Questions cops ask

I was pulled over by a NH statie the other day driving back from a family weekend of x-country skiing...apparently, one of my license plate lights was out. Regardless of the reason, I was struck by some of the questions he asked - where was I coming from? And where was I going?

Why does this matter...especially for a busted license plate light? Is this standard operating procedure? Was he fishing for some sort of illicit activity? What could he possibly have hoped to gain from this? Was he just engaging in conversation to see if I was drunk? And, do I have any legal obligation to answer him? Is it any of his business where I was or where I'm going?

It didn't really bother me...I'm just curious. I wasn't speeding. I hadn't been drinking. My 11- and 8-year old kids and my wife were in the car with me. I drive a prius. I can't imagine my "profile" screamed anything out of the ordinary. The weird thing too was that he had passed me going the other direction, threw his lights on, and banged a u-turn to pull me over. For a frickin' busted light? Ok...maybe it bothers me a little bit.

If youre from MA its probably because of suspicion of buying fireworks.

Might depend on how far north you were. I have a house in Franconia and have had to pass through checkpoints the Staties and Feds occasionally set up on I93, presumably looking for drug runners and illegals...

Cheers!

I've gotten the burnt out license plate light too. And my wife and I have each gotten, "didn't see your seat belt", when they were on. Pulled over for driving at night through the middle of town and asked why I didn't stop for a stop sign when there were no stop signs on that boulevard. And once for "not being from around here". Oh, and driving with no lights or wipers on in inclement weather. That one was fun. "It's raining, you say? Really? You're not getting wet." And then there was one for driving a work truck. I have no idea what he was really after, but after all sorts of weird questions, he said something about knowing this was a work truck but I should still get a new license plate. The one I had was too old. Not expired, mind you. It was just the old style and the new style was not required. The state issued stickers on it were current.

A lot of seemingly nonsense traffic stops are fishing expeditions. Sometimes they catch one. Sometimes they catch me and we both have fun.

Got anything in the vehicle I should know about?
If I did, I wouldn't want you to know.

Got any guns, knives, bombs or other weapons?
What was that third one again?

How much have you had to drink today?
Lots.
Lots of what?
Water. It's hot out.

License, insurance and registration.
I handed him a fishing license.

All true stories. It's not that I dislike cops, but when I know they're fishing, it's full to steal their bait.

PS
Don't pull this stuff if you're riding dirty.

Zuljin said:

Got any guns, knives, bombs or other weapons?
What was that third one again?

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HA!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait until I get pulled over. I'm using that one.

day_trippr said:

Might depend on how far north you were. I have a house in Franconia and have had to pass through checkpoints the Staties and Feds occasionally set up on I93, presumably looking for drug runners and illegals...

Cheers!

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Who smuggles drugs in a prius????

Everything they ask is for a reason. It may be genuine questions directly related to what they are after. It may be catch you out in something. The accusatory questions are like that. Not, 'have you been drinking/using drugs', but 'when was the last time or how much'. And sometimes they're testing your overall state of mind. Can they make you nervous or angry? Why are you nervous or angry? The weird questions are for that. Your reaction tells a lot about what might be going on.

I've always been asked where I'm going. I've only ever been pulled over in my home state. I assume they do this to see if you are drunk or something like that. I assume it's to look for suspicious behavior.

Isn't it safe to tell them you have personal business? As far as I know they are not allowed to just pull you over and start interrogating you. They could be brought up on harassment charges if they take it too far.

Just stay civil about it.

The police can ask you anything they want.

It's on you to exercise your rights and not answer.

There are many good cops, but there are also many who aren't so good. Unless you're a way better man than I, you probably can't know either way upon your initial contact with the officer. Remove the risk of a potentially encumbering investigation (remember, if you incriminate yourself on something - even completely by accident - they're obligated to dig to the bottom of it) and just keep your mouth shut.

