you describe. Officers are people. Be nice and courteous, you have an excellent chance to get out of a ticket. I did, just like OP suggests. I'm very interested to read the ATS members that ARE cops reply here about this.

reply to post by Voxel


I think you must work for law enforcement..... Basically you are telling people to admit guilt. Be courteous yes, never admit guilt and do not ask questions. Follow what the officer asks of you.

Never admit anything... they record it all....

Great advice. Almost exactly what my father told me about 15 years ago. It has helped me get out of a few tickets and the occasional bar fight (not the instigator).

I remember running into this one cop 3 times for speeding, a house party, and a bar fight. Each time I ran into him or he ran into me I was all ways polite and respectful; which can be tough sometimes. Never the less I was never given a ticket or worse.

S&F

First, I want to say some of your stories are down right lies. The guy who had 15 cops on him and a police helicopter? PLEASE, there was a gun fight in my area the other day and they found 6 guns in the guys apartment (never happened before, I don't live in a bad area or anything) and there wasn't even 15 cops there. The dude with his B.S. story about the Corvette and calling his lawyer, I saw that posted on another forum. So either A, you're lying or B, you post is another forum quite different to this one and judging by the forum I saw this in I'm guessing it is A.

I agree with practically everything the OP said. The crossing your hands on the wheel is kind of weird, I don't think that is necessary or even 'better' to do.

Respect is key. It's no different than any other aspect of life. Why pass judgement on someone before a word comes out of their mouth? "Oh, it's a cop so he's got to be a jerk" is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to protect you. I had three friends go into law enforcement. It's true and I'll just echo it, they are HUMAN like you.

I have a great cop story to share...

A buddy who joined the navy out of high school was coming back for a week on leave, so we threw him a nice little hotel party. We were all still underage at this point, but what does that matter these days, if you want to get drunk, you will, but anyway... A lot of new stuff had gone up in our town since he had been gone, we had already had a few drinks (not to the point of slurring speach and bumbling idiocy though), and decided to go for a ride around town to show him what was new. We took a friends car, went for the ride. We stopped at a store to buy a pack of cigarettes, get in the car to go back to the hotel, pull out of the gas station and it was onto a main road in the town which was lit pretty well, and I'm sure everyone has had those times were they pull out and for whatever reason forgot to flip on the headlights, well the navy friend did this and after a moment or two he realized he forgot to turn them on and flips them on. About a second later the red and blues are flashing in the rearview. I go into 'oh crap' mode because were definitely drinking, would without a doubt fail a breathalizer, and probably smelled like it. It is finally at this time that my navy friend tells me HE DOESN'T HAVE A DRIVERS LICENSE, he just has his drivers permit card. I skip oh crap mode and go into WTF mode, obviously if I would have known this I would have been behind the wheel. Im thinking how in the world it's going to look when he tries to tell the officer a) he hasnt been drinking, b) he doesnt have a license, and c) "it's a friends car." My heart sunk in my chest at this point. Well, the officer comes up to my window and asks why we didn't have our headlights on. Navy friend says "Im sorry officer, I didn't realize I forgot to turn them on because all the streetlamps, but as soon as I noticed I turned them on (they were on already at this point). The officer asks where we headed and the navy buddy says he was home on leave and he was staying at the hotel down the road and we were out to get a pack of cigarettes. The police officer says okay, and then asks for his info, and navy buddy hands him the drivers permit card and his navy id. The cop takes ONE LOOK at the navy card, hands the cards right back through the window, tells us to be safe and have a great evening! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. Absolutely did not believe it. No license, probably reeking of alcohol, and he lets us go with hardly a blink of an eye. I can vouch first hand that police officers WILL give a free pass to those in the armed services. I'm fully aware how stupid it was to even be out driving after drinking anyway(I was young, you live and you learn), but I'm completely thankful it was with my Navy buddy.

reply to post by ImaNutter


I can agree with the armed forces comment. When I would go home on leave or skip out for the weekend I would wear my BDU's on the trip. It was more cause the family liked seeing me come home in them. I did get pulled over a few times for speeding. I told the officer each time I was going home on leave and I was just excited to get their, or I was heading back to post and didn't want to be late to morning formation. Every time I got off. At the same time I was polite and respectful to the officer.

Originally posted by ArcAngel
Starred!

My brothers an officer and this really happened.

