In the thread about police firing warning shots, MEBuckner said regarding being pulled over:
I’ve noticed this bit always seems to take forever. And that after they take your license and registration, it takes forever as well.
Is MEBuckner’s supposition correct, and they’re just (very slowly) running the plates? Or are they doing other stuff, like actually writing up the ticket ahead of time or something?
Yes, they are running the “hot sheet” on your vehicle’s tags to make sure it’s not stolen or in possession of a wanted individual.
It is best for you to wait until the officer has you in full view before reaching for your wallet or car registration. You can expect to have a gun pointed at you if you make any furtive movements while the officer is still running the preliminary background check. Keeping both hands visible on your steering wheel is the best way to keep an officer calm.
Huh. So, the preferred procedure is to wait until the officer walks up to your window and asks to see your license, then go fumbling around at your hip?
A few years ago I got pulled over for speeding & I got out of my car to ask why I had gotten pulled over (the speed limit was not posted around there).
Apparently not the thing to do.
“GET BACK IN YOUR CAR. GET BACK IN YOUR CAR” the policeman boomed. I skidaddled back into my car & realized why its standard ops for people to slouch down in their seats & stare at the steering wheel while the policeman checks their plates/writes the ticket.
I was pulled over for speeding about 6 months ago (ftr for the first time in over 10 years), and after it was over the officer thanked me for my cooperation (although he still gave me a ticket.) I don’t know if I did it “the right way,” or anything, but for what it’s worth, here’s what happened.
After I pulled over I sat still with my hands on the steering wheel. When he came up beside me I slowly reached over and lowered the window. The officer asked to see my license and registration. I said, without moving, “officer, my license is in my back pocket, so I’m going to reach back and get it, alright?” [ftr I don’t think I said it in a smarmy way, but just in a matter of fact way.] He said “go ahead, I trust you.” I got the wallet out, and then took out the drivers license and handed it to him.
Then I said, “officer, my registration is in the glove compartment, so I’m just going to reach over and get it out, alright?” He said “alright.” I opened the glove compartment and he immediately turned his flashlight and looked in. I got out the registration and handed that to him.
He then went back to his car, and again, I sat still with my hands on the wheel. I don’t want to give the impression that I was like a deer in the headlights or anything, but I just sat there calmly.
Anyway, he came back and said something like, “sir, I have to give you a ticket because there have been several accidents on this road from people speeding, and it’s my duty to enforce the law, but I appreciate your cooperation. Have a good night.”
For what it’s worth, I thought he was sincere, and that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t have given me a ticket.
From what I’ve been told, and it has served me well in my experience, I would do the following:
When pulled over, turn off the engine and place your wrists on top of the steering wheel, palms up, hands open. Wait patiently.
When the cop asks for your license, etc., tell him where the license is and wait for the cops’ acknowledgment before reaching anywhere.
For example:
YOU: The license is in my wallet.
COP: Ok.
Then reach for it slowly.
YOU: The registration is in the glove box.
COP: Ok.
Then reach for it slowly.
YOU: Here’s $100.
COP: OK. Have a nice day.
Well, maybe not that last part.
Yes, my father was pulled over for a broken license plate light several years ago, and was relating the story to us later (in the form of a rant). It was late at night, and he saw the lights behind him, so he pulled over. He says that he was taught when he was learning to drive (mid-60’s or so?) that when pulled over, you get out of the car and meet the officer!. So he unfastened his seat belt and reached for the door handle. At this point in the story I was about to scream at him, “Tell me you aren’t that stupid!” But, he says, he thought better of getting out of the car, so he stayed put. He ended up getting a ticket for not wearing a seat belt (remember, he unbuckled it to get out of the car).
The most dangerous time for a cop is during a domestic violence call. The next in line is a traffic stop. It means that they can be very nervous, and you don’t want to freak them out.
They are more likely to be injured or killed during a traffic stop than at almost any other time. Take the very good advice given above, and don’t be a smartass.
