A couple of opinions on talking to the police

[RustyShackleford]

There used to be an administrative rule that required we notify a police officer if we were carrying (this applied to CFP holders). That has expired and has not been renewed.

Other than that, I don't know how best to answer your question. It might well depend on who you are talking to.

Agreed!

There are some cops that support an armed citizenry...and then there are those that have a hard time thinking clearly (just like the general public)
I also believe there are police officers that are offended that we might not need them "to stop a crime in progress" and can wait for them to arive......

the only time that I think it would be wise to notify a police officer that you are armed is in a circumstance where they may discover the gun...and panic.
As we have seen, many times when a person tells a cop they are armed...(the) cops that do not respect our rights or have a lack of knowledge of gun laws (opinion enforcement) can be detrimental to a law abiding citizen.

[divegeek]

I also believe there are police officers that are offended that we might not need them "to stop a crime in progress" and can wait for them to arive......

And I think some are offended that civilians would think to usurp their privilege.

Not most -- especially here in Utah -- but some.

[caverat]

I think it's more like the one's that got picked on in high school. So they became a cop then they see someone other than a cop with a gun they feel insignificant again and get butt hurt.

[Doctor Jenks]

I work at the airport and I often work with the police. There are a lot of good cops, but I agree there are many who aren't fun to deal with. Just a few days ago, a police officer responded to a call in my area where a lady was having a panic attack. The paramedics were already there so he had nothing to do.

He rode up on his segway and parked it in the middle of a narrow and very busy doorway that the panic attack lady was sitting next to in order to get air; this doorway is the only exit for the 20 or so regional aircraft that park in that area. His Segway was blocking the automatic doors so they could not close; the doors were trying to close but kept hitting the dumb Segway. One of our employees pointed out to him that this was a bad place to park it. Rather than moving it out of the way of both the doors and the walkway, he reached up and shut the doors off so they wouldn't hit his precious Segway. Douche bag.

[etcollins]

This thread was offensive for me to read. Many of you have stereotyped police officers into a category of power hungry bullies that delight in writing tickets or worse, violating individual’s constitutional rights. This just simply isn't true! While I would agree that there are a few officers that are on power/ego trips, this is most certainly the minority of the officers that I have known and worked with throughout my 23 + year career. Here's my advice from experiencing thousands of differing encounters with citizens. Be polite, respectful and honest. Try some humor! The best excuse I ever heard was from a guy that I stopped for speeding who said when I asked if he realized how fast he was going, "Yes officer, I know I was speeding but I'm 35 hours into my 36 hour cealis pill and I just got a call from my wife that the moment is right!" He left with a verbal warning to drive safely but to make it home in time.

[RustyShackleford]

This thread was offensive for me to read. Many of you have stereotyped police officers into a category of power hungry bullies that delight in writing tickets or worse, violating individual’s constitutional rights. This just simply isn't true! While I would agree that there are a few officers that are on power/ego trips, this is most certainly the minority of the officers that I have known and worked with throughout my 23 + year career. Here's my advice from experiencing thousands of differing encounters with citizens. Be polite, respectful and honest. Try some humor! The best excuse I ever heard was from a guy that I stopped for speeding who said when I asked if he realized how fast he was going, "Yes officer, I know I was speeding but I'm 35 hours into my 36 hour cealis pill and I just got a call from my wife that the moment is right!" He left with a verbal warning to drive safely but to make it home in time.

It is true that more and more of the good cops are getting a bad wrap, but I think it has a lot to do with how police are used to investigate and solve crimes.
80-90% (my guess) of all arrests for crimes start with a traffic stop for a minor traffic infraction. That is why police officers ask question after question of any and all citizens pulled over. It is a fishing expedition and yes it is effective for solving crimes. However, in the minds of the police, it puts every driver pulled over as a suspect for any crime that may have been committed. Frankly I think those questions are a violation of our 4th and 5th amendment rights. I will never answer any question that is not directly germane to the reason I was pulled over. Many people will argue that if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about. In most cases that would be true but if anyone can tell me what good it would do for a person to submit to a search...let me hear it.

[manithree]

This thread was offensive for me to read. Many of you have stereotyped police officers into a category of power hungry bullies that delight in writing tickets or worse, violating individual’s constitutional rights. This just simply isn't true!

Even if you are correct, preparing for the best case isn't exactly preparing. I don't think all cops are bad in the same way I don't think all politicians are bad. But I also think there should be a continual healthy friction between citizens and government (pols and cops). There's a time to submit cheerfully and a time to question authority to avoid tyranny and police state.

Try some humor! The best excuse I ever heard was from a guy that I stopped for speeding who said when I asked if he realized how fast he was going, "Yes officer, I know I was speeding but I'm 35 hours into my 36 hour cealis pill and I just got a call from my wife that the moment is right!" He left with a verbal warning to drive safely but to make it home in time.

