What Not To Say When Pulled Over By Police

[Harsh_77 718]

Wow! Way to go, WSJ. This "educational video" is old as $#!t. But, I wouldn't expect you to know anything about black culture before the invention of YouTube so I guess it's OK.

nab is correct. Here in Ohio, the cops know you have a CCW when they pull you over and some get pretty shaky since someone who's a non-felon that's been background checked, trained and licensed might be carrying a gun in their vehicle. They don't even do that for all the criminals. Way to go cops!

I don't know why anyone would consent to a search of their vehicle for any reason, especially after a cop is offended. Cops have ZERO right to search your vehicle during a traffic stop. ZERO! Implying a cop's wife is a street walker is not a good idea, but that doesn't mean you consented to search.

Exactly. The fif applies to ALL encounters with the po-lice. "One, two, three, fo'..... FIF!"

You are wrong on this one, they don’t have the right to search and you don’t have to consent to search, but it does not take them long to detain you and get a search warrant.

So if you are not doing anything wrong then you should not be worried about.

Yes calling a cops wife hooker is not going to get you off the hook, most cops would give you a warning and let you go for minor speeding violations.

[nab 74]

You are wrong on this one, they don’t have the right to search and you don’t have to consent to search, but it does not take them long to detain you and get a search warrant.

So if you are not doing anything wrong then you should not be worried about.

Yes calling a cops wife hooker is not going to get you off the hook, most cops would give you a warning and let you go for minor speeding violations.

sorry Harsh, but this is a very naive comment. this is the same mentality cops use to get people to waive their rights... "if you dont have anything to worry about, let us search".

how naive are you about cops in the US? do you also believe the cops are there to protect you? they're not. they're there to take a picture of your dead body at the crime scene. "protection" is something you do for yourself and your family.

you need to know your rights, and do NOT allow them to be trampled.

as far as your other comment, come on! if they have enough to convince a judge to give them a search warrant, they would have already searched your vehicle under that suspicion. now possible what they find in your vehicle could convince a judge to give them a search warrant for your home, but for your car? they will find a reason to search ... "yes your honor, suspect could not stand on his own, was weaving, his eyes were dilated, i smelled alcohol/marijuana, suspect appeared to be high on some type of amphetamin" (sp?).... take your pick. and they can rough you up if they think you are under the influence of a substance (i.e. "suspect had to be restrained"... doesnt matter if you fought them or not).

you need to understand, your "reality" may not be the cop's reality. after you see someone beaten down for no reason (i.e. cop on a person's back on the ground, the person in handcuffs, and cop beating them in head cause they're mad) and the cop screaming "stop fighting" just in case there's cellphone or videotape rolling (which now is against the law in some places = cops on duty being video recorded. too many people used it to show police abuse and the cops didnt like it).

i dont trust any cop. i dont let them in my house, i dont associate with them at all unless necessary. most go in to the job with good intentions but it turns them dirty.

when people teach their children to go to anyone in a uniform for help if in trouble i just shake my head in disbelief... you know how many other "professions" wear a 'uniform', and little kids dont know a cop from a rent a cop from an ice cream man! teach your children to find a woman alone or with chldren. they will pay more attention to a lost child if they dont have a spouse/BF with them, and higher likelihood they will get the child to somewhere safe.

the job is a dirty job, and as such, it makes many men dirty.

[The_Dude 1,142]

when people teach their children to go to anyone in a uniform for help if in trouble i just shake my head in disbelief... you know how many other "professions" wear a 'uniform', and little kids dont know a cop from a rent a cop from an ice cream man! teach your children to find a woman alone or with chldren. they will pay more attention to a lost child if they dont have a spouse/BF with them, and higher likelihood they will get the child to somewhere safe.

the job is a dirty job, and as such, it makes many men dirty.

You're little diatribe there at the end is really uninformed and blatantly full of sh!t.

