Ticket Follow Up

Wow, that post got your attention!!! Anyway, there were a lot of comments I feel like I should answer, so I am doing a separate post.

Q: How do you feel about those officer association stickers? What about PBA cards? I have heard people swear it helps.
A: Not really. There are a few stickers that cops recognize, but they are usually only the kind cops can get. I'd say, for me, they are neutral. They don't help but they don't hurt either.

Q: Sometimes you honestly don't know why you got pulled over...Do you have one for how I can keep from feeling like one of America's most wanted when I get pulled over by a policeman...I sit there, not crying, but shaking in my shoes!
A: We are just people, just like you. We eat, poop, fight, laugh, cry, and get nervous, too. I think the first part of that question says a lot. Lots of times people truly don't know why they are getting pulled over, which, in a large part, is what makes pulling people over necessary. When people are JUST NOT PAYING ATTENTION is when they are the most dangerous. You weren't aware you were going 92? Well, I was aware, and it makes me even more scared that you didn't know you were going 92. That means if you had to swerve, stop, whatever, you'd do it like you were going 65, or 55, which is a recipe for disaster. I've been pulled over since I was a cop, and I still get that cold sweat when I see lights in my rearview mirror. I think that's just a normal response. And remember, we act like you are America's Most Wanted until we know that you're NOT America's Most Wanted. You might know who we are when you're getting stopped, but I have no clue who you are (whether you're in a minivan or not) and I have no idea if you just robbed a bank, or killed someone, or both. We do it for our safety, and so that we don't get complacent thinking, "It's just another minivan..."

Q: You must have been really naughty, to get pulled over in your own driveway!
A: Not really a question, but if you look at the picture really good, you'll see Vincent in the passenger seat effecting the traffic stop :)

Q: I had an MP tell me one time, another tip was to just answer yes or no. When a cop pulls you over and says, "do you know how fast you were going?" that it's better to answer yes or no than to answer with the speed. Is that a good idea?
A: That's a good strategy if you want a ticket. That's more so that the cop doesn't have a "speed confession" from you. To me, personally, "yes, I know how fast I was going" is kind of a condescending answer.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I know I enjoyed the questions and responses...
And thank you to all who thanked ME for doing my job... often times it's thankless, but we realize poople generally don't like the police... till they need one. Many times we encounter people at their worst, but look at places like Iraq. Unfortunately we are necessary to keep "civil disobedience" at bay as much as we can...