Are you seriously suggesting that people do that? I know of some people who tried some '80's comedian's suggestion of "I'll have a Big Mac, fries, and a coke" as the cop approached and ended up face down in the dirt. I don't doubt you're a conscientious officer, but joking during traffic stop seems like very bad advice to me.

[Daeyel]

I've been pulled over twice in the past 2 weeks for the same thing. (their computer showed I had no insurance) The first cop comes up to my window at 1 am and starts talking. I cant hear what he is saying and tell him so. (I am deaf) He starts again, and I still cant hear him correctly, so I tell him again. He's got that (Insert expletive here) light shining in my eyes, so I cant read his lips. He snaps 'You know what I want!'

Um, not really? I know you generally want license and rego, but how do I know you aren't ordering me out of the car?
I handed him my license and registration, and he stomps off. Totally a negative encounter that leaves me frustrated, angry and humiliated for not being able to hear. I should NEVER be humiliated for not being able to hear you. Welcome to why I really detest cops and go out of my way to avoid them. This is FAR from my first negative encounter with 'Law Enforcement'. What will happen when I have my CCW and cant hear an officer's instructions after I inform him of the fact that I am carrying?

Counter that experience with another pullover a week later, same PD, 2 am, and he is polite, clearly spoken, and waves me on my way after I show proof of insurance. Wish there were more cops like this guy.

i know a person that had "business" careds printed up because her husband has a mental disease that causes him to act "funny" and child like. he pretends to take a french fry from stranger's plates at restaraunts and the like. the card says something on the lines of " i would like to appoligize for my husbands behavior, he has xxx disease and he does not have the same inhibitions as most people." or something like that. it has been a great help to her to discreetly let people know without announcing to the world how he is different. Maybe a tool like this could help you out. not picking on you for being different, it is just a tool that helped out someone i know.

I dont want you to take this as a blow up in your face, or that I am attacking you. I get this sentiment all the time from well intentioned, but uninformed people.
Why should I have to hand out a 'business' card to an officer to let him know I can't hear him? It's on my drivers license that I am 'hearing impaired'. I can only imagine that it's also attached to my customized license plate. I HATE that PC phrase 'hearing impaired'. I'm DEAF. But that's an argument for another time. Lets just say, next time I go in to get my drivers license, I will insist it read deaf.
But the very notion that I have to 'apologize' for being deaf is offensive. I stopped saying 'I'm sorry, I'm deaf' years ago. Nowadays, I stick to 'I'm deaf. I can't hear you'.
The fact that the officer puts me on the defensive by refusing to accommodate me by moving away from his beloved 'power position' over my shoulder to a more easily seen position behind my side mirror so I can see his lips is offensive.
I don't want to digress into a long rant on the history of the deaf and social oppressions of the deaf by hearing society, but suffice to say I am weary of being treated by society as if something is wrong with me. I'm just like you. Except my ears don't work. And that means that I do things differently. And I am going to ask you to do the same. It's utterly astonishing how unwilling a hearing society (especially employers) are willing to do that.

This thread was offensive for me to read. Many of you have stereotyped police officers into a category of power hungry bullies that delight in writing tickets or worse, violating individual’s constitutional rights. This just simply isn't true! While I would agree that there are a few officers that are on power/ego trips, this is most certainly the minority of the officers that I have known and worked with throughout my 23 + year career. Here's my advice from experiencing thousands of differing encounters with citizens. Be polite, respectful and honest. Try some humor!

As far as I am concerned, I WAS polite. I let him know I cant hear him, and tried as best I could to help him. Lets admit, being pulled over is going to raise anyone's anxiety level, not to mention their blood pressure. For me, it does more than that. Unwanted forced social interactions cause me to break out in a full full body sweat almost instantly. That's one of the things you cops are looking for, along with all the other classic signs of having something to hide - extreme nervousness, fidgeting, etc etc. Now, lets look at it from the officers point of view. Its 1 AM. He gets to my window and says something, to which I make no move or reaction. Now I'm being rude and ignoring him. (Man, I am so good at that. Been practicing it all my life! I don't even twitch or give myself away with tiny nods of the head or eyeball twitches! Where's my Oscar, Tom Hanks?) I'm assuming, of course, that in the 7 to 10 seconds of him standing over my shoulder he actually did say something. He may have just been checking out my back seat for kidnapped kids, antitank grenades or stashes of illegal drugs so he can get a medal. I don't know. So he repeats it louder. This is the first time I am aware he is saying something, though its unintelligible. At this point I turn my head a little so I can explain I am deaf. Which he should know before he gets out of his car. At no point is there ANY valid cause for him to snap at me, 'You know what I want!' That's just plain offensive to me. And you ask ME to be polite, respectful and honest?

Numerous situations like the above are precisely why I don't respect or like street patrol cops, and go out of my way to avoid them.