[fozzie 41]

sorry Harsh, but this is a very naive comment. this is the same mentality cops use to get people to waive their rights... "if you dont have anything to worry about, let us search".

how naive are you about cops in the US? do you also believe the cops are there to protect you? they're not. they're there to take a picture of your dead body at the crime scene. "protection" is something you do for yourself and your family.

you need to know your rights, and do NOT allow them to be trampled.

as far as your other comment, come on! if they have enough to convince a judge to give them a search warrant, they would have already searched your vehicle under that suspicion. now possible what they find in your vehicle could convince a judge to give them a search warrant for your home, but for your car? they will find a reason to search ... "yes your honor, suspect could not stand on his own, was weaving, his eyes were dilated, i smelled alcohol/marijuana, suspect appeared to be high on some type of amphetamin" (sp?).... take your pick. and they can rough you up if they think you are under the influence of a substance (i.e. "suspect had to be restrained"... doesnt matter if you fought them or not).

you need to understand, your "reality" may not be the cop's reality. after you see someone beaten down for no reason (i.e. cop on a person's back on the ground, the person in handcuffs, and cop beating them in head cause they're mad) and the cop screaming "stop fighting" just in case there's cellphone or videotape rolling (which now is against the law in some places = cops on duty being video recorded. too many people used it to show police abuse and the cops didnt like it).

i dont trust any cop. i dont let them in my house, i dont associate with them at all unless necessary. most go in to the job with good intentions but it turns them dirty.

when people teach their children to go to anyone in a uniform for help if in trouble i just shake my head in disbelief... you know how many other "professions" wear a 'uniform', and little kids dont know a cop from a rent a cop from an ice cream man! teach your children to find a woman alone or with chldren. they will pay more attention to a lost child if they dont have a spouse/BF with them, and higher likelihood they will get the child to somewhere safe.

the job is a dirty job, and as such, it makes many men dirty.

Had a bad experience did we?

While I agree that you should stand up for your rights there is a right way and a wrong of doing so. But to not trust any police officers because of a handful of dirty, power hungry cops is idiotic. Its like not trusting muslims because of....oh wait

[TBoneTX 45,309]

"if you dont have anything to worry about, let us search".

You (flatly): "What would you be searching for?"

Cop: "Well, guns." (Sometimes it's drugs.)

You: "Why didn't you first ask me if I had any in the car?"

This shames the cop, and it's not a response that criminals typically use.

If the cop persists by saying something like "If you don't have anything to worry about, then you should let me search," one response is (politely) "Well, months ago, I asked my lawyer about this, because I was curious. On the basis of his advice, I never consent to any search. It's a waste of my time and of taxpayers' dollars to consent to a search that will only turn up nothing. Furthermore, if you had probable cause to search, you already could have searched, without my consent. Since you obviously have none, I shall be on my way. Have a good day, sir."

You're little diatribe there at the end is really uninformed and blatantly full of sh!t.

Rationale, please?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Rationale, please?

Read it, it's blatantly obvious.

If you get pulled over by a cop, they will first ask you if you know why they pulled you over. If they think something is up, they will circle around the car looking for something that is in plain view that would allow them to pull you out, cuff you, and search it. If not, then they will ask if you mind them searching the car. This is what trips up a lot of people, they think that if you say no, that the officer will detain you, and get a search warrant anyways. Usually, they will do nothing, but if they really do suspect drugs or guns, they can call a K9 unit to assist. The dog will sniff around the car, and if you do have either in your car, the dog is going to know.

[TBoneTX 45,309]

If you get pulled over by a cop, they will first ask you if you know why they pulled you over. If they think something is up, they will circle around the car looking for something that is in plain view that would allow them to pull you out, cuff you, and search it. If not, then they will ask if you mind them searching the car. This is what trips up a lot of people, they think that if you say no, that the officer will detain you, and get a search warrant anyways. Usually, they will do nothing, but if they really do suspect drugs or guns, they can call a K9 unit to assist. The dog will sniff around the car, and if you do have either in your car, the dog is going to know.