I was driving my BMW Z3 (5 speed manual of course) to work at 6:30 a.m. in the summer with the top down and some great music playing when I pulled up to a light.

Of course I pull up to a corvette (not a Z6). We look at each other, a couple of guys that want a morning rush.. nothing more... and hit it at the green. I pull ahead .. six cylinders screaming ... beating him out of the hole when he passes me with that Detroit 8 Cylinder and he pushes off to the left onto the freeway.

When he passed me.. I was up to 110 miles an hour .. I never saw the police officer on a side street to the right.

He pulls me over.. my hands on the wheel, the car off and the music playing. He looks at me in my suit and tie, the car and he says "nice song" (U2U me and I'll tell ya the song)

I tell him "I am sorry officer, I have a brother who is an officer in such and such city his name is so and so. The officer says to wait, he turns around and goes to his car for a few minutes and returns. Yep he says! There is an officer named so and so in whatcha macallit city. I know you know better... be careful... and have a nice day.. off I go to a board meeting and an incredible story that's never been equalled!

[edit on 22-12-2008 by ArcAngel]

I can top that.....
I was pulled over after playing golf while following my brother to a restaurant for dinner and drinks. The speed limit on the road I was traveling is 60 mph. I was doing 65. Next thing I know, I see flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I pull over and the cop walks up to my car and proceeds to tell me that he was pacing me at 75. I said, "do you mind if I see the radar gun?" (I have heard that you have this right). He says, "Sure." We walk back to the patrol car and he shows me the radar gun with no speed on it. So I said, "Sir with all due respect there is nothing on this radar gun that suggests I was traveling at the rate of speed you are telling me I was going." He said, "No sir I told you that I was pacing you." I said, "Pacing me! Can you give me a ticket for pacing me?" He said with exact words, "You bet your ass!"
He was a real a@#hole. So he pulls out his clip board and proceeds to write me a ticket.... All of a sudden he says "OW!!" "OW OW OW!!!" Then he starts slaping his legs with the clip board. As this is happening another patrol car is coming up the road and sees all of this. He slides in behind the officers car and draws down on me. "ON THE GROUND! GET ON THE F@%@ING GROUND NOW!!" I fall to my knees and put my hands on my head. (not the first time I have been drawn down on) The first cop while slapping his legs tells the other officer "FIRE ANTS!!" So now the other officer is slapping this cop also.
After about 2 to 3 minutes of this. The first cop walks over to me and says (again, verbatum) "Here's your f...ning ticket!" And then they both get back in their cars and drive off.
It was the funniest thing I have ever seen!!! The best Karma is instant Karma in my opinion and this guy got his. But what is really crazy is when I went to the court house to contest the ticket, there was no record of it.
This story has yet to be equaled.

Whats more, some police, like some of all people, can just plain be played like a fiddle. I proved this one while saving my little brother from a DUI rap. You can see these ones coming. It's the real chipper ones- the duddley dorights who are exceedingly polite.

He rolled through a stop sign with an open beer in hand, me in the passenger seat. Cop passing us flips around to follow. We're right down the street from home and I see the cop turning, so my brother steps on it and gets us into the driveway. We get out of the truck and go to meet the cop just as he's pulling up.

In our neighborhood, with two guys getting out of the car and approaching him, it probably crosses this cop's mind that he might be about to get shot.

I was working as a salesman at the time, so all I ever got all day everyday was practice and dominating and steering conversations. Cut my brother off, made a firm introduction and didn't stop to let him get control- BS'd him about thinking he looked familiar from the highschool (pretty much all of the cops in this department rotate through the campus resource officer job at some point, in large part because they keep having sex scandals with 15 year old girls). By and by appologized for the stop sign and made an excuse to end the conversation, and he actually let me decide when I was done with him and wanted to go inside.

Maybe it's just that he was happy not to be fighting us, but for whatever reason it worked. He never even spoke to the driver, never saw a license, never did anything but answer my questions and nod at my statements.

reply to post by The Vagabond


In my opinion Its because you were in your own driveway by the time he caught up. If you had still been on public roads that would have worked out very differently. At least ware I live that's the way it works.

Ware I live is really the key. Different folks act different in different areas. as well as different laws in different areas.

A transaction. I prefer to take this time to clean up some of the mess and damage of what I know goes on out of sight, by being my own best person for the situation.

