That is what gets cops killed. they stop treating people as if they are potential criminals, stop thinking "What do I do if this guy has a gun? Where is the closest cover? Are his hands visible? Did I check the trunk to make sure it is completely locked and closed?" These are the things that an officer that wants to go home every night thinks about on EVERY traffic stop he makes. To do otherwise puts him in more danger.

Officers have been killed just for pulling over to offer assistance to a disabled vehicle. Not all bad guys look like Capone. Like I said in an earlier post, YOU know who it is that you are dealing with, the policeman in uniform. You also know that you are not wanted for any crimes (I hope! ) but remember, unless that cop is a friend of yours, HE DOES NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU MAY BE DOING OR MAY HAVE JUST DONE!

Some tips for when you get pulled over. Once you have come to a stop, turn on your dome light if it is night time and place your hands on the steering wheel. Do not start digging out your wallet while he is walking up to the car, but wait until he asks for it. Doing this let's the officer know that you are being cooperative and will let him relax a little while he is dealing with you. When you are moving around, hands out of sight, that only causes the cops heart to beat a little faster and his caution flags to go up. You do not want this to happen.

Another tip: If you were doing 50 MPH in a 30 MPH zone, don't let the first words out of your mouth be "Is there a problem officer?" You know you were speeding, he knows you were speeding, why pretend you were not? Anybody that does that to me loses any chance of getting a warning. This appllies to other infractions as well. Roll a stop sign, try to beat the yellow and lose, just be honest with him and you will have a much better chance of walking away with a warning, or at least having some decent communication with the officer. Trying to argue your way out of a ticket on the side of the road never works! At a certain point, all he is thinking about is getting out of the roadway (where a lot of cops are hit by passing vehicles), writing the ticket, and getting out of there.


I don't think I am going to change the minds of alot of the people that have posted here, just as the guys that think cops should act more like a boy scout than a cop are not going to change my mind. I again suggest that everyone should check and see if your local department offers ride alongs. seeing it in real life from the other side might make you think differently.

 

Usually this is true, but not always. There have been cases of people (women) being pulled over and raped by someone impersonating an officer. Usually in an unmarked car on a lonely stretch of poorly lit road at night.

Under those circumstances I would not reccomend pulling over if your are female and alone (this was stressed heavily by the news/police in the D.C. area after several incidents) until you reach a safer area.

What are your thoughts on this brdss? I know a friend of mine got yelled at by a cop for doing this in a similar situation.

 

It is good to hear that cops are pricks everywher Not just where I am at that time.

 

Sounds to me that our troops have better jobs than our police officers. At least they are appreciated by our citizens

In a similar fashion to police officers, soldiers currently in Iraq fight a force that is blended into the populace. But we appreciate them because they're being pricks to the Iraqi people, and not us.

 

I don't know if the cop should have yelled at her, but I do believe that no one should be forced to pull over if she is driving alone on a lonely road; including cars that look like cop cars.

 

I would not say that everyone supports our troops or the war.
http://www.vaiw.org/vet/index.php
Veterans Against The Iraq War

 

Well, even that website says "Support the Troops, Oppose the Policy". So they do support our troops, just not the policy, which happens to be my stand as well.

 

brdss, I do see your point. But my point is that if an officer is so worried about being killed that they can't treat people like another one of God's children, maybe they should find a better paying and less frightening line of work. There are many innocent people killed every year by mistaken scared cops.

 

If the squad is marked (light bar on top, decals, etc.) then the chances of it being other than a police officer are about as rare is winning 100 million in the lottery. If it is an unmarked car (slicktop, no markings) and you feel it is unsafe, you should do the following:

Indicate to the officer that you know he is there (turn on the dome light if needed) then SLOWLY drive to a well lit area with other people. If you have a cell phone, call as you are driving to confirm and explain what you are doing. Officers driving unmarked squads will understand why you did what you did.

I do not know what the situation was with your friend. Some peoples idea of getting yelled at are different than others.

 

If there weren't so many armed crooks out there, then the police might be trained differently. But such is reality...

If criminals can treat the rest of us (including police officers) like God's children, then perhaps officers won't have to be so cautious.

Perhaps if our officers don't mind throwing their lives away because of negligence, we won't have enough law enforcers around to protect us...

I'm curious, how many?

I believe there are some officers out there that are crooked themselves because of the tremendous pressure they face each day. And some maybe even corrupted by the authority they wield, but I think those are still the minority. If not, the U.S. government needs to seriously re-think how our law enforcement system works.