The root cause of these types of situations are the collective bargained public unions. These unions have extracted more from their respective towns/cities/states than those municipalities cna ever hope to pay so they insist on extracting money from drivers who aren't completely careful like forgetting to use a signal when changing lanes or comming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Just yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped in to a store in a shopping plaza around the corner fro mthe house only to see one of the local union revenue generators giving someone a ticket for not using a turn signal to turn into a parking space in the store parking lot. These towns are up against a wall because they know these collectively bargained benefits and bloated pensions can never be paid and they need your money. So don't be stupid, don't speed, always come to a full stop, use your turn signals, and by all means don't drink and drive, not even one beer with a large meal. Starve the beast! If you do get pulled over and get asked "Do you know why I stopped you?" Just answer "yup, your pension is waaaaaaaaaaaaay underfunded." They love that

VApatriot said:

The root cause of these types of situations are the collective bargained public unions. These unions have extracted more from their respective towns/cities/states than those municipalities cna ever hope to pay so they insist on extracting money from drivers who aren't completely careful like forgetting to use a signal when changing lanes or comming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Just yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped in to a store in a shopping plaza around the corner fro mthe house only to see one of the local union revenue generators giving someone a ticket for not using a turn signal to turn into a parking space in the store parking lot. These towns are up against a wall because they know these collectively bargained benefits and bloated pensions can never be paid and they need your money. So don't be stupid, don't speed, always come to a full stop, use your turn signals, and by all means don't drink and drive, not even one beer with a large meal. Starve the beast! If you do get pulled over and get asked "Do you know why I stopped you?" Just answer "yup, your pension is waaaaaaaaaaaaay underfunded." They love that

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Is it even illegal to not use a turn signal in a private parking area? That's not even a public road!

Homercidal said:

Is it even illegal to not use a turn signal in a private parking area? That's not even a public road!

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I think it depends on the state. I believe in California, there's no obligation to obey such signs, but you'll assume more responsibility for an accident if you don't do so. Googling around, it seems that in other states (maybe Florida), the traffic laws apply anywhere accessible to the public.

Edit: here's a good article: http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/traffic_talk_can_police_enforc.html

Homercidal said:

Isn't it safe to tell them you have personal business? As far as I know they are not allowed to just pull you over and start interrogating you. They could be brought up on harassment charges if they take it too far.

Just stay civil about it.

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I mean to be honest 2 of the 4 times I was pulled over I was going home from work. One time I was going home from shopping, the other was more complicated I was going from one brothers house to the other I just told him I was on my way home from my brothers house.

All in all if you're honest they can't do anything, the cop who got me for expired registration was certainly fishing for me being drunk cause it was at like 2 in the morning and I had a car full of people, but what he didn't realize was that I stopped drinking about 6 hours before that and wasn't drunk in the first place. If I blew a .01 I would have been shocked. Not even my girlfriend who drank a ton was that drunk at that point. Only thing I refuse to ever do is let a cop search my car. I always when I buy beer or liquor cover it entirely or store it in my trunk so they have no probable cause cause it's a given that there is likely between cleanings an empty beer can or bottle from a tailgate cause my friends and family can be inconsiderate dicks sometimes and last thing I need is a stupid open container bust where I know I'd get off because it would be in my trunk and molding at that point, but who wants to pay a lawyer to handle that.

Homercidal said:

Is it even illegal to not use a turn signal in a private parking area? That's not even a public road!

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I read that as he was turning into the parking lot, from the public street

edit, re-read maybe I was mistaken...

Time for a nice cop story, 100% true... I was about 22ish, went from Dayton Beach Florida to a concert in Orlando. I didn't start out as the driver nor did I ever intend to become the driver. In my old burgundy Dodge Caravan.

Cop: "Have you been drinking?"

Me: "Yes, lots and now I am drunk and lost and I can't find my friend. He's the one who's supposed to be driving!"

Cop: "How much have you had to drink?"

Me: "Well, let's see, before we left Daytona we stopped at the bar, I had 2 or 3 vodka/cranberries. Then we grabbed a 12 pack of beer for the trip. My friend, the one who used to be driving had maybe 3 or 4 of them and I drank the rest. Then we got to the concert, I had just 2 more weak drinks there because it was hard to get to the bar, way overcrowded. Then we went to eat and split a bottle of wine. Now I can't find my friend and can you please help me???"

