What To Do When Getting Pulled Over By The Police Article

	1888 Articles Home \| Legal Articles	Legal RSS
What to do when getting pulled over by the police

The do's and don'ts of getting pulled over by the police for a traffic violation.

Author: Matisyahu Wolfberg

Article Tools:

The normal reaction when the red lights go on behind a motorist, is to be nervous. Even I, who used to be a police officer, get a little edgy when getting stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation. If however you can keep your cool during a traffic stop, then you may be able to save yourself a lot of money and time, and perhaps even keep yourself out of jail.

The officer has a job to do, part of his job is to give tickets, so most likely it will be very difficult for you to get out of the ticket. However, by following the tips below, you can improve your chances of success. What then should you do when you get stopped for an alleged traffic violation?

1) Pull over as safely and quickly as possible to the RIGHT side of the road. Do not stop next to the median next to the fast lane!

2) Roll down your window, and it helps by the way to keep your registration and insurance proofs in a separate compartment so that when you reach for it, you can get it quickly.

3) Do not, I repeat, do not exit the vehicle unless ordered to do so. If you get of the car, you will make the officer nervous and he will punish you for it later with the tickets he gives you.

4) Do not take off your seatbelt. If you must do so to reach the glove compartment, ask the officer if it is ok for you to un-belt yourself to reach for your paperwork. Sounds minor, but doing so will save you a seatbelt ticket!

5) If you are armed or have a gun in the car (assuming you have a legal right to do so) tell the officer, that in it of itself can open the door to a conversation with the officer.

6) BEWARE Do your best not to admit guilt. The officer will try anything and everything to get you to admit that you broke the law. Many people can’t control themselves and blurt out right away to the officer, “sorry officer, I know I was going a little too fast.” BINGO, your statements get written down and will be used against you. Most of time, officers will try to trick you by asking you, “do you know why I stopped you?” The correct answer, in my book, is to be silent.

7) Try to engage the officer in small talk, if you can manage to connect with the officer’s human side, if he has one, then you may get some leniency.

8) BE NICE, if you are rude, the officer will likely pile on more tickets. The number one thing that police officers demand is respect, and if you don’t give it to them, they will demand it in ways you won’t like.

9) Most people have relatives or friends in law enforcement, so mentioning that fact to the officer is probably a waste of time. Unless it is a really close relative like a parent, son, brother, etc, it probably won’t be worth mentioning it. My father, he should live and be well, was once pulled over for a minor traffic violation in Beverly Hills, California. His wallet was in the trunk and when he opened the trunk, the police officer saw that there was a T-shirt in there, which had the logo of the police department where I worked and the words “POLICE OFFICER.” Well, that was enough! my father did not get the ticket!

10) You may be tempted to beg the cop for reduction or a “break.” There is a difference in opinion about asking the officer to reduce the ticket on the road. Sometimes you can beg the cop and he will reduce a speeding ticket (for example) on the road. But this can be counterproductive. For example, let's say that you get nailed for 80 in a 65 mph zone on the Thruway in New York. You beg the state trooper and he gives in and issues you a 2 point "sign violation." Then you contact me and I tell you that there may not be anything that I can do for you because you received a "field reduction," and I try to request a further reduction with the District Attorney, but the DA will immediately see that you already received a reduction on the road and he will likely not offer any further reduction. Or worse yet, the Trooper may decide to reinstate the original charge, which happened to at least one of my clients in Essex County, New York. HOWEVER... If you had received the 80/65, and did not request the reduction from the officer on the road, and later hired me, I would likely be able to get the ticket down to a no point parking ticket.

11) Ok, if you have really done something wrong, like drinking and driving or you have drugs in the car, etc. KNOW ONE THING! YOU DO NOT NEED TO CONSENT TO THE OFFICER SEARCHING YOUR CAR! Typically officers will say “you don’t mind if I search your car do you?” And the answer, especially if you have something in your car, which you should not have, should be “Yes, I do mind and I do not give you permission.” If the officer threatens to get a warrant to search the car, let him go and get it, most of the time he is bluffing.

12) Be careful whom you give rides to in your car. If you have a careless occupant in your car who has contraband on him, you can be held responsible.

By following these guidelines, you can help yourself tremendously on the road, if, heaven forbid, you ever get

About Author

Former Police Officer turned defense attorney with extensive criminal and traffic ticket defense experience.

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com

What to do when getting pulled over by the police