How to act during a traffic stop

[stainless]

I had noted that there always seems to be a thread active about being pulled over by the police and that PAFOA members seem to get stopped alot.

Last year at a family picnic I brought this up with a relative who is a retired cop and asked him how this seems to be the case. His reply was:

"It's simple. They're driving around with their dick in one hand and their gun in the other with none on the wheel. They're all over the road. Makes 'em easy to spot.".

Works for me.

[Truckman]

This is NOT about fireams!!!!
From; http://www.erietvnews.com/story/2665...raffic-seminar

LAWRENCE PARK-- "If I get pulled over, what am I supposed to do?” Tiffany McCloud says. “Am I supposed to reach? Am I supposed to call? Am I supposed to turn my engine off? What am I being asked?"

Those are boiling questions that led McCloud, President of the NAACP Erie Chapter, on a quest to delve into a problem not only plaguing our community but our country as well.

"We've had incidents and reports of different issues from the community regarding the treatment of officers,” McCloud adds.

So McCloud did what any devoted community leader would do. She went straight to the source—City of Erie and Pennsylvania State Police. She was given the thumbs up on a seminar addressing what citizens should do if they are pulled over.

"There has been interaction between minorities and police officers, where some things may have gone wrong or may have been misperceived so we just want to clear up those misperceptions," State Trooper Brian Arrington says.

Trooper Arrington will lead the seminar.

"It could be something as simple as you driving with your high beams on and we're pulling you over just to give you a warning or the fact that you could've left your turn signal on," Arrington explains.

"We've gone through some things here in Erie where we've had issues that had to have national attention,” McCloud says. “How do we bridge that gap? How do we make the officers in the community be reflective of one another and make them feel like they are a part of the community?"

The seminar is scheduled on October 16th at 5:30pm in the Admiral Room at Blasco Library.

[hacimsaalk]

Looks more like a race thing than a gun thing...

[Truckman]

The latest:

A traffic stop can create one of the most stressful and tense situations for a police officer.

What motorists should do and not do when they are stopped was the topic of a public seminar Thursday night in the Admiral Room at Blasco Library.

About 30 people attended the one-and-one-half-hour meeting.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Brian Arrington and two Erie police officers detailed 16 steps motorists should follow and how they can prevent a stop from escalating into something worse.

Law enforcement personnel stressed that motorists should remain calm and comply with an officer's wishes, and if a motorist has any issues with how the officer handled the situation, pursue it later through the proper complaint channels with police.

"It's opening the lines of communication with the community,'' said Arrington, an Erie resident and a 12-year state police veteran who handles recruiting and special services for the state police.

Thursday's seminar was organized by the Erie Chapter of the NAACP.

"The community is going to understand what the police want from the public and what the public can expect,'' Arrington said. "Now, we understand what they are thinking when they are in the car and what we have to do to make sure we clear up those misconceptions on a traffic stop.''

Law enforcement personnel emphasized that a motorist should not make any movement that might be interpreted by the officer that the motorist is hiding or searching for something.

Police said motorists should let the officer know if they are carrying a weapon and if they have a legal permit to carry it.

Do not resist a pat-down, authorities said. This is done if the officer has suspicion that the motorist would be carrying anything that would jeopardize officer safety.

Officers also stressed that a motorist should not be surprised if another patrol car appears. This is to ensure the officer's safety.

Motorists are advised to always carry proper identification.

"Probably the one best piece of advice we can give motorists is to not get too excited and try to maintain your focus on answering the officer's questions,'' Erie Police Chief Randy Bowers said.

RON LEONARDI can be reached at 870-1680 or by e-mail.

[markshere2]

WOW what a lotta crap.

Of course, I expected no less. The courts have held that it's OK for cops to lie to suspects. Little of that crap is mandated by law.


As soon as you are pulled over, you under suspicion of ...something.

MY advice:
Signal Officer Friendly (OF hereafter) that you will be pulling over with a turn signal.

Pick a wide place to pull over so OF doesn't have his donutty ass hanging out in traffic.

Engine off, flashers on, window down some, and interior light on if its dark out.

Don't reach around and grab stuff in the car, wait for the discussion.

Hands @ 10 and 2 on the wheel.

Be polite, but don't bend over for OF.

When OF asks for documents, reach up and unclip the insurance and registration from the visor.

I picked the visor to store my documents, so OF has no excuse to lie about seeing something illicit in the glovebox / console.

I will engage in polite discussion with OF up until I get asked any leading questions regarding my behavior.

If asked about anything OF shoud be concerned about, my answers is "there's nothing illegal in my car.

AT that point, I politely explain that I will decline to answer any questions until I have legal counsel with me.

I DON'T
1) volunteer information about what I have in the car such as a gun, unless I am asked to step out and my carry piece is on me or in the vehicle. At that point I will inform that
a. I have a ltcf
b. have a legal gun holstered.

2) locate the papers in the same place as a gun / knife / object that could possibly be mistaken for a weapon or drug paraphernalia.

3) act like a dick

4) be a doormat for OF

5) consent to a search.

[Deleted]

If asked about anything OF shoud be concerned about, my answers is "there's nothing illegal in my car.

.

Zing..... and the hook is set. 5 fingers on the hood boy...



In all seriousness... A cop half worth his salt will have a field day with you evading that question.

[bigandy1966]

Yeah shit has changed:
Officer Freindly if you want to look in my glove box , Please Get a warrant!
OF: sniff sniff I smell weed !!! outta the car , get on the ground face down hands on the back of your head! Cuff him danno put him in the back of the car until the dogs get here , well teach this guy about the constitution.

[ungawa]

Zing..... and the hook is set. 5 fingers on the hood boy...



In all seriousness... A cop half worth his salt will have a field day with you evading that question.

Is it your job to try to find reasons to search people not reasonably suspected of criminal activity or is it your job to punish people who try to exercise their rights?

I can't think of a valid or honorable reason for your reaction.

[Deleted]

Is it your job to try to find reasons to search people not reasonably suspected of criminal activity or is it your job to punish people who try to exercise their rights?

I can't think of a valid or honorable reason for your reaction.

To play devil's advocate... How would the officer know you were a "good guy" exercising his rights? All he knows is that he asked a simple question about possessing weapons... and got an evasive answer which now has him suspecting that he's dealing with an armed "bad guy".

My point... choose your words carefully.

[streaker69]

To play devil's advocate... How would the officer know you were a "good guy" exercising his rights? All he knows is that he asked a simple question about possessing weapons... and got an evasive answer which now has him suspecting that he's dealing with an armed "bad guy".

My point... choose your words carefully.

Actually the question as posed above made no mention of weapons. Am I, as a reasonable person, supposed to assume that when asked "is there anything in the car I should be concerned about" that the officer meant weapons? When a question as opened ended as that is asked, any answer given could be viewed as evasion and a reason to be viewed with suspicion.

If you answer "yes" then you immediately put the officer on guard, if you answer "no" then could think you're lying, if you assert your rights, then you're being evasive. So tell me, when did you stop beating your wife?