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Argh, I'm sorry. I always feel as if I've done something wrong, too. (Especially when I have, I am a bit of a chronic speeder. But who goes 45 on a country road? Really?)
Honestly, every police officer I've encountered has been different. I had one hit on me in Chicago, but Chicago cops are a horse of a different color. I've had perfectly nice police officers (one gave R a total break on not having his insurance cards) and some horribly rude ones (threatening to arrest us because we were walking around at 11 pm. I guess things really are different in the suburbs!)
I don't know what to tell you, I would have asked the same thing. Just be glad you didn't get a ticket!
Ew. Power trip, much? That police officer was seriously a jerk! I'm sorry :( And I TOTALLY know what you mean about "feeling like a criminal". I'm always nervous when they're behind me on the road, even if I'm going the speed limit and know nothing is wrong! I guess being fearful of authority is in our DNA or something. lol
Ahh. It is totally a power thing! When I lived in Charleston, my dad knew all the officers, including the one that ticketed me for my first accident (got dropped even though it was my fault!) since he works for the city and not to mention they don't pull you for just anything in the city, but here in the middle of nowhere they ticket for everything and anything! UGH! I hate seeing a cop behind me!
Oh! Do I have one. It seems to have gotten ranty. :(
So I am driving BF's (father's) car around town, going to pick him up from work. I get stopped. Why? Because the stickers on the NJ tag say "07". I've never been pulled, so I'm attempting to tell the policeman that I don't think NJ does license stickers anymore, it is my BF's Father's car, it's properly registered to him, at the address, and the car is current.
So he gives me this spiel about how "it" needs to be changed, and a ticket for failure to update address with DMV.
And I'm thinking, well my address is current, I gave him my little DMV address-change card with my license, and even if the car is improperly registered, what can I do about it? I don't own it, registration is between my BF and his dad. They tell me it's current, I'm certain it's current, and I know my stuff is good.
So officer decides to tell me that if I come to court with proof that it's been changed, it will probably get thrown out.
I'm peeved, I go to pick up BF, who apologizes, and I tell him yes, it's semi-kinda his fault... policeman was going to get me on something, but since it was his car and not my driving, yes, it was kinda his fault. But I'm not angry with him. He says it's the first time anyone's ever been pulled in that car.
So the next day I am shopping, and out of curiosity, I decide to check out this "07" my buddy was talking about.
Do you know. I mean, I don't think I can properly convey this emotion, that is how bad it is. I looked at this license plate. The "07" I was stopped for? THE MONTH. The stinking MONTH on the stupid tag is why I was stopped and given a ticket, FOR NOTHING. Oh, you have NO idea how mad I was. The actual stickers were from 2003 and 2005. TWO THOUSAND FIVE!!!
So I seethed. And seethed. And seethed some more. BF's dad is awesome and would have come down to go to court with me, but we just had him send some copies of stuff. BF came with me to court, and judge asks if my license is current. I tell him it was current when I was stopped. Judge asks if the car is properly registered. Yes, to it's owner who lives at the address it's registered. In NJ? Yes. Well he doesn't know quite what happened, but he dismissed the ticket and advised us to remove the stickers so it doesn't happen again.
I'm still pretty miffed.
I would have asked the exact same question, so that if she was planning to write a ticket I could have tried to argue my way out of it. It's a totally legit question. Someone was obviously power-tripping.
Haha, man, I have a story to add.
I was on the way to the beach in my super old volkswagon convertible - with the top down. The speedometer was broken, but the car really could NOT speed... my parents tested it one time by driving it at it's top speed and driving another car right beside it, matching the speed to see how fast it was - it couldn't have been more than 70-75.
So anyway, here I am in my bikini in the convertible, and a motorcycle cop pulls me over on the freeway. He told me I was speeding and that he marked it around 85 - I don't know how that's POSSIBLE. He proceeded to talk to me for about an hour about his life story, times he's let people away without tickets because their birthday was the day his mom died, etc etc. Then, he asked me about my life and had me tell him all about how I was headed up to college the next year. He gave me all this advice, told me a book I needed to read, and made me take off my sunglasses, look him in the eye, and swear I would read it.
So, I'm uncomfortable sitting on the side of the road in a bikini top talking to this old man-cop, and he finally says "I tell you what - I retire the day before your court date for this ticket will be set, so if you go to court for it, I won't be there... if you know what I mean."
So, months later, I went to court, he wasn't there, and the charges were dropped.