Could well be. In the event of a dog, another thing to remember is to state clearly to all that you do NOT consent to the dog-handler's touching the car. It's happened that the Dog Officer will keep a baggie of marijuana in his pocket, touch it, touch the car, get the dog to alert, and claim probable cause for a search.

ETA: One way to avoid this is to ask the first cop if you're under arrest for probable cause or being lawfully detained for reasonable articulable suspicion. There's no set time, but (if I recall) 20 minutes is about the limit that a cop can delay releasing you from the time that you request to leave if he has no reasonable suspicion. This may or may not be enough time to prevent the Dog unit from arriving, but it's worth a shot.

Edited September 16, 2010 by TBoneTX

[nab 74]

Read it, it's blatantly obvious.

If you get pulled over by a cop, they will first ask you if you know why they pulled you over.

not always. they have always stated to me "i pulled you over for x, y, or z"

If they think something is up, they will circle around the car looking for something that is in plain view that would allow them to pull you out, cuff you, and search it.

again, not always the case. i had a cop reach into my vehicle and shake my dog crate #1 without reason #2 without permission #3 unsure if he was trying to get a rise out of me or out of my dog (who was NOT in the crate but on seat, large dog, not easy to miss!) but he certainly got BOTH of us riled. i let him know "my dog DOES bite, please do NOT put your hands inside my vehicle again".

just for the record - they should not be putting their hands inside the vehicle even to retrieve your ID/registration/insurance card, YOU should hand it out to them. lucky for one cop (a different time) my dog's head was too large to get past the headrest from the backseat to nail his arm.

If not, then they will ask if you mind them searching the car.

this is also not 'the norm' (maybe on the show "Cops" but not IRL. NORMAL procedure is to use an authorative voice and state "i'm going to search the trunk/car/whatever now, ok?" your "ok" response gives them permission, even if said in fear of the intimidating voice and the stance (flashlight over over shoulder, standing close, feeling like you are about to receive a beat down).

This is what trips up a lot of people, they think that if you say no, that the officer will detain you, and get a search warrant anyways. Usually, they will do nothing, but if they really do suspect drugs or guns, they can call a K9 unit to assist. The dog will sniff around the car, and if you do have either in your car, the dog is going to know.

believe me, if they're taking the time to call out a K9 they WILL be checking the inside of your vehicle no matter what. but the dog WILL react because this is how they are trained. my dog does same on every vehicle, even cop cars (they cant read the writing on the side of vehicle ). a dog trained to search will search all areas ... it's what they are trained to do. that whine for "let me inside to finish the job" they say "the dog is reacting to something" and inside the vehicle the dog goes.

everything they do has a reason behind. the intimidation factor of a police dog is such that most people will consent to a search and dont even realize it. there's a reason police dogs are mostly black... people are instinctively afraid of large black dogs. go to your local humane society and ask them which dogs have the hardest time getting adopted - big black dogs, because people assume they are mean. now, add to that the police dog is barking, and if the cop wants to intimidate you a little s/he allows the dog to come near enough to you to scare you but not near enough that the dog can check you out, see you are not a threat, and become relaxed and friendly with you.

there's also a racial factor in play too, in that some commands which instruct the dog to go crazy barking are in spanish (i.e. cometelo testiculo). even though usually the commnd has been taught to the dog as a "check him out closely", the civilian hears is an attack command! it's very scary for soemone, the vision of a large barking black dog straining at end of leash supposedly wanting to get at the civilian to 'eat up testicles' or whatever the key command is of that particular cop/dog. whenever you see soemthing like this, keep in your mind, this is a well trained dog and s/he (the officer) has control over the dog, it is NOT about to break loose and eat you up.

like i said before, best not to have contact with them, so it shouldnt get to that point (dogs getting called out). dont do illegal things

best of all know your rights. make all who come in contact with you aware you are exercising your rights... nothing illegal, suspicious, or wrong with that. though a cop may try to coerce you via the attitude of 'if you're innocent then show us'. it's just a ploy to waive your rights.