Cop: "Do you mind if we search your vehicle?"

Me: "I don't care, but can you help me get home? I need a phone, someone has to come get me. I'm scared."

Forget to say... I was lost in the worst possible ever neighborhood in Orlando and no idea how I got there.

They give me a phone to use, search my vehicle for nearly 3 hours, had the steering wheel and inner console completely taken apart, never did get it back together just right.

Cop: "Okay ma'am, we're going to let you go. I think you've sobered up enough to drive by now."

Did they give me a breathalyzer? No!! Do I think I am sober enough to drive? No!!! He wrote down directions for me and I made it back, the 2 hour drive back to Daytona... without my friend!!!

Woke up the next day, steering column in the van all screwed up where they had taken it apart. Asking myself, WTH?

Homercidal said:

Is it even illegal to not use a turn signal in a private parking area? That's not even a public road!

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I think that they have to ask permission from the owner of the shopping plaza, either way, I see it happen all the time here. I've also known people who got pulled over for 3, count 'em 3 whole miles over the speed limit. That's why I drive like a saint. It's kind of like you and another guy getting chased by a bear. You don't have to outrun the bear, just the other guy. Well when you're driving, it's just the opposite, you want to be just a little slower than the other guy. I'see that happen almost 2-3 times a month every day on the way to work, you'd think these people would learn and just go the speed limit.

To go from El Paso Texas to Carlsbad New Mexico we have to go through an Immigration checkpoint, complete with armed agents and drug sniffing dogs. Sometimes they get really chatty about where I'm from, where I'm going, etc and I keep it brief but honest.
One time my wife and I pulled into the checkpoint in her Miata with the top down. The guy asked if it was just the 2 of us. When he realized just how stupid that was he turned red and told us to "get the hell out", we laughed so hard we almost pissed our pants.
It really does make me mad that I'm subject to a border inspection without ever leaving the US. If I come from Las Cruces back to Carlsbad I have to go through the same crap and I haven't even left New Mexico.

The best was when I was 16 and crusing on Mill Avenue in Arizona (popular cruising spot). Got pulled over and the cop asked what I was doing and without hesistation I responded "just cruising." Ooops.

But, I did end up getting out of the ticket because the definition of cruising wasn't posted on the "no cruising" signs and Tempe's definition was different than the posted definitions in Phoenix where I lived.

VApatriot said:

The root cause of these types of situations are the collective bargained public unions. These unions have extracted more from their respective towns/cities/states than those municipalities cna ever hope to pay so they insist on extracting money from drivers who aren't completely careful like forgetting to use a signal when changing lanes or comming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Just yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped in to a store in a shopping plaza around the corner fro mthe house only to see one of the local union revenue generators giving someone a ticket for not using a turn signal to turn into a parking space in the store parking lot. These towns are up against a wall because they know these collectively bargained benefits and bloated pensions can never be paid and they need your money. So don't be stupid, don't speed, always come to a full stop, use your turn signals, and by all means don't drink and drive, not even one beer with a large meal. Starve the beast! If you do get pulled over and get asked "Do you know why I stopped you?" Just answer "yup, your pension is waaaaaaaaaaaaay underfunded." They love that

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Yeah...the cop being a dick is because he is union....wow.....:smack: Watch Fox news much?

Back to the OP. It's standard operating procedure. They pull you over for something stupid in hope to catch something big. Quite annoying when your doing nothing wrong. The cops call it Ticky Tack Chit around here. The other night, I recently had a cop follow me from an intersection and on to a interstate, then follow me for several miles before pulling me over. The whole time tailgating me. Pulled me over 100 yards shy of the state line (I live in MD and was leaving PA) and said I ran a stop sign. I didn't know it was a cop behind me the whole time. I asked where on the interstate did I go through a stop sign? Said it was several miles back at the intersection...I had rolled through it. Bullsh&*. 25 dollar fine I end up with....oh...and 87 dollars in 'administration' fees. WTF. Screw PA and their township cronies.