I'm just peeved that he took so much of my time spouting, probably only pulled me over because I was in a bikini, and gave me the ticket anyway so I had to deal with it even when he knew it would be thrown out!
honestly i think its a crap shoot. I have met nice cops and I have met cops that are just GOING to be jerks, regardless. But, I generally think that the best plan of action is to make the cop as comfortable as possible and be as courteous as possible. First, make sure that when they get to the car you already have your license and registration out, your window down, and your hands on the wheel. YOU know that you are safe... but imagine how scary it must be to walk up to a car and have no idea if the person in there is nuts and will just shoot you. Leave your hands on the wheel until they ask for things and then get them quickly. Be nice, honest, and don't say more than necessary. They can tell if you're BSing them. And remember-- you are not a criminal! So chill... the worst that will happen is that you'll have to pay some money.
Gosh, what a punk!
A few years ago when I was leaving my hubby's parents house (it was about 1am) while we were still just dating, I was stopped at a red light and noticed a cop next to me at the light. So I made a mental note to watch my speed as I took off from the light. Well wouldn't you know, this jerk pulls me over and I was like WTF?! So I signal that I'm starting to pull over and I wait for him to stroll up. He starts trying to tell me that I ran a red light. I was like, no it was green. He said again it was red. I couldn't believe it, he was nuts. He walked to his car and came back, and wouldn't you know, the jerk called for backup! The next guy that came in was an even bigger jerk and did the most of the talking from that point. They had me come out of the car, checked my eyes, asked me all these questions, patted me down, then searched my car. They were trying to accuse me of doing drugs, and to boot, telling me that I had just ben doing them with my MIL...they were crazy! At this point, I feel like a weiner admitting it, but I was shaking like a leaf and tearing up because of all this. They tried to say my eyes weren't reacting properly when they looked at them. I, of course, denied what they were accusing me of and said if they didn't believe me they could take me in to test me. They never did, but after 45 minutes of this harassment in the middle of the night, they finally let me got with a red light ticket that cost me $392!
Gross. I hate it when people abuse their authority in any way, even when it's to power trip on you.
I was pulled over once for running a stop sign. The funny thing is, I didn't. I knew I didn't - because I saw a car coming, thought about it, figured that with a 35 mile per hour speed zone, I had plenty of time to pull out and not cut them off, looked both ways, THEN went. The person FLEW up on my butt, blinding me with their lights, then flicked on their blue lights and siren. Yup, a cop. He said I didn't stop. I said I did. He asked if I was calling him a liar. I said, "no, but you certainly don't have your facts straight". He told me I'd get further with him if I were just truthful. I said that I didn't know any other way to be, and that I was not in the wrong. I then told him to be prepared to prove it with his dash cam. He went back to his car with my license, at which time I called my then bf and told him that I was probably going to jail in a few minutes - because I was NOT going to let it go and I was getting pretty pissed.
The cop came back, THREW my license and insurance card in the window, frisbee style (which sent them flying throughout my car) and muttered, "at least try to slow DOWN, next time" and walked off. What an ass.
On the other hand, I was pulled over by a cop fifteen minutes after having been laid off, and I had been crying and had mascara everywhere. I was legitimately speeding, and I knew it and apologized and confessed that I just wanted to get home. He took mercy and didn't ticket me, thankfully. He was also really, really nice.
I think I have to step in in defense of the police here.. When I was in high school I was an intern for the police department, and I took a class on traffic stop safety. Whenever a cop has to pull someone over, it's a total crapshoot.. it your rear-light is out, you may just not have noticed, but there's also a chance you might be a drug dealer who freaks out for getting pulled over, or someone else with something to hide. Here's the tips that the class gave me for whenever you get pulled over:
1. Pull over at a safe place, even if it means driving a little farther. They try to pull you over at a place where it will be safe for them to get out of their car.
2. Don't do anything until they come up to you. Don't get your license/registration out, don't roll down your window.. don't do anything. Except maybe to turn off the radio. Just put your hands on the wheel where they can see them very clearly.
3. Let them knock on your window - then roll it down.
4. Speak respectfully and clearly. If they ask why you were speeding, it's fine to give the the reason or an excuse (sometimes all they need is a little reason to not give you a ticket) but don't just start talking. It's kind of the "speak only when spoken to" rule.
I've been pulled over 3 times, and only got a ticket once, and that ticket was reduced to a point where it didn't have to be reported to insurance or give me points on my license. It may seem like they're on a power trip, but there are a ton of police injuries/fatalities due to traffic stops every year, and they are taught that, so they're just protecting themselves. I try to remember that whenever I'm pulled over.. I could just as easily be a paranoid schizophrenic or a drug dealer or murderer for all they know.
