In many jurisdictions traffic offenses are civil infractions, rather than crimes.
There is a script, but it bears absolutely no resemblance to what you have here and it is used for everyone, regardless of age, gender or skin color.
This was exactly what I was taught when I went through the police academy back in the mid-70s, and it hasn’t changed.
I was pulled over once in a small town not far from my work and was asked where I was headed. I said I was headed into town for lunch. Then the cop asked where I was planning on getting lunch, so I told him the name of the restaurant. I think I even volunteered something like “You know, the place with the big pizza slices” to reinforce that I wasn’t lying about my destination.
After that, I got let off with a warning. For good or ill, I assume that a large part of that was because he decided I was there to spend money in the local economy as opposed to just breaking traffic laws as I passed through from Point A to Point B.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
Yes, I know how hard it can to meet people, especially if you have an alternative lifestyle.
I had a weird one once. And LEOs can give a possible explanation for this?
I25, near the Wyoming border, appx 6 years ago. AZ plates. I had seen a LOT of troopers on the highway in both directions, both driving and with cars pulled over. Looked like a max effort speeding campaign was going on.
Suddenly, I see a trooper behind me, so I pull over. He stated plainly that he clocked be at 85! No way was I doing that. I actually laughed out loud. There’s no way he made that mistake.
He was very polite and friendly, and let me go. No overtly suspicious looks, no asking to search the car.
Now, I had always heard the troopers don’t waste their time giving warnings. If they give you a ticket, they’re going to do it, and do it quickly. Very efficient.
You think they were looking for someone/something specific?
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
To compliment me on my fine driving skills?
In Ohio, the Constitution gives Municipalities the right to classify even a minor offense such as rolling through a stop sign, etc. a Misdemeanor of the 1st degree, but most mirror state law.
In 40 years of driving all around the US, including a lot of years of driving young, stupid, and fast, I’ve never had a traffic stop which deviated from the basic Academy script provided by Clothahump.
No officer has ever asked where I’m going, where I work, or any other ancillary BS. About the only variation I’ve seen is “Do you know why I stopped you?” vs. “I stopped you for doing over 85 in a 65 mph zone.”
Believe it or not, most of the cops I worked with could spot a serious felon on site. I guess there was just something about their manner.
As for the questions posed by the OP, I suspect that being on an industrial road at 11pm on a Saturday night might lead the cop to think possible burglar of businesses. I know that would be my first thought and I might keep you talking just to eyeball the inside of the car or if you would slip up. Additionally, they might be waiting for wants and warrants to come back from the dispatcher. They haven’t always had computers in the car to do your own W&W.
You, your vehicle, or your location will sometimes fit a particular “suspicious” category to the local LEOs completely unbeknownst to you. Though I don’t know the particulars, it seem obvious that this allows them to pull you over. BUT, they won’t necesarilly be truthful in telling you why they did… depending on how dangerous it might be for them they may tell the truth or they may give you a BS line (they are allowed to lie remember). If they do lie to you at the road side, I assume they’ll report the real reason for the stop in their paperwork rather than the BS reason they quoted you at the time.
I had two encounters and was given the same BS line both times: “can you tell me why your plate is registered to a completely different make/modle vehicle?” I know the second was a blatant lie because the guy couldn’t even see my plate as I was parked backed against a fence (rear plates only here). Same result both times… after they took my registration back to their cruiser they came back with a “theres no problem” line and left. In reality I was approached because being a young male alone in a big truck was suspicisous at the time and place; they were checking my license and record for any issue or warrents. No big deal.
Another time I was approached while parked by a very friendly LEO who after a few simple questions came right out and told me he came over because the way I was parked by myself in the corner of a large parking lot rather than near the handful of other vehicles near the entrance was suspicious… that and they did have problems with kids parking in that lot and getting wasted.
You can’t always talk yourself out of a ticket but you can always talk yourself into one.
The car I drive has lights and sirens. It’s just unmarked. If I see anything egregious I can and have pulled people over. It is true that I don’t have a ticket book. The court audits the unwritten tickets and does not like having any missing. You only sign for the amount you think you will need for a few weeks or a month. But nothing is stopping me from asking another officer to swing by with a ticket book so I can write one. It’s just that my current duties don’t have me patrolling so I’m not looking for violations.
Off duty I ignore it unless I see someone who likes like a danger to himself or others. Like an obvious impaired driver. Then I call 911 like everyone else.
I have no idea. But I do know that there is one highway in NJ (195) that often has a trooper seemingly every 10 feet. Coincidentally the NJ State Police Academy is at one end of that highway.
Well, if the site is a maximum security prison, it shouldn’t be that difficult.
The rationale behind the “don’t talk to the cops” bit is that if you do get charged with a crime, there’s little chance of anything you say to them helping you (it’ll just not get mentioned or get spun in court) and a good chance of you saying something incriminating.
It’s a little bit different with just a regular old traffic stop because the officer does usually have some discretion about whether to actually write you a ticket or not. There probably are some situations where 'fessing up and being sorry about it will lead to not getting a ticket, but I wouldn’t count on it being the norm. Being a jerk (albeit an entirely within your constitutional rights jerk) like the guy in Acsenray’s link is pretty much guaranteed to get you a ticket, though. Maybe even some extra ones. The key is to try to walk a fine line where you’re being as polite and helpful as you can but while still trying to avoid actually admitting anything.