I usually have my license, registration, and proof of insurance out by the time the cop gets to my car…
I got pulled over in Texas three times, both times at night. One was the military police – it went like normal and I didn’t get a ticket and they made up a reason for pulling me over (probably just fishing, but it didn’t bother me).The other two times, though, were the sheriff’s department, and after waiting in the car, the officer told me to get out of the car and stand back by the trunk/decklid.
Any ideas why? I admit to getting pulled over a lot in those days, but only in this county in Texas* was I ever asked out of the car. *Don’t remember the county name – the county Killeen is in.
Once after what seemed forever waiting for the cop to do anything after he pulled me over, I got out of the car and asked him what was the matter. He just asked me if I would wait in my car. No guns, no booming voice.
Is this information available to foreign holidaymakers? That they can be shot/killed by the police for speeding and not reacting correctly.
This is a weird thread.
V
I agree with constantine and Bearflag70. I’ve been taught the same thing.
If at night, I turn on my inside lights so the officer can see better inside.
I put my wrists on top of the steering wheel, palms down, fingers spread (to show I’m not holding anything). I have all the other passengers put their hands either on the dashboard or on the headrest in front of them with fingers spread.
I don’t move until the officer asks for something and then I tell him where it is before I reach for it. Also, if I have anything that could be considered dangerous, I let the office know before moving.
2 examples, Friend 1 was transporting a starters pistol for use in theater. It fell out of his glove compartment when he was going for this registration. The cop DID NOT appreciate the surprise. Friend 1 got a gun drawn on him. Friend 2 was transporting his 9mm pistol in the trunk. When stopped, he said “Officer, I want to let you know I have an unloaded pistol in the trunk.” The cop said “Mind if I take a look?” After my friend popped the trunk and stepped back, the cop opened the case and examined the pistol. He started asking about how it fired etc. Friend 2 got a warning and a “have a good day”.
Read it again folks. This is how you do it.
Follow this procedure and you easily have the possibility of being let off for a minor offense. Don’t follow it and you may well get a gun pointed at you.
Yes, but to be fair, many (if not most) of those fatalities and injuries come from being hit by a passing motorists who stupidly (or drunkenly) got too close to your car and hit the officer standing by your window.
Well, I doubt if they’d be shot and killed, but they might be yelled at. If they seemed to be making a threatening gesture or brandishing a weapon, yes, they could be shot. I think that might hold true in lots of places. One of my friends told me about being stopped by the police on a German highway years ago and noticing that while one officer was standing by the driver’s door, another was standing at his rear window – pointing a rather large firearm directly at the back of his head.
The reason, of course, is that while 99% or more of the people stopped have no intention of doing anything violent, there are those few who would have no compunctions about blowing the officer away for one reason or another, and the police would really rather avoid that. It kind of Exiting the car or reaching for a hidden object could be a prelude to something very bad. If I were stopped by police in any country, I think I’d follow the advice given above just to make it perfectly clear that I had no intention of doing anything inappropriate.
I wouldn’t advise this because from the cop’s perspective, the cop will see you pull over, then shuffle around and reach for the glove box. You know you’re getting your papers, but the cop has every reason to think you’re getting a weapon. Prepare to be greeted by a nervous cop with a gun.
I meant to say, “It kind of ruins the cop’s evening. Exiting the car or reaching for a hidden object could be a prelude to something very bad.”
Some years ago, the AIM (American Indian Movement, remember the Alcatraz occupation?) thought it was clever to mount a shotgun to the inside of the car door, pointed to the rear of the car. The idea was, when stopped by a cop, to open the door and take the cop down with a blast to the legs or abdomen as he approached the vehicle. Any wonder they want you to stay put?
It’s also much more difficult to control a drunk or aggressive person if he is outside the car. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of a kick to the groin can attest to that. Too many cops have had their weapons used against them when overpowered by somebody much larger and stronger.
If you had an eye in the back of your head to see what happens when you reach for your glove box, you would insure that your movements are slow and deliberate from now on. Our training was, someone reaches for the box, whether forwarned or not, hand goes to the butt of the weapon. Someone lunges for the box without explanation, weapon comes out.
When am I supposed to slip on the ski mask? When the lights come on behind me, or after I’ve come to a stop? 