I've never really had bad experiences with police officers until I moved to NYC... I don't drive so I haven't been pulled over, but a lot of times they just seem like jerks who thing they're the greatest. I know they have a hard job and such, but that doesn't give you the right to be a jerk. My boss is a DR and she had a cop pull her over one time (basically for no reason, or a misunderstanding, idk), was being a TOTAL jerk. He didn't believe her that she was a dr (she offered to show him her license) blah blah blah. She went to court. He didn't have his facts straight so the judge yelled at him about wasting his time and the whole thing was thrown out. A month or so later, the officer came into the hospital with a patient and my boss was there and he saw her. So, it's kind of fun how she ended up getting the last zing. Clearly, she was a dr. Apparently where she works also requires them to give special treatment to officerers who come into ER. Best rooms and such, which bothers her because a cop came in once with just a twisted pinky and yet people were having heart attacks and such and still the cops get the special treatment.
I did have one time where a cop pulled me over and it was kind of creepy... But he didn't really pull me over lol I was walking our family dog (I was maybe 17 at the time) who's a big giant black newfoundland dog that weighs like 110lbs. It was a nice day, but windy. So he pulled up to me and stopped and said "good thing you have that dog with you or else you'd blow away!" uh.... thanks? then he went on luckily. so creepy.
I think sometimes when they go back to the car it's to look you up and see if you've already received a warning about something (like a taillight being out). Since they keep all that stuff on record, I always assumed they'd radio in and have them look you up. Then if you've alread received a warning, they'll give you a ticket; since you hadn't, they gave you a warning. (Plus they can check if you're shady, just in case!) So she may not have known yet whether or not she would be giving you a ticket.
Still kind of rude though. :/
Oh! I forgot! To top off my craziness, my ticket listed my weight at 110lbs. I'm flattered, but there is no way in this world I weigh anything near 110lbs...
I got pulled over yesterday. I was apparently going 42 in a 30 zone, but I was (no kidding) less than ten yards from the 40mph sign when he signaled for me to pull over. Sheesh.
I was overly nice, called him "sir", etc. I also had a pile of my army gear in the back, and after asking if I was in the service ("yes, sir, I am."), he let me off with a warning. It made me so mad because people were passing us at like 55mph! And I'm usually SO careful about my speed..really!
You didn't do anything wrong. Some police officers are just... like that. There really isn't much you need to do to provoke them.
I don't have too much experience with being pulled over by the police (although I've had my share of negative run ins... NYC can be crazy). I do remember when I was driving to school, I had literally just broken up with my BF and I was crying (turned out to be useless tears cuz I went right back, anyway) so I didn't realize I had been speeding. The officer pulled me over, eventually gave me a ticket and had no sympathy for me. I guess he probably sees people fake crying when they get pulled over but that was harsh. Ah well, I got the ticket reduced.. sucka! Lol.
I hate getting pulled over, even tho I’ve never really bad a terrible experience (only one jerky cop, but whatever), but I get sooooo flustered too! I always start freaking out that I will get arrested (even though I’ve never done anything illegal, and my worst offense is speeding), and I try to be as respectful as possible. I am all about the “yes, sir..no, sir”
The funniest was when I was in high school, my dad took care of my car for me (registered it, etc.). One day, he said my car had to get *inspected*, but he was busy, so I took it to get inspected. Apparently, the registration was expired, but the mechanic didn’t tell me – and I was CLUELESS.
The day after I got it *inspected* (this is an important distinction lol), I got pulled over. Cop asks me if I knew my car’s *registration* was expired. I pointed at the inspection stick and said (honestly shocked) “but that’s impossible, sir! I just got this sticker yesterday!”. The cop busted out laughing, told me that was my inspection, not my registration, and then had me hand him the registration and he showed me where it was indeed expired.
He let me off without a warning, and I went and got my car REGISTERED the next day! LOL
I'm going to agree with everything that lemilie said...my FI is a cop and he pretty much would reiterate everything she said.
It's odd that he's a police officer because cops make me SO nervous!! I've been in the car when he's been pulled over and I always get so freaked out. He laughs at me all the time because of it.
I once got pulled over, put in the back of the cop car, had my vehicle searched (in a manner I later learned was totally illegal (thanks law school)), interrogated, had back up called...because DMV, when registering my new license plates, had typed my number in wrong. It was off like a 6 where the 7 should have been kind of thing. Slip of the finger.
It took like 2 hours, they never apologized, accused me of drinking (it was 8 in the morning!), and said they thought I was a license plate counterfitor (sp?).
Ugh.
