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Old 11-03-2013, 12:22 PM   #1
Spartan01


 
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Drives: Evil Eva, 2010 2SS LS3
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Falls Church, Virginia
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How To Avoid a Ticket

***The purposes of this post are simply to help the average law abiding citizen deal respectfully and tactfully with law enforcement, and are in no way intended or to be used to pursue any illegal activity. In no way shall the following post be construed as legal advice. If you want legal advice consult an attorney. The poster, Spartan01 assumes zero liability for any situation you put yourself into, and shall be rendered blameless for any and all incident arising from interactions with law enforcement. The poster makes absolutely zero guarantees about whether one's own actions, or that following the simple and common sense advice in this post may or may not result in receiving a traffic ticket or notice of infraction. Furthermore, the reader, by reading this post, acknowledges and agrees to these terms***

I am a former police officer in a major metropolitan city. I am frequently asked how can one avoid receiving a traffic ticket.

1.) Do not get caught. Sounds silly and condescending I know, but it's true.

2.) Since you are reading this, and I can assume you frequently drive a Camaro, a vehicle built with complete and utter contempt for the speed limit, I will now attempt to help you successfully negotiate your way to avoiding a traffic ticket once you have been pulled over.

Ok, so you got pulled over, what now? What is the best course of action to avoid receiving a ticket.


First of all, you need to understand the mindset of a cop pulling you over.


A.) Roughly 70% of all police fatalities occur during a traffic stop. The cop has no idea whether you are a soccer mom with a lead foot, or an escaped death row inmate determined to die in a hail of gun fire. So a cop pulling you over May be a little on edge.

B.) Often, YOUR ATTITUDE is a key factor in determining whether you will get a ticket, and how severe this ticket will be.

C.) Many cops, not all but A Lot, were bullied and picked on in high school. That is why they became cops, to get some pay back, so CHECK YOUR EGO, be polite, respectful, Let the cop know that you know he is in charge, and DEFER TO HIS EGO.
The main key is to let the cop know he is pretty much safe, and let him know that you are acknowledging the fact that he is in charge.
When he lights you up, put on your turn signal. It is best to pull to the outside shoulder if at all possible, rather than the murder lane or inside shoulder.


Once you pull over;

A.)Place the vehicle in park, or neutral and set the emergency brake.

B.) Take your foot off the brake. And turn the car off (put in gear if a manual,) this way the approaching officer knows the vehicle cannot be instantly turned into a missile, or run away. You are letting Him know he is safe and in control.

C.) Turn OFF the radio and any other accessories.

D.) Turn ON all interior lights, and roll down ALL The windows if possible. Give the cop the maximum amount of visibility, let him know he is safe.

E.) Place your hands on the wheel at 10 and 2, advise ALL passengers to put their hands on their knees and not to make any sudden moves and not talk unless directly asked a question by the cop.

F.) When the officer approaches, BE POLITE AND PLEASANT. Now, here is the tricky part- if you admit you did something wrong (speeding, rolling a stop sign etc.), the officer can use that against you in court, HOWEVER he has already pulled you over. So if you admit it by saying something like "I'm guessing you pulled me over for running that stop sign, I APOLOGIZE, I was just not paying attention. Again I am sorry, and I would really appreciate it if you cut me a break officer." You are probably better off. The same applies if/when you go to court, if you fight it you are likely to lose, but if you are contrite and admit your mistake, and ask for mercy, you have a good chance of getting off Scott free or with a reduced fine or penalty.

G.) most likely the officer will ask for your ID, registration etc.
WHEN he asks for these try this. KEEP YOU HANDS ON THE WHEEL, tell the officer "Officer, my ID is in my wallet, in my right rear pants pocket (or wherever it is). Is it OK if I reach for it now?" Only move after receiving permission. You are letting Him know he is safe and in control.
Also use this one as well: "Officer, I will need to undo my seatbelt to get that for you, is it OK if I take my seat belt off now?"

Once you have received permission, in a VERY slow and EXAGGERATED (as in obviously deliberate,) manner retrieve your ID. Then repeat these steps for the registration "Officer my registration is in my glove box, is it Ok to get it now?"

When you open the glove box, unlock it, let it fall or swing open, then leave it open for a few seconds,
DO NOT REACH INSIDE YET,
let the officer see that there are no weapons or other contraband in there.
Then slowly and methodically, reach in and retrieve your documents.