ever wonder why most cops usually only have other cops as close friends? there's a reason for that. because only another cop can know what it's like to start out decent (in most cases) and have to do dirty things to do their job. it's just the nature of the job. most are young when they go in and they have this "i'm gonna fix/protect/save the world..." but laws tie their hands in the things they can do LEGALLY, the 'bad guys' usually have more money, better weapons, and it gets to a lot of them (more of them than you realize). in their eyes, when they (the cops) break the law it is ok becasue the end justifies the means but that's not right becasue next thing you know, you live in a police state where cops can do stop and frisk FOR NO REASON other than they just chose you on the street (i.e. NY).

there are laws in place to protect us as citizens and i hate when people say oh the law protects the criminals! no, the law protects (or SHOULD protect) ALL of us from a police state. if it protects criminals as well, then so be it. we have protections here (which are quickly diminishing) that many countries dont have.

-----------

re: the questions (like "what will you be searching for?" etc) are logical, but keep in mind too many questions (or any in some cases!) can get you labelled confrontational, etc. best thing to do is keep the cop calm... keep tone even, be respectful, and if you have to (in response to them) keep repeating whatever info you've told them. but no matter what, do not fall for them trying to provoke. Like the cop with an attitude about women/guns, it was none of his business WHY i chose to own guns or WHY i chose to have a CCW or any of his other WHYs... a traffic stop is not a place to debate anything, he is not my friend to chit chat with nor share my thoughts, he is there to do a job (period!). no reason to respond with anything other than "sir, just exercising my legal right, sir". he cannot arrest me for not answering all his WHY WHY WHY questions.

----------

fozzie... being muslim has nothing to do with this. nothing different in what i'm saying than if i were saying many men who work in coal mines are extremely hard workers or that guys who work the oil rigs are usually physically tough guys. it's the nature of the job, just like it is the nature of the job in police work to not have that starry-eyed vision any longer. they see the worst of the worse and know this world is a sh!thole. has nothing to do with religion so dont try to start #######.

-----------

Rob & Mel, sorry for rambling on, i just really hate the mind games some of these guys attempt to play with the public. knowledge is power... people need to know their rights and exercise them or they lose them.

[TBoneTX 45,309]

re: the questions (like "what will you be searching for?" etc) are logical, but keep in mind too many questions (or any in some cases!) can get you labelled confrontational, etc. best thing to do is keep the cop calm... keep tone even, be respectful, and if you have to (in response to them) keep repeating whatever info you've told them. but no matter what, do not fall for them trying to provoke. Like the cop with an attitude about women/guns, it was none of his business WHY i chose to own guns or WHY i chose to have a CCW or any of his other WHYs... a traffic stop is not a place to debate anything, he is not my friend to chit chat with nor share my thoughts, he is there to do a job (period!). no reason to respond with anything other than "sir, just exercising my legal right, sir". he cannot arrest me for not answering all his WHY WHY WHY questions.

Good points indeed. Another possible response to questions is (politely) "Oh, I always keep my private affairs private, but thank you for your interest. I wish to leave now; am I free to go?"

That "flexyourrights.org" video (see my earlier post) is excellent and should be viewed at regular intervals, si man.

[nab 74]

Wow! Way to go, WSJ. This "educational video" is old as $#!t. But, I wouldn't expect you to know anything about black culture before the invention of YouTube so I guess it's OK.

nab is correct. Here in Ohio, the cops know you have a CCW when they pull you over and some get pretty shaky since someone who's a non-felon that's been background checked, trained and licensed might be carrying a gun in their vehicle. They don't even do that for all the criminals. Way to go cops!

I don't know why anyone would consent to a search of their vehicle for any reason, especially after a cop is offended. Cops have ZERO right to search your vehicle during a traffic stop. ZERO! Implying a cop's wife is a street walker is not a good idea, but that doesn't mean you consented to search.

