10 Rules for Dealing with Police: Video

the star of the film, Baltimore trial attorney Billy Murphy (from HBO’s The Wire), Walks you through each and every part of 10 Rules for Dealing with Police, the new film from Flex Your Rights, premiered at Cato earlier this week. If you’re interested in knowing more about how to defend your rights during encounters with law enforcement, this is a must-see. You can watch the whole thing below, which includes discussion and commentary after the film.

Watch it here 82 min film

Remember even if you've done nothing wrong everyone needs to be aware of your legal rights in dealing with a police officer...

Watch it, learn it... Before you get tasered for a traffic stop...

[edit on 16-4-2010 by DaddyBare]

I've never had an issue with a cop.

I follow these rules:

[* Don't be a obnoxious jerk to the cop.]
[* Smile and be friendly.]
[* Yes Sir and No Sir work wonders.]

At the end of the day. Cops are people too. You'd be pissed off if you've been working 8 hours and some jerk gives you attitude too.

I find videos like this a bit laughable.
I have been arrested before on more then one occasion and have had numerous dealings with the police in my lifetime.
In my opinion the people screaming for their rights are the people who don't really have much clue in the REAL world and are setting themselves up for a hard time.

I got stopped last year and had some illegal items in my bag.
He asked me and I said yes and told him it was there.
I knew he had no right to search me but I also new that screaming for my rights was going to make things worse.
He asked me for the items and I gladly reached in my bag and gave it to him

The outcome...I was honest,polite and courtious and treated him like a guy just doing his job.
He let me go with no charges,no fines and a handshake.

If I would have screamed for my rights then chances are I would be fighting for them in court which is a waste of time for all involved.
Instead i walked away with no charges or fines.

Thats not only one time either...I have alot more experiences then just that one incident.

I never did take the time to view the video so this is just my opinion based on my experience which I doubt the maker of that video has more real life experience then me in this subject.

reply to post by grey580

Cops are people too. You'd be pissed off if you've been working 8 hours and some jerk gives you attitude too.

Still sucks that many jerk cops feel they have the right/duty to give their attitude problem to everyone else

[edit on 16-4-2010 by acrux]

Aha! This is where psychology comes into play.

When dealing with someone that's pissed off. you have to do 3 things.

Listen: Really listen to what their issue is. Sometimes people calm down after venting.

Relate: Letting them know you understand where they are comming from

Resolve: Problems are fixable. Working together you can come to an agreement.

reply to post by grey580


I totally agree...you get what you give.
Any time i did deal with a jerk cop was because I was acting like one too.

reply to post by DrumsRfun

I got stopped last year and had some illegal items in my bag.
He asked me and I said yes and told him it was there.
I knew he had no right to search me but I also new that screaming for my rights was going to make things worse.
He asked me for the items and I gladly reached in my bag and gave it to him
The outcome...I was honest,polite and courtious and treated him like a guy just doing his job.
He let me go with no charges,no fines and a handshake.

The outcome...since you were let go with no charges or fines,

scenario 1.
1. doesn't report illegal items .
2. cop has no paper record of incident.
3. keeps illegal items for himself.

Or

scenari 2.
1. items taken back to copshop.
2. he would to have answer as to where items came from.
3. has to explain why he let you go without charge.

Were you given some warning/caution?
Any record of incident or name/address put on record?





[edit on 16-4-2010 by acrux]

reply to post by acrux


Illegal items were destroyed in front of me so that he knew that I knew that he wasn't keeping it for himself.
There was paper work because there were 4 police officers involved so someone has to write the report.
He let me go because we had an understanding as men.

The other cops wanted me to be arrested but he stood up for me and told them we had an agreement.
No warning...it was what it was.
If there is record of name or address then it is clearly private when it comes to ats and my personal information.

I did however have a fellow atser with me to prove it if thats what you are asking.

reply to post by DrumsRfun

I did however have a fellow atser with me to prove it if thats what you are asking.

No just asking because most cops I having encounted are only interested in filling their quotas up. As you yourself said.

4 police officers involved. The other cops wanted me to be arrested.

Just very unusual for cops to let people go.

I have known of an incident where people were unruly at a party. Cops come arrest everyone. Even "dragged someone out of bed" who was genuinely passed out because they were drunk. He was included in the people arrested for drunk & disorderly in public. Poor bastard only remembers going to bed then waking up in the back of a paddy-wagon.
What attitude problem did he give the cops if he was sound asleep.





[edit on 16-4-2010 by acrux]

Originally posted by acrux
What attitude problem did he give the cops if he was sound asleep.

Maybe be some awake drunk pissed him off.I know I don't have alot of patience dealing with drunk people either.
They are people too and have a hard job sometimes and I imagine a call like that would be frustrating with loudmouths and drunks giving their opinions when they should just be quiet and co-operate.