 

Dial 911? Who do you speak to?

 

Guys, I am not against policemen. I just don't think that they have to be jerks to do their jobs. They don't have to be friendly either. I have a close friend that was shot by a jerk policeman 25 years ago. His lawsuit was a slamdunk. He is alive and working in law enforcement himself. His son is a new member of the OHP. I would never want to see misfortune fall on either one. They are two great guys. Most law enforcment officers are. Just like the rest of the population. I hope I haven't offended any of you and I am sorry if I did. I have considered policemen to have a calling to serve like a teacher or fireman or clergy or a doctor. They truly are needed. I just think that they should show that same respect to me and everyone else.

 

You can cover your ass and not be a dick, so that's no excuse. Every time I've been pulled over, I've taken the key out of the ignition and throw it on the left side of the dash and put my hands on the wheel. There's an obvious difference between apprehension and dickwaddery thats apparent in someone's voice. None of these cops were nervous. Either way, nothing I do will change it, so I'll keep being polite and not care about it.

BTW I thought this was interesting...
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/9229472/detail.html


- Computer Cowboy

 

Many people killed every year by scared cops? Really? Bad shootings a sooo very rare that it makes headlines for months when it does happen. As soon as you find the person that has never made a mistake, pin a badge on his chest and send him my way! Cops are people. People make mistakes.




It is real easy to sit behind a computer and wish that everything was all sunshine, baseball, apple pie and lemonade. That is not the world we live in today. A police officer that is not worried about being killed is one that I, nor anyone I have ever worked with, would want working in my department. Why? I would hate to go to his or her funeral, or the funeral of another officer, because he was too busy trying to be nice to people instead of doing his or her job. Calling them God's children does not make them saints. Adolph Hitler was one of God's children, Charles Manson is one of God's children, does that mean I am going to walk up to a car with my hands in my pockets, shacking hands and saying "Sorry to bother you, but..."


People just do not like to have to be under the control of another. When you get pulled over, you have to do what the officer wants you to do and it is human nature not to like that.


Don't worry, the cop haters can go on hating cops. We will still keep you safe at night while you are nice and comfy in your bed.

 

You will talk to the dispatcher and they will tell you if the person pulling you over is actually the police. They will also inform the officer of the situation.

 

http://www.ksn.com/news/stories/7631866.html

Just one of thos "routine traffic stops." I know, I know, it was the cops fault for pulling him over in the first place, right? A light out? How dare he!

 

what a crazy story!! that really sucks cause i have been to jail spent 30 dirty days and its not a pretty sight...lucky for me the charges were dropped (long story for that one) That piece of crap cop should lose their job...I mean WTF those people in the picture look like dorks...i have been on the streets have alot of street smart in me (ghetto) I like my law enforcement cause they would never do that...In miami few years ago there was a series of tourist getting killed for turning in the wrong neighborhood...i know those bad hoods and if you dont know your way around them then your F**cked. My point is if those to were in Miami and were lost and in a trepassing area the officer would easily give them directions...maybe it was the end of the month for that stupid cop...she had to meet her quota

 

No wonder Chicago is such a f'ed up place with police that are so scared. You have a really dark outlook on people in that town. Why don't you get out before it is too late. Saying that people are all God's children doesn't make them saints, but making them out to be demons is just as far off. It even kinda sounds like you get off on being in control of some stranger and giving them orders that they don't like. Does it make it easier to be a jerk if you think that they all hate cops? I will make every effort to stay out of that place.

 

Being a cop really is for the most part a thankless job. Everybody agrees that cops are needed yet when they do their job it's them being jerks. That attitude is apparent from fshwcrs and really just irks me.

These people protect us from criminals and do so while risking their lives. Call me crazy, but I think they have a right to be cautious, trying to get back to their families after a long shift.

Perhaps you don't notice it fshwcrs, but with your attitude I'm not surprised you got the type of help that you did.

 

Generalization:
I'll take big-city-cops over the 'burbs-squad any day (bigger fish to fry). Our locals will pull over anyone they please and then come up with some whacked excuse. At least the cops in Europe can profile-pick they're targets. But here it's illegal. Pussys! Speeders are low hanging fruit for the boys. Oh, but that H3 with $16k in wheels, $20k in Audio/TV's, driven by a 17 yr. old...hmmm? Did his paper route garner him that? As said: Where there’s' smoke there's fire.
Sorry for the spleen spill.