If you run into one of these cops just comply with everything they tell you to do. Arguing with us on the side of the road will never get you anything and usually tends to escalate the situation even more. If you are treated heavy handed by a poorly trained cop just cooperate.I guess that depends on how heavy handed and how poorly trained.
My recommendation is to initially be polite and respectful to every human being you meet--if they'll let you be. And try to defuse emotional confrontations by being as calm and rational as you can. In general, life just seems to work out better that way.
If you're pulled over, count on them having a wealth of information about you, including if you have a "permit," count on that information already having been recorded, and count on your attitude being the only one you can control.
[Via Sam W]
14 comments:
Never have been pulled over but it could happen and does from time to time illegally. Had a buddy who doesn't drink get pulled over after going to the brew pub to eat after taking in a movie with his wife. The cop thought he had been drinking, of course. So the cops walks up and my buddy asked him why he's being pulled over because his car is new so all the equipment is working and he was in fact going under the speed limit by a few MPH. This being Idaho the CWL flashes with the plate number for in state LEO's. The cop knew he wasn't drinking and said something about a car matching his car was reported to have been seen leaving an area where there was a crime. Yea, 70 grand Jag's are hot with criminals for doing crimes here in Idaho.
Bottom line is, the cop can call in someone and know who this person is. If they have a CWL, so be it they have a Constitutional right to have a firearm and are following the laws of the land. If cops are that chickenshit that the fear their fellow citizen who is law abiding than they need to get a different job. My hunch is cops know they shit on a lot of people and don't know if they are going to run into someone that's been screwed over without any real reason but for cop ego and has a bone to pick. Everyday in America cops are drawing a deeper and more bold line in the sand with their fellow citizens. Cops are not Peace Officers any longer but people who see themselves as better and above citizens. They see citizens are stupid people in any number of ways. Cops have the Us vs Them demeanor and then know in their hearts that many cops in today's world have screwed over folks who didn't deserve it. That's the reason they are jumpy, it comes from guilt.
I'll be polite as long as I can without allowing myself to be abused. Stopping me for no reason is abuse, though.
A couple of years ago I pulled into the post office and had a cop pull in behind me. He walked up with his hand on his gun and asked for ID and all the standard state papers. I complied slowly (since I don't keep those things handy for the convenience of swine). My paperwork doesn't exactly match up so he kept questioning me about the discrepancies. I answered with one word answers. He lied that he was looking for a car with similar tags and description. (I know he wasn't because the color of my car isn't common and the state of my plates was even more unusual in that area). He saw me, thought I looked "funny", and went "fishing".
Hey look ... a blog from a cop of my hometown.
my response;
I am always as helpful, polite and cooperative as the officer will let me be. But I will not be abused, I don't care about his paranoia, I don't care about why he stopped me, if he counts coup on me, we have a problem, right there, right then.
I have spent a great deal of my life on the road away from home. As a result of always being recognizable as a non-local, I have been stopped many times for no discernable reason, excepting of course, the times I had actually committed an infraction.
I don't get angry when stopped, I don't even get angry if given a ticket I didn't deserve, everybody can make a mistake and I have options for correcting such. But I will not suffer abuse, don't be a smart-ass, don't threaten me if I ask you to be as respectful to me as I started out with you. If you do, you will need to be able to back it up, right there, right then. Because of the special status given to police officers, my only shot at justice should things progress to that stage is to take enough of him that he will still feel the effects of it for at least the 20 years I will have to serve in prison. But I won't be abused, even at that risk.
If we can be courteous to each other there is no problem. I always start out that way. Only a very few times have I had to correct a badge heavy prick, but I have done it. Fortunately, most of the time, the officer has treated me decently and I have returned the courtesy. One of which is I don't lie to them. If asked, as I have been, "do you know how fast you were going?" I always answer truthfully. Since the repeal of nationwide 55mph speed limit, that hasn't come up.
I notice you state anti-police sentiments will be removed. This is not anti-police, it is anti-bully. But your frame of mind will be the arbiter. We'll see how it goes.
Change prick to bully in the above, it was temporary filler until I could scan my vocabulary for the word I really wanted.
"They see citizens are stupid people in any number of ways."
it could be hypothesized that, perhaps worldwide, many people believe that a lot of other people are ridiculously stupid. everyone has a difference experience of the world. it is easy to foster an "us" vs. "them" mentality when you take your hobbies and employment too seriously. so, i do not think this is reserved for police, and i do not think there is much you can do about it.
therefore: why again are there police at all? that is, what are the forces that bring about the demand for security?
ask yourself what groups you think would purchase security services in a free, unfettered market.
ask yourself: wouldn't we all be a lot better off if we simply weren't forced to subsidize our very neighbors' collectivist fears of the outside world?
Well, Straitarrow,
Looks like they removed your comment. I had a comment writen up, but it now commenting has been disabled. Typical ONLY ONES!
They left the "grovel before the cops"/"police are more important"/"you might be a criminal" comments up though.
Remember, if you unable to comprehend that a "police officer" is to ave full power over you at all times -including your rights- then you are just to unbelievable..I mean, you can't be sincere, you must be "anti-cop".
It is US vs Them in their minds. We have been trying, and still trying, to explain to them how to respect our rights but they won't listen.
C.H.
I had a response written up attempting to politely correct this officer.
I tried to point out that they shouldn't know we are carrying because they don't need to know, and their is no guarantee that THEY won't become hostile without cause and that we would need to be able to defend ourselves. (mentioned the lady that was tazed for not signing a ticket)
I also used the opportunity to point out that this is another example of why we should follow Vermont and get rid of the permit system and the NICS.
C.H.
Well, charlton, I am not surprised. I thought he would, but he can never say he hasn't been warned.
He actually deleted all comments, and then enabled moderation.
So, I sent a comment for him to "moderate". Laughing at him and asking why he just didn't run away as he had just done.
Turns out his post was just a beg piece. Summed up it goes like this. Please don't do anything that we might find scary, even if we're wrong. And please let us do whatever we want. Anything we do that we shouldn't can be taken up with someone else so we won't be scared or even in the vicinity,please, pretty please.
Unfortunately, cops' actions are often irreversable, so it would be our survivors who would be left to take it up with his bosses. And then be slapped in the face when "no wrongdoing" is found. I see another one of those "unintended consequences" brewing.
Why on earth should a cop be uptight when he pulls over a guy in his late 40's and older who's driving a decent car/truck if he sees the readout saying the driver is a CWL holder?
Would this very same cop feel the same if it was a woman CWL holder? Or just a man?
My hunch is the heart of being uptight around citizens who have guns is because they have seen hundreds if not thousands of times where other cops have screwed over citizens in unlawful ways. They know there's a lot of hard feelings out there and for good reasons.
This being uptight comes from being unlawful and abusing citizens.
I almost busted a gut reading this "cop's" admission that he nearly wets his pants in fear every time he does a traffic stop on a CCW holder.
Really, now, officer if the CCW holder wanted to gun you down, he wouldn't have waited for you to run his license and find out he was packing, would he?
People that cowardly should not be cops. Then again, it seems that line of work attracts those who need to control others in order to feel safe.
went back to the site to check. Only two "new" comments have made it. I don't need to tell you the tone of them do I?
So couldn't help myself, posted this. Which won't make it either, but at least he knows there is someone out here who knows him for what he is and for what he isn't.
"moderate this! Ha ha ha. Coward. You personally. Does not apply to those who aren't afraid to hear others' opinions."
Post a Comment