I thought I’d share a data point which may not be relevant. The only time I’ve gone through a DUI checkpoint, I was on my way home from work at around 2:00 am Saturday night / Sunday morning. I pulled up and waited for the officer to ask for my drivers license and registration. I provided both and he walked away for a few minutes. After 1-2 minutes he returned, handed back my documents, and said I was free to go.
What surprised me at the time was that he didn’t ask me any questions beyond the request for documentation. Didn’t ask if I’d been drinking. Didn’t ask where I was coming from or where I was going. On reflection though - I realized that I hadn’t said a single word the entire time. It wasn’t anything conscious - I just gave him what he wanted as quickly as I could with the confidence that I had done nothing wrong and would ultimately be free to go. On reflection, though - I wonder if people who have had a few drinks tend to be overly chatty, perhaps trying to charm the officer. Is being overly chatty considered an indicator that perhaps someone has been drinking? Surely LEOs have a list of “symptoms” of drinking that they look for.
I’ve had police ask me where I work during a traffic stop. Also asked where I was coming from, going to, what I did for a living, why I was driving so late, etc. Late night, pulled over and he said I was going 25+ over the speed limit, weaving in and out of the lane, crossing the median, swerving, etc. I was doing none of those things, and was in cruise control at the speed limit with the family in the car so not even close to speeding. Asked me to step out of the vehicle while his partner looked in my vehicle. Then he let me go with no ticket written.
I suspect the story was a ruse to see if I was running drugs or something. Who doesn’t write a ticket if all of those violations were occurring? That’s a pretty dick move.
I think that a lot of your experiences with the police depend upon the area the you are driving in, it shouldn’t but it does. A traffic stop is one of the most dangerous situations a police officer can find himself in. The most dangerous is responding to a domestic dispute where both parties can turn their anger toward the officer.
My experiences with the police are few and I live in a rural area where I am more likely to run into the Officer Friendly type. Attitude mattered when I was stopped. Haven’t been stopped in years despite driving my hot car as fast as traffic allows.
A couple of encounters:
I was about 25 and had a little homegrown pot in my pocket, my passenger had just bought a large bag of Columbian so we pulled over to the side of the road to roll one up. Officer Friendly pulled in behind us to check for car trouble. He asked for my license and the weed. I gave him my little bit and he went back to run my info. Came back and handed my license and the empty baggie back to me and said, “You boys go home” End of incident. He did not check my car or passenger because I think he felt that I had honestly handed over the pot I had. This was before pot was decriminalized in my state.
Second time, also about 25 years old, I was speeding in an old VW bug. We all open beers and tried to hide them. When I got stopped one of my asshole friends in the back seat started flipping shit to the cop. I turned around and said, “Shut up! This is my ticket!” Cop repressed a laugh, checked my license and sent us on our way. I think he appreciated my cooperation.
The last time I was stopped, maybe 20 years ago, I was driving in a two land highway with a double yellow center line indicating no passing. But it was tourist season and the guy ahead of me was doing about 35 mph on a road where traffic should be moving about 62. He had quite a parade backed up behind him, So I passed and then noticed in my rear mirror a state trouper about 5 cars back in the line. He waited another 5 miles until it was safe to pull me over. When he asked if I knew why he stopped me I said, “Because I didn’t see you back there.” He cited me for passing in a no passing zone, but I got the impression that I was just because it was a blatant violation.
In an area of higher crime rate and thus more danger to the officer, you are not going to have the same experiences obviously.
Three of my friends in what I would call extended family are police officers. A woman sheriff deputy and a guy who was recently promoted to police chief in a small town would fall into the Officer Friendly category. The other small town cop is an aggressive type who wears his weapon during family picnics, he I worry about.
He should have pulled over the old fart in front for going too slow for conditions.
I and a friend might have narrowly avoided having a gun pushed into our face once-a few years ago, he was driving my Civic SI-something he was nervous about a bit because it requires a bit of finesse to drive it well. Anyway, he’s 3 below the limit on the interstate, we get lit up, I tell him that they are just profiling us, and he didn’t do anything ticketable. Trooper walks up, takes one look, and says, “Oh, you are free to go,” and walks away. Undoubtedly there was another SI out there who was probably running drugs or something.
I live just north of Murder Capital USA, Flint Michigan. So I definitely understand that it’s a dangerous job for cops here but actually in the city and bad areas, they tend not to stop people for traffic violations. Because they are woefully understaffed and are usually dealing with more serious crimes. I have never been stopped in the city of Flint, but in some of the more affluent neighboring cities, getting pulled over for burned-out license plate lights and such is common.
It occurred to me that if I am pulled over during the work day, it’s fairly apparent what I am doing for a living (painting contractor, so van with ladder racks and obviously, looking like a painter. 
) So no need for a cop to ask about where I work or what I do.
And thank you to Clothahump for the detailed training info. I can’t say I’ve ever had a cop follow that script precisely, but it’s good to know that at least some jurisdictions are trying to instill good customer relations, as it were.
If the LEO asks those questions, they are to gauge your responses to see if you are nervous or tell inconsistent stories. Especially if you have a passenger that answers the questions differently than you do. That might give them probable cause for a search of your vehicle.