Consider yourself lucky. A friend of mine had a very bad time after talking back to an American copper. Later on he was told by his American friends that not even the natives (Americans that is, not native Americans) dare speak up when they are stopped by police. They even went as far as to tell him to just not say anything unless explicitly asked to speak. Weird bunch over there...
I can provide a little insight on this because I used to be a part-time Deputy Sheriff in a Virginia rural county before moving to Germany. My last four years were in the Patrol Division, so I had the opportunity to meet a broad section of the population at all hours of the day and night. The Patrol Division is the sole responding force for traffic, domestic, and commercial actions.
My department gave us considerable discretion when writing traffic violation tickets since we did not have a daily quota like the State Police had. If I stop you for an observed traffic violation, I already know the type of ticket I will write. Whether or not I write the ticket depends on our interaction during the first ten seconds when I walk up to your window. Being nice and understanding go a long way towards you going on your way with an explanation of why I stopped you and a verbal warning.
Here are a few tips that might be helpful:
1. My itent is to go home at the end of my shift in the same condition I was in at the beginning. Whether you continue on your way, go to jail, or go to the hospital usually depends on you.
2. Never do two or more stupid things at the same time. If your recently deceased and leaking Nan is bundled up in the trunk (boot), don't run a red light or a stop sign. Anything I observe (see, smell, or hear) as a result of the legal stop is fair game and can establish sufficient probable cause to search you, your passengers, and your vehicle. Traffic stops are one dynamic situation where a search warrant is not required if I can articulate probable cause in court. If I think there is something concealed in the vehicle that cannot be easily discovered, then I will sieze the vehicle and let CID request a search warrant. For example, a drug dog alerting on a rear quarter panel is sufficient reason to sieze and inspect later with a search warrant. The side of the road is not the place to disassemble and inspect a vehicle for contraband items.
3. I never play guessing games, such as asking if you know how fast you were driving. It doesn't matter if you knew because my RADAR or calibrated speedometer are the proof I need to initiate the stop. I will ask why you were driving in excess of the posted limit, just in case you have a creative answer that makes me smile. By the way, for the ladies, you might have a very impressive pair, but please keep them contained. There is no place on the Virginia Uniform Summons (the VUS is the ticket) for me to annotate your beauties. If the reason is a bona fide medical emergency and you are on your way to A&E, then I will gladly help by leading with lights and siren and having Dispatch notfiy the hospital we are inbound.
4. I know why I stopped you, but I don't know what you were doing prior to our meeting. My first traffic stop after completing my field training resulted in arresting a burglar and recovering over $6K in stolen goods. The suspect was speeding through a construction zone in a Toyota that had seen much better days decades ago. While I was talking to him, I noticed a lot of expensive kitchen equipment in the back seat. I was immediately curious because most people don't take their unboxed KitchenAid and Smeg machines out for an afternoon drive. The quality of the items and the condition of the car did not match. As it turned out, the very nervous driver's license was suspended, the vehicle registration and safety inspection were expired, and the vehicle was not insured. One of the officers in CID was able to close out several open burglary cases later. The day did not turn out well for the driver because he broke Rule 2.
5. If I stop you at night, I will have my 4-cell MagLight in my left hand and my Sig Sauer P220 in my right hand down at my side. You will likely never notice the P220 because of the take down lights on top of my cruiser shining into your car, the spotlight on the side of my cruiser aimed at your side mirror, and the MagLight in your face. Once I determine you and your passengers are not a threat to me, I will discretely holster my weapon and begin our conversation. Sometimes the interactions don't start off very well and it usually ends poorly for the driver or passenger. The muzzle of a .45ACP pistol looks very large when it is in your face and is usually immediately effective in establishing control of a potentially violent confrontation. Also, if you think it is a good idea to lash out at me with a knife through your open window, think again. Your radius, ulna, elbow, or humerus are no match for my lightning fast reflexes and 4-cell MagLight when using your door edge as a backstop. Two people have first hand experience with this.
6. When I walk up to the car and see the driver's hands sticking out of the window with fingers spread, this presents a much lower risk to me and usually indicates the driver is, or was, a law enforcement officer. Hands in plain sight are always a good idea for our initial meeting. You will know when it's appropriate to relax.
7. If you have a weapon in the car, let me know immediately what and where it is. Once that is resolved, we can continue with the primary reason for the stop. If the weapon is within easy reach by you, and you are not law enforcement, I will take it from you until we are done with the stop. If you "forget" to tell me you have a .357 Magnum or Bowie knife stuffed between the driver's seat and center console, or the glove box, and I see it, the nature of our meeting will change dramatically and it will not be in your favor. This has happened several times with handguns and knives.
8. If you notice me on the side of the road with the blue lights on and there are no other cars in the immediate area, I am likely writing down the salient details of our meeting on my copy of the VUS. These details include my initial reason for initiating the stop and your demeanor during our meeting, in case you decide to appear in court instead of pre-paying the fine. Some traffic violations, such as reckless driving or DUI, must be tried in court, but lesser violations can be paid before the court date. I am assigned one traffic court day each month, so if I issue a VUS early in the reporting period, I might not remember everything by the time we meet again in court. However, my notes will immediately refresh my memory.
Happy driving!