The Police Officer who stops you is is doing his job, what tax payers pay him to do enforce the law and serve and protect. When the police stops you (reason is not important) the officer does not know you or who you are or what you are capable of so his first responsibility is to safety his and yours. So they ask what seem to be odd questions, the answers themselves are telling but not as much as the tone and demeanor of the responder.

Remember that operating a vehicle on a public right of way is a PRIVILEGE not a RIGHT and there are vehicle safety requirements that police are mandated to enforce. So a stop for a vehicle safety check is a valid stop. If the officer uses that stop to develop further probable cause then the officer is in fact doing what they are paid to do.

The best things to do when stopped by an officer.
1. Be Honest
2. Cooperate
3. Treat the Officer with respect they deserve it!

Oh and for the record I am not a police officer.

The cops that I've dealt with always ask important stuff up front, then ask you completely unrelated questions... Then circle back around to what they really care about.

Always assumed they were just tryin to catch someone giving two different answers so they can probe further.

I've even had my car searched before, the cop made it clear that even if I did not consent.. They would find a way to search anyways.. So I figured get it over with

Yes, serve and protect. The time I got pulled over, scared out of my wits, they just searched my vehicle and made sure I got home safe. Yes, I had been drinking but becoming the driver was not my decision, I was forced into it, they understood, let me pass go.

A friend of mine ran for mayor of his small town on the platform of "improving the image of the town". He won the election and his first order of business was to fire the local cop. The townie cop was such a dick that people refused to stop in their town and was hurting local businesses. He turned the town over to the county sheriffs department for enforcement. He even went so far as to have a article placed in the local papers both up and down the highway to let people that the prick cop was gone. Business soon picked up at the quick mart, the gun club, bar, diner and even the local grain elevator.

So it can work both ways, Once the place gets a reputation, that you will get a ticket, it can eventually hurt the community.


In college I was pulled over for speeding in a small town, on my way home. The local cop gave me a $25 citation for violating the "city" speeding ordinance (a state speeding ticket at the time was $75). I could mail a check payable to the city and they would send me my license just like normal, but all the money went straight to their little town. I don't recall that I ever saw the cop again, but I did slow down when I went thru there in the future. It was also never reported on my driving record. So I thought it was a Win-Win

AZ_IPA said:

The best was when I was 16 and crusing on Mill Avenue in Arizona (popular cruising spot). Got pulled over and the cop asked what I was doing and without hesistation I responded "just cruising." Ooops.

But, I did end up getting out of the ticket because the definition of cruising wasn't posted on the "no cruising" signs and Tempe's definition was different than the posted definitions in Phoenix where I lived.

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What's the difference between 'cruising' and 'driving down a street, going from one place to another'? Legitimate question- I've never heard of cruising being defined as anything malicious. Kyle

VApatriot said:

Just yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped in to a store in a shopping plaza around the corner fro mthe house only to see one of the local union revenue generators giving someone a ticket for not using a turn signal to turn into a parking space in the store parking lot.

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BS. How can you possibly know what was going on? Did you walk over there and ask?

VApatriot said:

The root cause of these types of situations are the collective bargained public unions. These unions have extracted more from their respective towns/cities/states than those municipalities cna ever hope to pay so they insist on extracting money from drivers who aren't completely careful like forgetting to use a signal when changing lanes or comming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Just yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped in to a store in a shopping plaza around the corner fro mthe house only to see one of the local union revenue generators giving someone a ticket for not using a turn signal to turn into a parking space in the store parking lot. These towns are up against a wall because they know these collectively bargained benefits and bloated pensions can never be paid and they need your money. So don't be stupid, don't speed, always come to a full stop, use your turn signals, and by all means don't drink and drive, not even one beer with a large meal. Starve the beast! If you do get pulled over and get asked "Do you know why I stopped you?" Just answer "yup, your pension is waaaaaaaaaaaaay underfunded." They love that

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Wow are you biased and completely oblivious.
If it weren't for the unions, the city officials would be happy to pay public servants minimum wage and not fund their "bloated pensions" at all. Wait, they legally have to here, and yet they still don't pay in the required amount!!
How much do you put into your retirement fund? I'd be willing to bet not near as much as that servant does.