When I was 18, I was driving at night on a highway and someone was following me really closely, to the point where it was messing with my vision. I had a bad feeling it was a cop, and after he followed me for several minutes, I was trying to see in my rearview mirror if he was a cop and I must have gone onto the shoulder a little bit. As soon as I did, the flashing lights came on. The cop asked me when was the last time I had a drink. I said, truthfully, Thanksgiving. (It was April. :)) He ran me through all kinds of sobriety tests, making me touch my nose, stand on one foot, etc. Then he said he "guesssed" I was safe to drive and asked where I was going. I was on my way to work. (Had my uniform on and everything.) He said that maybe he'd call and make sure I got there safely - but the tone of his voice implied that it wasn't my safety he was concerned about, it sounded like he didn't believe me. I guess they never called, though.
I'm always afraid when a cop gets behind me too! I always try think about every little thing that I could possibly be doing wrong that would make him want to pull me over.
A few weeks ago a cop followed me from off campus and pulled me over right in the middle of campus. Turns out I had a brake light out. He didn't give me a ticket, but I had to sit in the middle of campus looking like an ass with a cop car behind me for a good ten minutes.
I've been given 2 tickets. Yes, I do speed sometimes, but a couple of times there was someone in front of me, so it wasn't JUST me.
When dealing with the police, I talk as little as possible. If they ask me something, I'll answer, but I don't give up extra information. Truthfully, I get out my license and registration and sit and wait for them to go to their car and look up my information & bring my ticket back. I've only gotten two warnings and that was years after I have gotten 2 tickets.
I don't care what anyone says. My educator license plate in the state of GA is a magnet for the police. I've had friends tell me the same!lol
alright, since i work in law enforcement and my FH is a cop and so is half my family - i feel the need to defend cops ....
while yes there are some cops out there with power trips, honestly sometimes the person being pulled over has an attitude.
i cant tell you how many times i have had someone either a) be totally rude and try to tell me how WRONG i am (sorry i know what the law is) b) try and talk me out of writing the ticket or c) either try and get out of the car, cuss me out, or otherwise act squirrelly while im trying to do my job.
sometimes people have to remember that cops on traffic stops are doing the most dangerous thing they do on a daily basis. they have no idea what they are walking into, and they have no idea of the mindset of the person they are talking to. a traffic stop can turn bad in a second. VERY bad.
so help out the officer, and when you get pulled over, follow these simple rules.
a) pull over immediately in the first safe area you see, be it a shoulder or parking lot, if you arent near something, you can always put your flashers on, slow down to a very low speed like 10mph and proceed to a safe place (especially important if you get pulled by an unmarked vehicle in a deserted locale
b) when you are waiting for the officer to approach your vehicle, DO NOT make any weird movements in the car, no reaching for your purse, no digging in the glovebox, no moving around - they cant tell ifyou are looking for your license or a gun. if you have an interior light, feel free to flick that on so they can see you.
c) wait for the officer to talk to YOU, and listen. follow all their directions. if they tell you to remain in the vehicle, do it. just because the person has to go back to their car, does not mean you are automatically getting a ticket - sometimes it takes time for your registration informaton to come back to them, and they also have to run your license info away from the car.
d) cops hate it when people tell them "dont you have something better to do?" or anything along those lines. they pulled you over for a reason. if by chance you feel that reason is unjustified, fine, save it for court and justify it there, the judge can dismiss it, arguing with a cop will get you nowhere. and will discredit you in court.
e) if you were wrong just say it. if you believe you were in the right, say it, but Politely!!!! and once. if they dont change their mind then, they wont after you repeat it fifty times.
f) if you feel the officer was inappropriate (because again, there are bad apples everywhere) call their department and voice your complaints.
in the end, realize that the officer that ispulling you over is in a very unique position, and dealing with a difficult driver hightens that situation :)
*stepping off soapbox*
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UGH! I got pulled over this morning, which I hate hate hate. First of all, there's the money and the mark on your driving record if you get a ticket. Second, I get so flustered when dealing with the police. It's so silly, but I feel like a criminal when they walk up to the car!
So...it turns out I had a rear break light out. Honestly, it must just have gone out and there was no way I'd have known.
So the officer takes my info, and then she says she's going back to her car. So I kind of cringe and sheepishly ask "Oh no, am I getting a ticket?"
This resulted in a tongue lashing for me about how I shouldn't ask an officer a question like that and didn't she just TELL me she was going back to the car so I need to sit and wait for her to come back.
In the end - no ticket. I don't really get what I did wrong though. I guess the police have an etiquette code of their own.