Group thought is a different call then one on one because the psychology changes which creates more variables.

you know one of the major key points they talk about in the film
is be polite and not to seem combative...
you can do both while asserting your rights ya know

Lets face it, I'm not a cop... but if someone gets in my face and acts all high and mighty... I'm going to go out of my way to make sure they have a very bad day

I think somone already posted this before somewhere, but here it is again:

how not to get your ass kicked by the police, in a few simple steps:

Originally posted by DaddyBare
you know one of the major key points they talk about in the film
is be polite and not to seem combative...
you can do both while asserting your rights ya know

Lets face it, I'm not a cop... but if someone gets in my face and acts all high and mighty... I'm going to go out of my way to make sure they have a very bad day

Wouldn't you be going against the rule of not being combative then if you try to make his day bad??
To me that would seem like inviting conflict and you might be bringing a bad day upon yourself.

You get what you give sometimes.

reply to post by DrumsRfun

Maybe be some awake drunk pissed him off.I know I don't have alot of patience dealing with drunk people either.

As stated "in bed asleep" & "waking up in the back of a paddy-wagon"

How unruly can you be if you are in bed asleep. Charged with drunk & disorderly in public. He wasn't in public until cops dragged him out of the house.

If cops dragged you out of bed into the street & arrested you when you had done nothing wrong, would you be a meek little pussy?

reply to post by freebourn

Brilliant!!

And the Op's video is very informative as well.

reply to post by acrux


I can't answer your questions because i wasn't there and don't know the whole story.If he was sleeping and drunk then chances are HE doesn't know the whole story.

I can say that I was never dragged out of bed before but I was hauled out of my chair at a bar and dragged into the kitchen of a bar before.
Guess what??
I brought it upon myself for being a jerk.
They were staring at me so I asked what the **** they were looking at.
Hence why I still say be nice and treat them as people.



[edit on 16-4-2010 by DrumsRfun]

DrumsRfun, you need to stop fooling yourself that every cop is reasonable. I know you are going by personal experience, but from my personal experience I can say that while you're correct in a lot of cases, there are cops out there that are down right pieces of human trash that deserve ten-fold back for what they do.

When you say to pretty much give up your rights, I just don't understand this. Why would you do this? Because it ends up better for you in the long wrong? Congratulations; you give cops more justification to continue breaking peoples rights. I've dealt with this before, and as a toker I've dealt with a many a cop. Most, as you say, can be dealt with politely. Some even knew I was smoking and let me on my way. But I've dealt with cops who were hell bent on destroying every right I had. Know what I did? Do to my concurrent encounters here and there, I keep a tape recorder in my car. I've gotten one cop suspended and another straight up taken off the force for what they've done to me before.

Be nice when cops are being nice to you. It works. But fact is, if you think all cops are nice, you're fooling yourself. Some cops are jackasses, and you need to really flex your rights with them because those cops don't want to lose their jobs when trying to fill their quotas.

reply to post by freebourn

Darn it. This is the video I was going to add. A great one I may add.
I actually saw it at a police training seminar. Good man posting it.

I get a kick out of a lot of people on these threads that generalize police into one big group. Some of the alleged actions by the police would probably warrant some type of investigation but I bet you not one of the Cops Are Bad crowd every filed an complaint and followed up on it.

The one law-filing a false police report or complaint comes is very useful. It is one thing to gripe on a forum like this but it is another thing to actually make a complaint that has merit-expecially if they were drunk or under the influence of drugs.

I posted the following statement on another thread a while back. I think it says it all. No one responsded on that thread after I wrote it. We'll see it if happens here but I think SOME may just prove me wrong: ATS thread by 911Stinks: www.abovetopsecret.com...

The one unsigned contract that EVERY US CITIZEN and person living here has to agree with is: You break our laws and you will be held accountable or forced to comply. The only way the contract can be broken, other than changing the law, is for the person to leave the country. I opted to play by the rules (for the most part ;] Well, what are you gonna do?

Have any of you cop haters seen this one-one of my favs (no it isn't me)

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6e9aa2005a07.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by SpectreDC


You have your opinions and i have mine.
Obviously not every cop is reasonable just the same as not every person you meet is reasonable.
My view is based on watching people scream for their rights for no goddamn reason.

Like that video awhile back where the guy gets stopped and immediately starts screaming for his rights when all they wanted to do was ask him a few questions at a checkpoint that was stopping ALL cars.
He could have been on his way but screaming and carrying on like a jerk who wants his rights got him arrested for being unco-operative.
Just co-operate is what I am saying because if you act like that guy then I wouldn't blame them for taking a hard approach towards you.

No,I am not fooling myself.I have seen the bad and the good and have had them threaten to beat the hell out of me a few times so i think my opinion is informed enough to post it.

reply to post by DrumsRfun

Like that video awhile back where the guy gets stopped and immediately starts screaming for his rights when all they wanted to do was ask him a few questions at a checkpoint that was stopping ALL cars.

good caes to discuss. Pastor Anderson was the person in the video. He was stopped by the US Immigration Dept 100 miles inside the US. I would be upset also (but not act like that of course). Well his case is over and....
all charges were dropped and won't be refilled. The agents messed up-end of story-except that Anderson will now probably get 5 million or so in any court case he is probably filing.