Exactly. The fif applies to ALL encounters with the po-lice. "One, two, three, fo'..... FIF!"

i gotta be honest here... first time i saw that WARNING WARNING WARNING flash up it scared me! my heart was pounding becasue i thought there must be some alert about a criminal coming across, till i looked at the info and it was MINE! i was like #######????? felons 'supposedly' have soemthing similar in yellow... again, #######??? we're RED and people with ciminal backgrounds are YELLOW?? gimme a break!

i'm just glad the CCW passed and it's getting gradually changed to be more workable (gotta love the camel nose ). i'd like to have open carry. well, i'd like a lot of things... some of the good things from colorado, texas, florida... but we'll get there.

[nab 74]

Good points indeed. Another possible response to questions is (politely) "Oh, I always keep my private affairs private, but thank you for your interest. I wish to leave now; am I free to go?"

That "flexyourrights.org" video (see my earlier post) is excellent and should be viewed at regular intervals, si man.

i use soemthing very similar with nosy busybodies who do not have the good breeding to know what questions are/aren't proper (i.e. finances, sex life, and so on)

another tip is to get in habit of looking at badges/nametags of ALL people. make it habit when shopping, banking, everywhere, then it's not hard to remember to look at the officer's badge to get name and #. also, call him/her by name "yes officer XYZ" "No officer XYZ". you will be treated better, and if you do have an incident the name will be easier to rememebr if you have said it aloud (IDK why this is!).

it's also nice in day to day life because someone working in a store who helps you and you can respond with "thank you so much Ken" or "that was so nice of you Barbie" makes for pleasant interactions with people.

Edited September 16, 2010 by nab

[The_Dude 1,142]

like i said before, best not to have contact with them, so it shouldnt get to that point (dogs getting called out). dont do illegal things

best of all know your rights. make all who come in contact with you aware you are exercising your rights... nothing illegal, suspicious, or wrong with that. though a cop may try to coerce you via the attitude of 'if you're innocent then show us'. it's just a ploy to waive your rights.

ever wonder why most cops usually only have other cops as close friends? there's a reason for that. because only another cop can know what it's like to start out decent (in most cases) and have to do dirty things to do their job. it's just the nature of the job. most are young when they go in and they have this "i'm gonna fix/protect/save the world..." but laws tie their hands in the things they can do LEGALLY, the 'bad guys' usually have more money, better weapons, and it gets to a lot of them (more of them than you realize). in their eyes, when they (the cops) break the law it is ok becasue the end justifies the means but that's not right becasue next thing you know, you live in a police state where cops can do stop and frisk FOR NO REASON other than they just chose you on the street (i.e. NY).

there are laws in place to protect us as citizens and i hate when people say oh the law protects the criminals! no, the law protects (or SHOULD protect) ALL of us from a police state. if it protects criminals as well, then so be it. we have protections here (which are quickly diminishing) that many countries dont have.

-----------

re: the questions (like "what will you be searching for?" etc) are logical, but keep in mind too many questions (or any in some cases!) can get you labelled confrontational, etc. best thing to do is keep the cop calm... keep tone even, be respectful, and if you have to (in response to them) keep repeating whatever info you've told them. but no matter what, do not fall for them trying to provoke. Like the cop with an attitude about women/guns, it was none of his business WHY i chose to own guns or WHY i chose to have a CCW or any of his other WHYs... a traffic stop is not a place to debate anything, he is not my friend to chit chat with nor share my thoughts, he is there to do a job (period!). no reason to respond with anything other than "sir, just exercising my legal right, sir". he cannot arrest me for not answering all his WHY WHY WHY questions.

----------

fozzie... being muslim has nothing to do with this. nothing different in what i'm saying than if i were saying many men who work in coal mines are extremely hard workers or that guys who work the oil rigs are usually physically tough guys. it's the nature of the job, just like it is the nature of the job in police work to not have that starry-eyed vision any longer. they see the worst of the worse and know this world is a sh!thole. has nothing to do with religion so dont try to start #######.

