Hi,
I notice there are many US law enforcement members on the SDMB. As a forthcoming (temporary) immigrant to the US, I would like to know:
1)
If I see a flashing lights in my rear view mirror, and hear a siren, what are my duties if I feel there is a genuine risk that I am being pulled over by someone other than a police officer?
(I know that police type vehicle equipment can easily be bought within the US)
Should I flash my hazards and continue at a regular pace to a well lit and public area? Or am I risking a ‘felony stop’ wherein I could well get shot by a real cop?
2)
Also, I will be carrying an Irish drivers license. I have been pulled over in Boston (for running a yellow light, no ticket, no fine) and the officer claimed to have run my license through a computer. Now I first thought this was BS as in Ireland, we don’t even have a computeried license database, let alone are we networked to Boston PD. But I thought perhaps US cops keep a record of foreign licenses they have viewed. Is this the case?
Hope you guys can help me out with these questions.
Slam on your brakes, jump out of the car, then run around to the rear and throw open your trunk. This is the universal sign of “I am not a threat” in the US. Especially if you already have a criminal record here.
Really.
No. Pull over at the next safe place (cops will sometimes direct you via loudspeaker), stay in the car, turn off the radio, put both hands on the steering wheel, and wait for the cop. It’s ok to look back at him/her.
False stops are pretty rare, but a real cop will usually just follow you if you keep going at a safe speed.
I saw this on the telly, so it must be factual.
Peace,
mangeorge
I am not a cop. I would think it is fine to put on your hazard flashers indicating compliance, and continue at a slightly slower than normal pace to a well-lit, populated area and you will be fine.
Yanking the handbrake, so the car spins 180 degrees, putting my high beams on, then jumping out of the car with my hands clasped together and pointed straight in front of me…do you think that might work too?
“Driver…with your left hand drop the keys out the window…with your right hand, clasp the gaping wound in your abdomen”
Is there a reason you’re concerned with being stopped by someone who isn’t a cop? I know it’s happened before, but I’m sure that it’s extremely rare. FWIW, most unmarked US police cars are of the US made 4 door sedan variety, i.e. the Chevy Caprice, Malibu and Ford Crown Vic. I suppose a lone dash mounted light in a plain toyota celica would make me suspicious, although it’s not outside the realm of possibility. As has been mentioned, I think you’re OK if you indicate you intend to pull over, and wait until it’s safe and lit. Provided it’s not miles away - then they will get suspicious. Police vehicle equipment, while not impossible to obtain, isn’t (shouldn’t be) available for anyone to purchase. (except perhaps the lone dash mounted rotating light)
I would guess he was running your name and info through the databases they have access to, and checking for wants and warrants, which I believe is standard for police stops.
Thank you ** Chandeleur**, although I am laughing because in fact I drive a plain Toyota Celica. And I do have ‘corner strobes’ because I have, on occasion, participated in closed road events where they are neccessary, or at least beneficial. These I would consider official police equipment and I bought these without the slighest question as to my credentials at a shop in Boston. I could as easily have bought a lightbar, or siren, or whatever I needed to fake being a cop.
I take your point on the type of car. However, it’s difficult to judge at night though in the rearview.
I gotta say ** Duckster and Mangeorge**, that as an Irish person, used (well not very used… maybe 4 times in 10 years) to being pulled over by Gardaí who are unarmed, the idea of being pulled over by a youngish cop with a firearm is very unnerving and I just wanna do the right thing, but protect my own ass while doing it.
if its an all black car with lights and sirens and tinted windows be sure to yell and scream and try to draw as much attention to yourself as possible as they take you away . Those are with the Department of Homeland Security and there has been some disappearances here
What color are the lights? Because if they’re red or blue, it’s illegal to have them mounted in your car without permit. At least in Mass., and probably every other state as well. I don’t doubt they can be bought out right, but I’d be willing to bet that there’s some law regarding the sale of vehicle mounted reds and blues without some type of scrutiny.
Dressing up like cops for nefarious purposes has worked well in the past (St Valentines day massacre comes to mind), I’d hope lawmakers would at least try to make it difficult.
If a car behind you turns on its lights and siren, pull over at the first safe opportunity. The chances of being stopped by someone impersonating a police officer are almost nil.
It’s possible that the cop will pass you when you pull over. The cop may have been behind you when an emergency call came over the radio.
If the cop does stop behind you, just sit there and don’t do anything until the cop approaches the car. Open the window and follow the cop’s instructions. Be polite and use common sense.
The huge majority of cops are not trigger-happy. They just want to do their jobs safely. You have little to worry about.
Chandleur, the colors vary from state to state. In some states the cops apparently use blue lights, while those are standard for private security here in Texas. No red lights may be displayed from the front of other than an emergency/police vehicle here, nor white lights from the rear on a forward moving vehicle.
If you have a cell phone, you could probably call the police and ask if it’s really them.
You will, under almost all circumstances, not be shot unless you are an imminent threat to the officer’s safety. So unless you’re brandishing a shotgun, you should be fine.
If the car is unmarked other than the lights, I wouldn’t stop for it. Just as you suggested, turn on the hazard lights and drive slowly to a public area, or wait for a fully marked car to arrive and make the stop. Any cop driving an unmarked car should understand why you would do that (when I was driving an unmarked car, I never actually expected anyone to pull over for me).
As others have suggested, just keep your hands in plain view and don’t make any sudden moves.
**
No, we do not have access to run an Irish (or any other country) license through the computers. He probably checked you through Massachusetts to see if you were suspended there and to check for warrants.
** Jeff Lichtman** has it right as far as I know. What ever you do, do NOT jump out of your car (unless you have a desire to commit siucude by cop). Any movement you make without instructions from the cop may be taken as a threat, especially at night.
I don’t know if Badge is a cop, he didn’t say (I’m not, by the way). But in California at least it is my understanding that if you keep driving beyond the first safe place to pull over, even for an unmarked car, you stand a good chance of getting arrested. I don’t know where your worries of getting stopped by a fake cop are coming from, but that occurrence is extremely rare. There are, however, unmarked vehicles which are official police cars, and you are expected to stop if they flash you.
I can’t speak for other states, but in Pennsylvania, or at least the part where I live, a driver is not legally obligated to pull over for a blue light alone. Anything with red in it requires you to pull over. The local EMS and Fire Dept. give the overzealous teens blue lights and they’ve been known to abuse those as well.
Yes, Badge is a cop. “Safe” usually means well-lit and populated when you are being followed by an unknown car seeking to pull you over. If you drove past an abondoned warehouse parking lot with no lights, continuing a mile to an open gas station, I see no problem at all.
