If you get pulled over.

[GeezerSi]

This is from an article by Laura T. Coffey at MSNBC.

1. Don’t try anything funny. This isn’t the time to be argumentative — or, even worse, make the officer worry about whether or not you might be dangerous. Pull over promptly and carefully, turn your engine off, roll down your driver’s side window and keep your hands clearly visible on your steering wheel. Be excessively polite, and only go fumbling around for documents when you’re asked to do so.
2. Turn your vehicle into a blab-free zone. Concentrate on saying as little as possible. You’re under no obligation to admit to anything specific; when asked why you think you were pulled over, you can simply say, “I don't know.” Practice saying such non-committal phrases as “I see” and “Hmmm.” The objective is to avoid shooting yourself in the foot in case you need to go to court.
3. ‘Can I get a warning?’ It doesn't hurt to ask for one, especially if you haven’t been pulled over for years.
4. Resist throwing in the towel. If you do get a ticket, the simplest and least time-consuming option available to you is to pay it. For minor violations that won’t stay on your record, such as parking tickets, this approach usually makes sense — but with many moving violations, paying the ticket would be an admission of guilt. Next stop: Higher insurance rates.
5. Consider traffic school. You can request this option without admitting guilt. It’s time-consuming and costly — you typically have to attend school for a full day, pay for the schooling, pay an administrative court fee and pay the original ticket amount — but on the up side, points don’t appear on your record and the incident doesn’t get reported to your insurance company.
6. You can go to court. For starters, if you decide to fight your ticket in court and the officer who ticketed you doesn’t show up, presto! You’ll almost certainly win. But of course, the officer may indeed show up, and then you’ve got some talking to do. (You also can request a trial by mail.)
7. Think about how to plead. If you plead “guilty with explanation,” the judge might decide to reduce your penalty, but the offense could still appear on your record and lead to insurance rate hikes. Unless you’re confident a judge or prosecutor will drop or reduce charges in exchange for a guilty plea, the advice from experts in this arena is to plead not guilty.
8. Think about how to defend yourself. You can try studying the exact wording of the law you’re charged under, disputing the officer’s recollections — (Maybe his view was obstructed? Maybe he didn’t stop the correct vehicle?) — or explaining the valid reasons behind whatever you did. (Note: Valid reasons don’t include talking on your cell phone or failing to realize what the speed limit was.)
9. Track down the officer’s notes. These notes will document whatever you said in that nervous rush of energy when you got pulled over. (Re-read tip number 2.) To avoid surprises, you can request a copy of these notes in advance of your court date.
10. Show up prepared. Arrive armed with relevant diagrams and photos if at all possible. If you’re a minor, bring a parent with you. Your family could impress the judge by approaching the court appearance with a serious, responsible attitude.

[reelbigfish241]

good to know!

luckily I really don't speed that often though.

[codys8thcivicsi]

good find...

[mikepesikan]

More info I found from a cops perspective....

When most police get on the job they imagine they will be protecting the good from the evil. You learn pretty fast that is not the case. I have been working in Hillbilly Heights & the Ghetto for over a decade and I have never worked an assault where a citizen has protected themselves against a criminal. Most of the time we have volunteers not victims and one goof vs another.

Most people who stay away from stupid places, things and people will never be the victim of criminal violence. Of course many have to live in bad places or at least work in them. Some things in this post may upset people but they are true in the eyes of the police and may help you out in the end.

When the police respond to the call after you have just defended yourself understand that whether it is a traffic stop or an assault, to a patrolman a job is a job. He wants to get it over and done with and get on to the next one so he can go home. The idea is to make your case easy for him to work without giving up your rights. Here are some ideas and random thoughts. I include these in all my classes.

· Be the first to report the incident. Maybe it was your robbers first time doing it and you kicked his ass. He calls the police and they find you. You try explaining how you were the victim. The cop sees your cell phone and wants to know why you did not call first.

· If you used a weapon, tell the officer even if he does not ask for it that you wish to submit if for evidence. If he refuses then at least you can say that you offered.

· Expect to be asked if you have been drinking or have taken drugs whether they are prescription or street. This will have a massive impact on how the officer sees you. Be truthful. The first time you lie about something it is going to make any problem worse.

· If he asks you if you have any weapons DO NOT REACH FOR THEM. He will tell you what he wants you to do.

· Have state issued photo identification. Do not use a check cashing card or Dept of Corrections ID card. I have to include it because it happens. Unless you live in a very urban area most adults have a drivers license. This may be a shocker but many people who anticipate police contact do not carry photo identification. All of a sudden you have a nice tactical folder and a Surefire in your pocket but no ID. That seems a tad unusual.

· If he asks you whether or not you have been arrested BE HONEST. He can find this out with your name and date of birth. It is not uncommon for both the victim and bad guy to end up being wanted. That is why we ask.

· Do not answer your cell phone while talking to the police. #1 it is rude and #2 it is an officer safety issue when people start showing up at the scene. It happens.

· Do not interrupt the officer. Do not try to yell over the top of him. If the other side of the altercation is yelling at the officer stay quite. He will want to give them all of his attention and that is better for you.

· DO NOT TOUCH THE POLICE all too often people want to touch the officer to show them what happened. We don’t like to be touched.

· The officer does not care if you have a friend on the police force. And no he does not know whomever it is that you want to ask him if he knows. All cops do not know each other.

· If you have friends present make sure they keep their mouths shut. He will get to them and ask them what happened.

· If you know whom he works for and his rank, address him that way. Call a deputy a deputy and a trooper a trooper. If you don’t know stick with SIR. We notice that.

· If you are in a car turn the music OFF.

· Most police are not weapons people. Don’t try to chat about the gun, flashlight or knife he is carrying. We call those people squirrels.

· Under stress we all revert back to acting like kids and getting our story in first. You can see this when a cop pulls up to a fender bender and both people run up to him talking a mile minute. Be the one to hang back and answer only the questions he asks you.

· If you are involved in a serious situation such as deadly force, give the officer your name, DOB etc and a brief idea of what happened. Chances are that due to the adrenaline dump you will fell sick to your stomach and have some pain in your chest. You may have shit or pissed you pants. Don’t be afraid to tell the officer that you want an ambulance. That will get you away from the scene to a safe place where you can process what happened and contact an attorney. The officer will come to the hospital when he clears the scene.

· If at the scene you decide to just tell the officer “I am not saying anything until I see my lawyer” chances are that in the initial report you will be the complaintant and not the victim. And trust me you want to be the victim. You can’t have complaintant without complain. A lot of what happens with the case depends on the officer’s initial report. It will be reviewed by the detectives and states attorney. The more he likes you the better.

· Be sure to get the officer name, card or at least the Common Complaint / Incident Report number assigned to the case so that you can be educated when contacting the agency in reference to your case.

· Thank the officer. That one is really up to you. If he was good to you then do it. If you take some of this advice chances are he will be.

Understand that I don’t think the police are any better than anyone else as far as how they should treat people. Personally many of my closest friends are not cops. The way the world is and the way we think it should be are two different things. Understanding how the police view you has a lot to do with your survival after you survive the street.