-----------

Rob & Mel, sorry for rambling on, i just really hate the mind games some of these guys attempt to play with the public. knowledge is power... people need to know their rights and exercise them or they lose them.

First of all, you getting upset at the cops putting his hand in your car and rattling the dog crate is your own fault for not asserting your rights. I work in law enforcement and know the procedures. You are simply projecting a few bad experiences and extrapolating that to be some self evident truth. You are wrong and should look beyond your own personal experiences. Most of the supposed facts there are anecdotal, or just plain made up sh!t.

[nab 74]

First of all, you getting upset at the cops putting his hand in your car and rattling the dog crate is your own fault for not asserting your rights. I work in law enforcement and know the procedures. You are simply projecting a few bad experiences and extrapolating that to be some self evident truth. You are wrong and should look beyond your own personal experiences. Most of the supposed facts there are anecdotal, or just plain made up sh!t.

#1 how do you get that i did not "assert my rights"?

#2 no need to get testy we know you rent a cops are a little touchy at not being real "law enforcement" no matter how much you want to be.

#3 rather than just state i am wrong, explain exactly in what i am wrong

#4 all i stated in my posts were facts. you dont like it, well, too bad. doesn't change the truth.

#5 why do you have such a problem with people educating themselves or others about the law and their rights? LOL be careful, impersonating a police officer is illegal

just to be clear... "guards" are not police officers

[ValerieA 350]

I don't get all the negativity against police officers. They have a hard, dangerous job to do and most of them do it very well. A few bad apples does not mean you throw the whole bucket away. These people are out there protecting us, making it safe for us to walk down the street or drive to the grocery store or...everything. They are not our enemies. They are our line of defense against criminals. I have nothing but respect, admiration, and gratitude for people who put their lives in danger simply by doing their job of keeping me safe. There is nothing wrong with knowing your rights and exercising them. There is also nothing wrong with police getting forewarning that someone may have a firearm on them. I'd like that knowledge, myself.

[slim 1,525]

it does not take them long to detain you and get a search warrant.

Then so be it. I'm not going to waive my rights just so they can overstep theirs.

In most cases, there's absolutely NO reason a cop should be searching your vehicle in relation to a traffic stop. None. It's only when you do or say something stupid, "uh huh" or "OK" are typically stupid answers to give, that they'll do so.

If you exercise your rights and they bring out the dog or a warrant, so what? You're already f'd by that time anyway. The minute you say "NO" to their request, you've already become a target for further investigation.

if they have enough to convince a judge to give them a search warrant, they would have already searched your vehicle under that suspicion.

Yep. It doesn't take very much to search a vehicle. You get lippy, and you're already pulled out, sitting in their back seat, and watching as they toss your car. If they don't find anything you may get off with something light like an obstructing charge or disorderly conduct or something like that. However, if they do find something it'll end up being admissable since your vehicle was searched "incident to arrest" on the aforementioned, and subsequently dropped, charge.

i dont trust any cop. i dont let them in my house, i dont associate with them at all unless necessary. most go in to the job with good intentions but it turns them dirty.

I give them the benefit of the doubt. While there are bad cops out there, even they won't do the paperwork for minor BS just to harass someone who they know won't let them get away with it.

But to not trust any police officers because of a handful of dirty, power hungry cops is idiotic. Its like not trusting muslims because of....oh wait

Not trusting is kind of a soft way of saying, "be smart enough to avoid them."

You (flatly): "What would you be searching for?"

Cop: "Well, guns." (Sometimes it's drugs.)

You: "Why didn't you first ask me if I had any in the car?"

This shames the cop, and it's not a response that criminals typically use.