[Jarubla]

Daeyel,

I had no idea you are Deaf. I took some ASL credits @ UVU from a Deaf Professor (Gregg Scott). The thing most educatuional to me was that he really made us hearing folk feel at home. Most of the class had no idea he was Deaf and not Hearing, until the last day. He kept some of them guessing.

The class was fantastic for the exposure to the rich culture the Deaf enjoy. My favorite parts of the class dealt with Deaf poetry and the subtle nuances.

I for one don't feel like the Deaf are invalids, and especially not after being under the brilliant tutelage of Professor Scott.



Back on topic, may I ask which PD you had that lovely run in with? Perhaps you should draft a letter and mail it to the Sergeant or Captain of that PD.

At the very least it would make them aware that there are other possible scenarios out there. Some folks are Deaf, some folks are Hearing. All deserve at the very least a modicum of respect.

-Jay

[Daeyel]

It was Provo City's 'Finest'. Weird thing is, less than a week later, I get pulled over by a different office, same time of day (2 AM) for the same offense. This officer was extremely nice, and I could hear him just fine. All he asked for was proof of insurance. Once he saw it, he waved me on my way. So much different! I recognize not all cops are power tripping jerks, I just have too many experiences with officers who are. I have quite a few stories about my run-ins with cops. One of my most entertaining/aggravating involves 9 police cars (including K9) parked along both sides of I-15 NB from 4 different agencies who all left severely disappointed when their supposed major drug bust turned out to be a false alarm. I guess they all wanted to share the credit of 'I was there!'?

And the road rage cop. The high speed chase in Beaver, (That wasn't aggravating, it was just hilarious) Too many others I've forgotten over the years.

I think I may check and see if my hearing status is connected to my license plate. If it isn't, I may request that it is. Makes it easier on all of us.

[mustang07]

Story deleted. Didn't post a story only to be preached at by some loser in a honda with blue flames on the hood. OMG, could you be any more ghetto.

Warning issued. --Jeff
Please do not resort to personal attacks on our forum. That is a violation of forum rule #5:

No posts that use abusive or vulgar language, particularly personal attacks on members of this forum, are allowed. We can and certainly do disagree on issues, but it is expected that we can do so in a civil manner. Using special character substitution to try to bypass the word filter is not permitted.

[Daeyel]

I used to have that same mindset. Weird thing is, I never played the street race video games as a kid, but for a while there, I had a real NASCAR mentality. I loved passing people, and hated being passed. Solved my problem by buying a Honda model that the racers love, with plain rims and no hubcaps (a racer affectation) and blue flames on the hood. It totally screams 'racer' to any cop, and it keeps my speed down to a max of 70-75 MPH on the freeway. Haven't had a ticket in 3 years and counting.

You need to get out of that mentality. Not only will you get tickets, but it's gonna hurt someone else who panics at your maneuvers. Can you live with that?

[GreenStreet]

Being a former Barney Fifer, here's a good video about what to say and do when or if ever questioned/confronted by LEOs.

Get some popcorn and enjoy. Good information here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA&feature=PlayList&p=658975632DB892FC&index=0&playnext=1

[GreenStreet]

Smith:

OK, so what happens if a cop pulls you over and he didn't have a radar gun. He asks you and you don't confess (or do, it doesn't really matter for this situation) -- but he proceeds to write you up for, we'll say 10 over. It goes to court. There's no empirical evidence short of his own opinion. But in court you say "no I wasn't speeding at all -- in fact, I was 5 under" and he counters and says "no you were 10 over by your own admission"... what then????

It doesn't really seem fair for the court to side with him MERELY b/c he's an Officer and you aren't... so what do they do???

You tell any government official anything and it is considered an admission and yes it can be used against you in a court of law.

[thechad]

Very insightful! I'd recommend you taking 40+ minutes to watch these. Now, as the law abiding citizen's we are, I believe we're less likely to get into a situation like this, but if you are ever detailed or questioned, these videos definitely inform you about what to do and what not to do. In short, ANYTHING you say to a police officer while being detailed or questioned has potential to get you convicted. Even if you are totally innocent, the magic words are:

1. "Am I being detained?"
2. If yes, then "On suspicion of what crime?"
3. If you remain detained or are arrested, say nothing except, "I will not speak until I have a lawyer present."

Good but as a law student i would recommend NEVER speaking to the police. You are only required by law to give your name. Other than that anything you say will be used against you. Regardless of how small. When you are being pulled over for speeding for example; you are being DETAINED and when the officer comes up and says do you know why i pulled you over? You say: probably speeding that is ADMISSION of guilt. TICKET!!! What you should say is 5th amendment. Give the necessary paperwork but never answer any question except your name. I did this two weeks ago, no ticket no hassle from officer, i made him do his job, investigate. We on this forum love our second amendment right, well uphold and demand your 5th too regardless of what you are being questioned for.