I do tend to set the emergency brake when stopping, wait to be told to shut off the car, slowly roll the window all the way down before the officer exits his/her (pc, eh? :-) ) car, and have the dome light turned on in advance of the big interaction. Which I can't wait to be over. I don't know if I am right about those things, but, that is what I do.

Hands on the steering wheel, (visible) and don't move directly to the glove box (calmness); even though that is where a lot of people keep and are expected to keep their documents.

Access: open
Area: visible
Assessment: no danger
My experience: over sooner, usually positive
Officer experience: over sooner, hopefully positive

I put mine overhead specifically for pull overs, because reaching for the glove box or leaning over reminds me too much of reaching for a gun and I don't want to project that to the person who has the gun.

Documents in the glove box have always bothered me-for them. People leaning for documents reminds me of people reaching for guns, and I don't care what they look like, could be grandpa. Psycho's in all sorts.

I also tend not to take it too personally when they are brisk or abrupt. Give me my ticket, go away. Thank you. Have a nice day.

Conversly I will say, or ask, to reach for whatever papers or documents wherever they are for this reason.


And I am very, very grateful for all police, even though the uniform and hardware sets me awkward, and I can't wait for these interactions to be over. It's great to see them around. And dig the cars

reply to post by DarrylGalasso


Wow what a story, you really showed that cop huh!!! Fair dues you caught him out lying about what speed you was doing and to prove a point you phoned ya lawyer, good for you.
But you didn't let it go you had to push further to the point the guy lost his job, congrats you showed him not to mess with you, and to think you didn't even know anything about the cop or his homelife and what his wage covered in terms of a home and maybe a family etc.

I think you are JERK driving a 60k car (penile extension) who needs a good kicking.

Wolfie

This is how I managed to avoid getting a ticket.

They said I was cycling (yes, on a bicycle) past a red light, but it was orange. (aka amber). It basically means stop if you CAN, but if you can't stop, go on.

So I said no it was amber not red. They still implied it was red.

Didn't have to be polite, didn't have to do anything special, they let me go.

reply to post by angryamerican


Actually that's a common misconception. Officially, they have to be in pursuit (ie: light you up) before you get onto private property, and even then you'll have to lawyer them pretty good- in fact they'll claim to have lit you up early than they did until you point out that there's a camera at the guard post at the beginning of the private road.

Unofficially, they'll get you pretty much no matter what. They'll follow you onto private property to "make sure you really belong there" because of some "suspicious activity" and next thing you know you're being searched, and "Bam, you're in jail cause you messed with the police" I'm quoting a Riverside County Sheriff's deputy on that one.

They are succeptible to intimidation though. They're a lot less likely to put you through a search, or to otherwise upset you, in an environment where they don't feel safe. Facing several people, on an unpaved road that it might be hard for backup to find, or in a bad neighborhood, etc, will put a cop in conflict management mode, and you're can expect a little more respect and quite possibly to get off with a warning.

I once didn't notice a cop behind me for several miles (didn't have a rear view mirror in that truck) and ended up leading him all the way into the quarry where I worked at 3:30 A.M. I wasn't even trying to mess with him, I was just tired and thinking about getting to work and getting things set up. The cop was very noticably relieved when I assured him I worked there and showed him my hardhat.

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.

You're absolutely right. I'm not sure about your state or county, but our officers have a monthly quota, not a weekly one.Around here, a good way to avoid getting a ticket is to simply watch your butt the first and last few days of the month. A lot of cops around here will either fill most of their quota as soon as possible to give them some slack the rest of the month, or they will procrastinate and put it off till the end of the month.

Of course, this doesn't mean they won't pull you over for speeding violations or for running a stop - they're just less likely to be anal about little details which would lead to writing a ticket rather than a warning.


Also: From my cop buddies at the Pizza place told me, they can't really pull you over for going 5 miles over the limit. They will, only if they suspect you of doing something ELSE illegal - such as drug running, drunk driving, etc. This is because differences in tire inflation, calibration of the radar gun, etc can lead to a 4-5mph difference between what they clock you at and what your speedometer reads. This can be easily contested in court, and generally they won't bother.

I've found that so long as you're not driving like a idiot, you can safely go 5-10 miles over the limit without hassle. I wouldn't go more than 5 over the limit in populated areas, construction zones, etc... but normal back-road/highway speeding with that in mind has never gotten me a bit of trouble.