If the cop persists by saying something like "If you don't have anything to worry about, then you should let me search," one response is (politely) "Well, months ago, I asked my lawyer about this, because I was curious. On the basis of his advice, I never consent to any search. It's a waste of my time and of taxpayers' dollars to consent to a search that will only turn up nothing. Furthermore, if you had probable cause to search, you already could have searched, without my consent. Since you obviously have none, I shall be on my way. Have a good day, sir."

Rationale, please?

That sh!t doesn't work. The instant you become "confrontational" you've already lost. The key to a good interaction during a traffic stop is never taking away that cop's upper hand. He (and more frequently nowadays, she) has to be in control at all times. You can assert your rights, but you always have to do so in the form of "but you're still in charge here." The minute you "take charge" they're going to one up you and that will lead to a negative interaction on your end, be that a ticket or going to jail.

Be firm and courteous - hell, you can even be nice! - but no matter what you do... never try to "take charge" of the traffic stop.

If you get pulled over by a cop, they will first ask you if you know why they pulled you over. If they think something is up, they will circle around the car looking for something that is in plain view that would allow them to pull you out, cuff you, and search it. If not, then they will ask if you mind them searching the car. This is what trips up a lot of people, they think that if you say no, that the officer will detain you, and get a search warrant anyways. Usually, they will do nothing, but if they really do suspect drugs or guns, they can call a K9 unit to assist. The dog will sniff around the car, and if you do have either in your car, the dog is going to know.

This is exactly how it works in 99.9% of PD and Sheriff's offices around the country. It's really not that big of a deal. If you have something, they're going to find it. If you don't..... you're going to get released.

All that is dependent upon your level of being a jackass. Be nice, friendly, courteous, polite and you'll drive away. If you're all those things and you have contraband in your vehicle, you'll get a ride to jail, but you'll get it without getting beat down first. Either way, the choice is yours.

i gotta be honest here... first time i saw that WARNING WARNING WARNING flash up it scared me! my heart was pounding becasue i thought there must be some alert about a criminal coming across, till i looked at the info and it was MINE! i was like #######????? felons 'supposedly' have soemthing similar in yellow... again, #######??? we're RED and people with ciminal backgrounds are YELLOW?? gimme a break!

Why were you looking at your own info on the screen?

i'm just glad the CCW passed and it's getting gradually changed to be more workable (gotta love the camel nose ). i'd like to have open carry. well, i'd like a lot of things... some of the good things from colorado, texas, florida... but we'll get there.

Are you talking open carry in a vehicle?

another tip is to get in habit of looking at badges/nametags of ALL people. make it habit when shopping, banking, everywhere, then it's not hard to remember to look at the officer's badge to get name and #. also, call him/her by name "yes officer XYZ" "No officer XYZ". you will be treated better, and if you do have an incident the name will be easier to rememebr if you have said it aloud (IDK why this is!).

It's easier because now you've used more of your senses to associate that particular word with that particular memory. Hear a name... not so easy to remember. See a name. Maybe not so easy either. But, see a name, hear a name, speak a name.... more "recall" features available. Muscle memory applies to the brain as well.

OFCC recommends an audio recording device be turned on whenever one encounters the police. "I am recording this interaction and it is my duty to inform you that I am carrying a concealed weapon. Do you have any specific instructions, officer XYZ?"

First of all, you getting upset at the cops putting his hand in your car and rattling the dog crate is your own fault for not asserting your rights. I work in law enforcement and know the procedures. You are simply projecting a few bad experiences and extrapolating that to be some self evident truth. You are wrong and should look beyond your own personal experiences. Most of the supposed facts there are anecdotal, or just plain made up sh!t.

For someone spot-on with procedures above, doesn't it seem a little out of procedure for a cop to stick hands in and make contact with personal property without consent? Also, when folks "assert their rights" what typically happens, especially when dealing with a cop that doesn't follow procedure?

I agree it's wrong to have an inherent distrust of law enforcement officers - most are neither bad or good..... they're indifferent like the rest of us, just trying to do their jobs - but to say someone should've done this or done that is a bit like playing Monday morning quarterback, don't you think?