H.) in all instances, Be honest, do not argue. The officer is doing his job, if he says you ran a stop sign that you didn't see, admit that, "gosh officer, I am so sorry, I just didn't see it." As opposed to "No sir, I didn't run a stop sign."*
In the first instance you are apologizing, showing respect, and deferring to the cops professional judgement, whereas in the second you are calling him a liar, or at best incompetent.

G.) Many times a cop will ask if he can search you car. You DO have the right to say NO, but here is where it gets tricky--
If you say no, you are probably going to get a ticket. Also, many times the cop does not really want to search you car, he is simply watching your response to the question, if you get all sweaty and nervous or flinch when he asks, you might be up to some shenanigans.
Additionally, if your car has a separated trunk (not a hatchback,) he needs either express permission or a warrant to search this area. A trick often used is that the cop will say something like "I detect the odor of burnt marijuana, I am going to search you car, Pop the trunk and step out ok?
What just happened is he ASKED you to Pop the trunk, you gave home permission, because he asked you a question disguised as an order.


IF YOU HAVE A FIREARM IN THE VEHICLE :
(This pertains to ANYONE, even if the pistol is locked in a box and or you have a valid carry permit.)
ALWAYS OBEY ALL FIREARMS LAWS AND REGULATIONS. ALWAYS KNOW THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF YOUR LOCAL JURISDICTION AND THE JURISDICTION YOU ARE DRIVING IN. THIS POST IN NO WAY AMOUNTS TO LEGAL ADVICE, AND THE POSTER ASSUMES ZERO LIABILITY FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ANYONE READING THIS POST. READING THIS POST FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT YOU AGREE WITH THESE STATEMENTS AND FURTHERMORE AGREE TO HOLD BLAMELESS THE POSTER IN ANY AND ALL INSTANCES OF INVOLVING FIREARMS, AND OR DRIVING, AND IR INTERACTIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OR CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS ARISING FROM ANY OF THESE.

Firstly, you need to understand the mindset cops have towards citizens carrying guns.
Most cops are pro gun.
Most cops know that if honest law abiding citizens carry weapons, violent crime rates drop significantly. So in reality, most cops are happy you are carrying a weapon, it also means that you have already undergone some kind of fingerprint and background investigation.
Just remember what I wrote about letting the officer know he is safe and in charge.
(In certain states it is legal to have a concealed weapon on your person and not inform the officer. THIS IS RUDE!!!
Remember what I wrote about letting the officer know he is safe?
I can tell you from personal experience, if you have a weapon and fail to inform me, I would hit you with every single ticket I can. Keep in mind that a good officer can always find at least five additional infractions, beyond the primary offense, to write up on every traffic stop.)

Place your hands outside of the vehicle as far as you are able, tell all passengers to do the same, and not to move around.

As the officer approaches, in a calm clear voice, inform the officer "Officer for your safety and mine, I have a firearm in the car. The weapon is located (say exactly where, On my right hip, in a case one the floor etc,) I have a valid permit to carry. The permit is in my pocket."
If the weapon is on your hip/belt and the permit is in your pocket NEVER NEVER NEVER reach for the permit until the officer says it is OK.
In this instance make sure to ask for permission before doing anything.
Make all of your actions, SLOW, DELIBERATE, and ask permission AT EACH STEP.


REMEMBER, when driving, you safest course of action is to ALWAYS unload each weapon, lock each in a case, and lock them in the trunk.


Following these steps will not guarantee no tickets, but it will help your chances.
What many civilians do not realize is that many of the best arrests a cop gets are from minor traffic offenses- the guy runs a stop signs and has a murder warrant, or is speeding and has a pistol and a pound of marijuana on the passengers seat.
So bottom line, don't ever do anything wrong, but if you do, following this advice may help you to avoid a stiff penalty.

ALWAYS OBEY ALL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. ALWAYS KNOW THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF YOUR LOCAL JURISDICTION AND THE JURISDICTION YOU ARE DRIVING IN. THIS POST IN NO WAY AMOUNTS TO LEGAL ADVICE, AND THE POSTER ASSUMES ZERO LIABILITY FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ANYONE READING THIS POST. READING THIS POST FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT YOU AGREE WITH THESE STATEMENTS AND FURTHERMORE AGREE TO HOLD BLAMELESS THE POSTER IN ANY AND ALL INSTANCES OF INVOLVING FIREARMS, AND OR DRIVING, AND IR INTERACTIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OR CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS ARISING FROM ANY OF THESE.
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Last edited by Spartan01; 11-03-2013 at 01:03 PM.
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