JLem said:

I was pulled over by a NH statie the other day driving back from a family weekend of x-country skiing...apparently, one of my license plate lights was out. Regardless of the reason, I was struck by some of the questions he asked - where was I coming from? And where was I going?

Why does this matter...especially for a busted license plate light? Is this standard operating procedure? Was he fishing for some sort of illicit activity? What could he possibly have hoped to gain from this? Was he just engaging in conversation to see if I was drunk? And, do I have any legal obligation to answer him? Is it any of his business where I was or where I'm going?

It didn't really bother me...I'm just curious. I wasn't speeding. I hadn't been drinking. My 11- and 8-year old kids and my wife were in the car with me. I drive a prius. I can't imagine my "profile" screamed anything out of the ordinary. The weird thing too was that he had passed me going the other direction, threw his lights on, and banged a u-turn to pull me over. For a frickin' busted light? Ok...maybe it bothers me a little bit.

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Those NH staties are pretty hardcore. No joke.

Airplanedoc said:

A friend of mine ran for mayor of his small town on the platform of "improving the image of the town". He won the election and his first order of business was to fire the local cop. The townie cop was such a dick that people refused to stop in their town and was hurting local businesses. He turned the town over to the county sheriffs department for enforcement. He even went so far as to have a article placed in the local papers both up and down the highway to let people that the prick cop was gone. Business soon picked up at the quick mart, the gun club, bar, diner and even the local grain elevator.

So it can work both ways, Once the place gets a reputation, that you will get a ticket, it can eventually hurt the community.


In college I was pulled over for speeding in a small town, on my way home. The local cop gave me a $25 citation for violating the "city" speeding ordinance (a state speeding ticket at the time was $75). I could mail a check payable to the city and they would send me my license just like normal, but all the money went straight to their little town. I don't recall that I ever saw the cop again, but I did slow down when I went thru there in the future. It was also never reported on my driving record. So I thought it was a Win-Win

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Town just south of me was like that. I would drive 5 miles out of my way to avoid going through there and risking a ticket at worst and a delay at best because they would pull anyone over who was not from there

Conan said:

What's the difference between 'cruising' and 'driving down a street, going from one place to another'? Legitimate question- I've never heard of cruising being defined as anything malicious. Kyle

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'Cruising' is defined as passing a fixed point a certain number of times within a given amount of time.

They made it illegal because teenagers would find small areas to drive around, show off their cars, pick up on chics, etc. It would cause traffic problems and other associated problems that happen when teens congregate.

I always get asked, "What white power groups do you belong to?" apparently every white guy with a shaved head or a mohawk is a nazi. and they always want to know where I get my drugs from. and I always have to tell them I don't touch anything illegal. then they're always like, "You ain't gotta lie to me, man." and they always try to trip me up. it don't work unless I've done something wrong. I even had an undercover try to buy heroin off me in a bar.

Varmintman said:

Town just south of me was like that. I would drive 5 miles out of my way to avoid going through there and risking a ticket at worst and a delay at best because they would pull anyone over who was not from there

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This guy was even a dick to the locals

An actual cop could tell you why they ask those kind of questions. I suspect it's more to gauge how you respond, than what you respond with. I've had numerous interactions with law enforcement, including being pulled over for a blown license plate light late a night. It was pretty obvious it was a stop with intent to find a greater charge. I was nice and polite, she cut me loose without a ticket for the light.

I've never had an unprofessional interaction with a cop before, not even the CHP who was a bit ticked off he got me doing 81 in a 65. I've been pulled over multiple times simply because 'I wasn't from around there' but it's all been in southern az by Border Patrol. They've always been courteous and professional and when we told them we'd be in the area for a few more hours usually radio ahead and let other units know so we don't get pulled over all night long.

There's only one town nearish me where the cops have a reputation for being paper writers. They still aren't unprofessional, they just aggressively enforce traffic code and don't give the same amount of leniency as most organizations do.

