Unless it happens to be true, that strikes me as a bad idea. The follow up question:“Where do you work?” can complicate that answer. He or she has your license and is looking at your address. If you happen to be driving through a sketchy neighborhood late at night and your home and place of work are both far away and do not require you to be anywhere near where you are-- you have just lied to the cop making it all the more likely you are hiding your intentions for nefarious reasons.
Even if you are in a “good” neighborhood a lie is more suspicious than the truth. You get someone who is bucking to be an investigator (or even just a thorough cop who smells bullshit) and you have opened a can of worms you’d rather you didn’t.
First, a flat out traffic stop during the workday for an obvious reason is different than what I am talking about. The cop wants in and out for a traffic stop-- no one is looking to build a career off a traffic stop (although careers are made and lost on a single interaction all the time). But if you are being asked where you are going/coming from-- either don’t answer, or give an answer that matches logic and reason. Don’t say you are travelling between two place both due east of where you are. If you try to cover your previous lie by saying you dropped off a buddy from work you are going to be asked his name, his address, how you know him, and depending upon those answers- does your friend have a criminal record.
Something else to consider, once you stop answering questions – that is treated as a defacto confession, that is the same as “lawyering up”. If you suddenly realize you have told a story that can’t possibly be true and clam-up that is going to first confirm you are up to no good, and second invite more investigation. Just tell the truth up front, or tell him or her it is not important where you are going, what is the purpose of this stop?
If you are stopped at a sobriety checkpoint, where you are going and coming from are reasonable questions; ‘a party’, or ‘a bar’ leads to: “So you have been drinking.” Even if you answer: “No officer, I am the designated driver. I just dropped off the last drinker and I am on my way home to make gift baskets for our first responder’s and overseas troups”. You had better know the name and address of someone that matches the direction you are coming from. If you have vague information you may be asked if they can search your vehicle. “So you are driving around in this area known for drug dealing because you dropped off a friend, but you don’t know his address and you have called him by two different names?!? Hummm, do you mind if we search your vehicle? No? What do you have to hide???”
This is just too long to make the point, but you don’t have to do anything wrong to get stopped. If a cop is looking to catch bad guys and stop crime, and he or she gets the idea you are up to no good, they can create a context on the spot: “You blocked the sidewalk while you were exiting that parking lot.” The best response is; “Yes sir I did, sorry about that- give me my citation and I will be on my way”. But that isn’t why you were stopped, you were stopped so he could have a face to face and confirm his (or her) suspicion you are up to no good. A blocking the sidewalk citation would be thrown out in a second and they know it, they want to see if you slur your words, have a reason to be in the area, have obvious violations in plain sight, and run your license to see if you have wants or warrants. Just driving a new car is suspicious in certain neighborhoods.
Unless they think you have a million dollars worth of smuggled drugs in your trunk, or are on the ten most wanted list- no cop is going to ‘investigate’ your answers. But if you answer: “I am on my way home from work” when it can’t be true-- that makes you someone who might have a half million dollars worth of smuggled drugs in the trunk-- or be on the most wanted list.
