Yeah, been kinda ingrained over the last couple of decades....
pat
Yeah, been kinda ingrained over the last couple of decades....
pat
When I was an instructor I could always tell when I had a recruit with prior experience at another agency. They'd start that, "Do you know why I stopped you?" bullshit. That was always one of my pet peeves. I'd immediately stop them and make them begin again. "We aren't here to play games. tell them why you're there, what you need and take care of business."
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
Similar stories from all over TX.
LEO Contacts & Bloopers. (TXCHLForum)
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
Whenever I did traffic stops at the academy and got asked that, I replied with "because you're a punk ass bitch that wasn't smart enough to get a real job" and escalated things from there.Originally Posted by Trooper224
The only thing that I hear dumber than that is "If I have to come back here someone is going to jail".
Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right.
No, I had decided that if I ever did get stopped, I would offer it with my license. I believe I read it in one of Mas Ayoob's teachings. Made sense to me then and still does.
Did you actually do that in the middle of a traffic stop?
I realize some choose to or are required to inform the police that they're armed in an official contact. I choose not to unless asked.
BUT THIS IS THE DUMBEST ANSWER I'VE EVER HEARD.
I was at work one night talking to the guy I was relieving and the topic of concealed carry and traffic stops came up. I mentioned what I've said here " I'll answer honestly if asked but I won't volunteer the information." My coworker tells me that he'd tell the cop he's not comfortable answering and decline to answer the question.
I think I actually said to him "You might as well just say yes." I mean I can't think of a better way to turn a random roadside encounter into NOT A PROPER TRAFFIC STOP. However, the gentleman wasn't having it so I quit wasting my breath.
As a security guard I don't do traffic stops but I am occasionally required to check out suspicious vehicles on property. I have no legal authority to demand ID or a CHL and I don't bother to ask if there are any weapons I just assume there are.
My Agency doesn't care if we issue cites or warnings.
Due to this fact I prefer to actually interact with the driver and I DO ask if the person is aware of the reason as to why I stopped them. There is a PERSON behind the wheel of that vehicle, not just a vehicle that somehow committed a traffic infraction on its own.
I gauge the individual, determine if they are aware of what they did and issue accordingly. People that begin to argue, fight, claim innocence and then make threats 50% of the time (I really dont like issuing citations) receive a citation. People that inform me "yes, I was aware that I did that" receive a warning. We have discretion for a reason and being able to exercise it instead of being a gruff to the point jackass without any kind of personality is one of the many reasons why people hate cops.
I'm not anyone's friend out there and im not looking to be friends, im looking to do my job and traffic enforcement is about education, not penalization. Its not personal on any level and i dont make it as such as i will not tolerate someone apologizing to ME. Im not interested in that. What im looking for is just a teeny smidge of personal accountability which we severely lack as a society.
In Florida where you can hire a ticket clinic and walk away with no points basically until the end of time means that serial offenders are always going to be serial offenders, they will never learn. The nursing student headed home from college through an area where she's never been will ideally, take away a pleasant interaction where she DIDN'T receive a citation and maybe remember to pay attention. Or not, I prefer to spend the extra thirty seconds showing the person that I'm not a jack boot thug. You CAN do this professionally contrary to the opinions of the old salt's who would rather break their own jaw than have to talk to someone at work...
Until we installed dash cameras, I never introduced myself. In my experience, drivers don't care about your name and probably not your agency, but they do want to know why they're stopped. The introduction started after dash camera policy required it.
After the introduction, I tell them why I stopped them. This somewhat reduces the risk if the driver thinks I'm investigating the dead hooker I don't know is in his trunk and established the facts for the violator.
I then ask if there is any reason for the violation. First, there might actually be a decent reason or even excuse Second, the driver may make an admission of guilt which can be used in court. Lastly, many people just want to be heard. If you're willing to hear that they are running late or didn't see the light, they're more likely to accept the citation without issue and less likely to contest the citation in court. I think the anonymous nature of parking citations left under the windshield is one reason people get so spun up over parking enforcement.
If I know I'm going to issue hard paper, I let them know before I return to the cruiser. I usually make the decision to cite or not based on the violation rather than the conversation. Telling them the bad news early reduces their anxiety. I may, however, decide to warn, but that's good news.
In Texas it used to be state law that you had to provide your CHL when asked for ID. I think that changed but would still do it.