Jukas said:

An actual cop could tell you why they ask those kind of questions. I suspect it's more to gauge how you respond, than what you respond with. I've had numerous interactions with law enforcement, including being pulled over for a blown license plate light late a night. It was pretty obvious it was a stop with intent to find a greater charge. I was nice and polite, she cut me loose without a ticket for the light.

I've never had an unprofessional interaction with a cop before, not even the CHP who was a bit ticked off he got me doing 81 in a 65. I've been pulled over multiple times simply because 'I wasn't from around there' but it's all been in southern az by Border Patrol. They've always been courteous and professional and when we told them we'd be in the area for a few more hours usually radio ahead and let other units know so we don't get pulled over all night long.

There's only one town nearish me where the cops have a reputation for being paper writers. They still aren't unprofessional, they just aggressively enforce traffic code and don't give the same amount of leniency as most organizations do.

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try not looking like everyone else in Henderson, NV.

and a funny side note, I've always heard how rough Las Vegas Metro cops were. the few (fewer than Henderson cops) run ins I had with them weren't bad at all. except the time they had27 of us marching with our hands interlocked over our heads. but even then they thought it was funny when we started singing the old Micky Mouse Club song.:rockin:

Same here - I've never had an unprofessional interaction with a cop, either outside of work and at work. There was one time some punks broke into coin-operated washing machines in my apartment building and a cop went knocking on doors asking if we had seen anything. Right before he got to mine, I knocked over a couple quarts of chilled chicken broth all over the inside of the fridge and floor, and I immediately developed a loud one-word vocabulary.

Me: "F***! AW F***! F***********K!!!!"
*knock knock knock*
Cop: ... "Everything ... okay? Sir? "

Billy-Klubb said:

and a funny side note, I've always heard how rough Las Vegas Metro cops were. the few (fewer than Henderson cops) run ins I had with them weren't bad at all. except the time they had27 of us marching with our hands interlocked over our heads. but even then they thought it was funny when we started singing the old Micky Mouse Club song.:rockin:

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Okay, 27 of you marching with your hands interlocked over your heads and singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme song? Dang, wish I coulda been there...

BobbiLynn said:

Okay, 27 of you marching with your hands interlocked over your heads and singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme song? Dang, wish I coulda been there...

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it was awesome.

I woke up about 4 am one morning hungry, got dressed and went to the local all night diner. On the way home I got pulled over, the officer said it was for "failure to maintain lane" Now I was driving my wife's Miata which is only about 42 inches wide, I could truly serpentine in that car and never touch either line. He questioned if I was drinking and I told him no and explained that I just left the diner a quarter mile back and he probably saw me pull out of the parking lot. He then told me that I was traveling at a rate of 29 MPH in a 35 zone so I asked if he pulled me over for obeying the law. He then asked when I had my last drink. I explained it was 1 beer at 5 pm the day before with dinner. He wanted to give me a breathalyzer. I pointed out that it was 11 hours ago and he insisted that it was that or a field sobriety test so I did the breathalyzer, I passed. He then explained that all he was doing was keeping my city safe. I call BS he was fishing.

The "failure to maintain lane" stop is a fishing expedition because it cannot be argued unless filmed. The only saving grace was it was pouring and he had to stand in the rain through this fiasco.

Don't get me wrong, I respect police officers and the jobs they perform but our town is a known speed trap and revenue stops are the norm. My property line is the city limit boundary and I will drive 15 miles out of my way to avoid traveling within the city limits.

This is coming from a cop.

Did it ever occur to you whether it be a "ticky tac law" or a serious crime it is not the cops fault you obviously did something wrong. If the cops weren't pulling people over you would complain about their pay and how they don't do anything. Instead were out trying to earn our "bloated paychecks and pensions" which in my state i put 10% of my paycheck into my pension. As for the guy who said it isn't his fault he had to drive drunk that's ridiculous. Did someone hold a gun to your head your lucky you weren't arrested. For every 100 card we pull over you might find 10 of them with drugs and another 4 or 5 with weapons and that's are job right? To keep everyone safe? There is always gonna be a few bad cops just like there are a few bad people in every line of work but the majority of us took this job to help people.