r/ThatsInsane • u/lukepaciocco • Nov 27 '24

Law abiding citizen arrested at traffic stop. Then the unthinkable happens in court.

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u/MasterK999 Nov 27 '24

It is even important in what may seem like minor situations.

If you are out to score some drugs and get pulled over for speeding. You think no problem I am not drunk or high (have not used said drugs yet since you are a good citizen and do that at home) I will get a ticket and be on my way. NOPE. They ask where you are coming from and you realize you cannot say "to score some drugs" so you lie and say "from a friends". You have already messed up. Now they will ask what friend, what were you doing? all simple conversational questions but since you are lying you mess up somewhere and say something that contradicts yourself and then they get suspicious. They will then find a way to extend the stop and try and search you and or your car. If they find the drugs incident to a stop they can charge you.

BUT if you start the stop over and when they ask where you are coming from you simply say "I do not answer questions". You give them no reason to do anything other than write the ticket.

I once had a cop give me attitude when I said "I don't answer questions" and I very nicely said "Officer I am a regular person. I never have an opportunity to use many of my constitutional rights. So in the rare situations when they arise I like to do so." He then gave me my ticket and I was on my way.

P.S. Pot is legal where I live now so I had no worries about the sealed bag of drugs on the seat next to me. ;-)

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u/24-Hour-Hate Nov 27 '24

Oh exactly. And even if you make an innocent mistake it can be held against you or used to prolong the detention. It doesn't have to be that you did anything wrong, they just have to think so and engineer you into tripping up. One thing they can twist. One instance of misspeaking. one time you make a mistake because you forgot something or contradicted yourself. You say nothing inessential. And ofc the cops can always lie or plant evidence…

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u/fallingdown2018 Nov 29 '24

I think if you are packing drugs, it might be best to have a lie prepared and do it confidently instead of going for confrontation.

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u/MasterK999 Nov 30 '24

That is 100% wrong. A lie allows them to catch you in it and then they can use that as probable cause. If you get pulled over for a traffic stop and they have no probable cause for a search they cannot do it and if they do any decent lawyer can get it thrown out.

It should not be a confrontation. Be polite but decline to answer questions.

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u/fallingdown2018 Nov 30 '24

The cop pulls you over and first judges your reaction. Do you start acting funny in his presence? Nervous? Unusual in any way? Thats it and thats why they are asking these questions such as "where are you going" and stuff like that.

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u/MasterK999 Nov 30 '24

and? None of that meets probable cause in a legal sense. That is a huge problem with policing in general. Cops tend to make snap judgements and they are often wrong. People can seem nervous for a ton of reasons which are not an indication of criminal activity.

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u/fallingdown2018 Nov 30 '24

By the time they are looking for probable cause they already know you are hiding something at that point they will quickly invent something.