A proper traffic stop

[Eli]

The only dissention is relative to asking “Do you know why I pulled you over?” because it is considered a stupid waste of time. Last I checked, ignorance of the law isn’t an excuse. You can educate and warn or cite and still be professional.

This is STRICTLY the OPINION of someone who's never worn the uniform...
Being asked "Do you know why I pulled you over?" immediately brings to mind my parents asking "Do you know what you did wrong/Do you know why I'm punishing you?"

You (universal LEO you) aren't my mom...stop scolding me.


I've been stopped three times, thinking back on it, all three of them have used the "I am/from here/you did" formula. While I wasn't jumping for joy at the end of the stops, none of the three were negative experiences, even the one where I actually got a ticket.

[Cypher]

This is STRICTLY the OPINION of someone who's never worn the uniform...
Being asked "Do you know why I pulled you over?" immediately brings to mind my parents asking "Do you know what you did wrong/Do you know why I'm punishing you?"

You (universal LEO you) aren't my mom...stop scolding me.


I've been stopped three times, thinking back on it, all three of them have used the "I am/from here/you did" formula. While I wasn't jumping for joy at the end of the stops, none of the three were negative experiences, even the one where I actually got a ticket.

I'm of the same opinion. Take it for what it's worth but if you (generic) currently ask "Do you know why I stopped you?" Maybe try "I am/ From this dept/ I stopped you because/ I will/won't be citing you for this infraction today." Maybe it will cut down on the "I PAY YOUR SALARY BY GAWD interactions.

[whomever]

This thread is making me wonder about an off the wall question: Bad driving is a big deal - traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death from ages 5 to 55 or something like that. Has anyone ever tried to determine what kind of interaction is most likely to make errant drivers actually improve their future driving? On one hand drivers are saying how they prefer stops to happen, and officers saying how they prefer them to happen, but isn't the really interesting question 'What enforcement options will reduce future bad driving the most?'.

For example, Washington state used to have anti-littering signs with the nice friendly admonishment to 'Keep Washington Green'. But they tested various other messages, and found that 'Litter and it Will Hurt' resulted in less littering; an example, I suppose, of the stick besting the carrot. Of course, putting up different signs on a given road and tracking pounds of litter collected is fairly easy to do; testing different enforcement techniques would be harder - but has anyone tried?

[MistWolf]

As a citizen, I've never liked being asked "Do you know why I pulled you over?" No, I don't. I'm not a mind reader and I'm not going to play guessing games when the wrong answer will cost me money. I used to answer with "Do I have a light out or something?" Now, I speak before the officer does and say "Good morning, Officer. Can I help you with something?" I'm grateful it's no longer the norm to ask this question.

When the officer tells me why he pulled me over (almost always for speeding) I say "I wasn't watching my speed as closely as I should have been." That plus being courteous has kept me from getting tickets better than anything else I've tried.

Being stopped after getting my permit to carry concealed hasn't been any different than before. When I get pulled over, I take a deep breath and check my attitude before the officer gets out of the patrol car. I can be a real jerk and it's gotten me into trouble more than once.

[BehindBlueI's]

This thread seems to have run its course as far as technical input. As such, I will be closing the thread. If you have strong feelings as to why additional content should be added, please feel free to message me.