[edit on 23-12-2008 by Lasheic]

i think some cops are just looking for an excuse...i was pulled over for 'running a red light'. both my daughter and i were certain that the light was yellow when we passed completely through it. the cop followed us through 2 more lights before pulling us over.

when the cop came to the window, he accused me of running the red light, then said he was going to ticket me for not having my daughter in a booster seat. she is small for age, but legally over the age and weight limit. after questioning me about this, he went to her window & began to interrogate HER! a child for goodness sakes! thankfully she is very mature also & answered all his questions truthfully though she began to get aggravated and got a bit of an attitude with him towards the end.

since the officer couldn't get us that way, he decided to give me a ticket for not changing my address on my license within 10 days...i had only moved 2 weeks previous to this & thought i had 30 days...my fault for not knowing, but at this point i knew he was grasping for any reason to ticket me...

despite my daughter's testimony to not running the red light & my own i still got the ticket for that as well...talk about p.o.ed...i knew contesting it in court would be more of the same. several years ago i had a police officer straight up lie on the stand about a seat belt violation i received...i lost my faith in the system a long time ago *sigh*, i'd say my daughter has the same opinion now as well...

We did not have a quota defining the number of tickets we had to write. You can't make them speed.

Through the holidays, we were supposed to stop a certain amount of people for DUI checks. People who swerved, etc.

That being said, there were many times I would follow cars until they did something wrong. Some people were targeted - for instances, if it was 3:00am and you had a car full of people blasting music at 150db then they were going to be pulled over for something. Not surprisingly, those stops almost always ended with either a possession charge or a weapons charge. I know, I can already hear the people on here whining about it. Keep in mind, this method got a lot of really bad people off the streets. Those same people that could have been breaking into your house. I can't tell you how many of those people had a failure to appear or an O.O.S. warrant.

The point is, unless you do something really stupid, the difference between an arrest/ticket and a warning is all up to you.

This is some of the WORST advice I have ever seen. First, the cops are supposed to be on OUR side! we are their employers! to assume that we must grovel and submit ourselves is nonsense. Shameful to even think of acting humble in front of some cop...sick.

Also, BAD advice to admit speeding or anything else...: admit NOTHING!! There is NO reason to convict yourself on the side of the road...plenty of time later in court if you decide not to fight the ticket....

NO website that has a lawyer on board would ever suggest admitting guilt, giving consent to any searches, or anything else that gives up a right. When I deal with a cop, he finds out FAST that I am in charge, not him.I will determine how much I say...I determine, not him. I NEVER answer ANY questions: The cops have ZERO right legally to expect conversation. Give your papers if driving, and shut up. It lets the cop know that he is not fooling with a moron or a sucker...and he is LESS likley to bother you as he will assume that if you know your rights and have the guts to stand up for them, that you probably have a lawwyer handy that can SUE the thugs if they so much as cross any line of rights.

It sickens me to read weak kneed excuses for caving in to a cop...the cops are our SERVANTS, and we should treat them as such. They are NOT superior in ANY sense. I treat them as I would any other public servant...I don't bow down to a garbage man, or a tax collector, so why a cop? No cop wants to be sued or shown to a a liar in court and they will likely leave you alone and look for an easy target if you let them know you consider them a bother that must be dealt with but in no way something top be feared.

If a cop ses thast he is NOT intimidating a driver, they will back off; like most bullies they fear real strength and the pickings are easy out there with weak people like the OP falling all over themseles to make the cop think they are' cooperative'. Cops only respect two things: Force and lawsuits. If they think for one minute that you will make life tough for them they will back off.99% of the people today are weak and cowardly and will buy the lies and nonsense that thug cops spew all day; when they hit a wall, they go away.

" Mess with me and you will pay" Thats the message every cop needs to take away from a contact with a civilian, but as long as people are confessing and bowing and scraping becaause they are afraid of a measly cop, we have a long way to go.

NO attorney would EVER agree with the OP's habits: it is all wrong. NEVER admit wrongdoing, NEVER give consent for anything a cop asks for, and never let a cop intimidate you: They are bluffers and calling their bluff is a blast! Seeing a cop redfaced and furious, but unable to do anything about it is priceless!! Seeing them fall apart after a lawsuit has ruined their lives is wonderful beyond words...try it and see.

Turn away continuesly?