6 ms·

It's not that bad. No, really. If a cop pulls you over based on speeding and asks for anything else unrelated to that, you simply and politely decline. It's ver

It's not that bad. No, really. If a cop pulls you over based on speeding and asks for anything else unrelated to that, you simply and politely decline. It's very rare that a cop will risk their job or go through the hassle of taking people in simply for exercising the 4th or the 5th amendment. As a citizen you have many avenues for recourse, your cynicism is unwarranted. Simply and agreeably assert your rights. More people do it than you think.

alistairSH 5y ago
you simply and politely decline And then the cop calls for the drug dog, and suddenly, you're dealing with a dog trained to please it's handler, which in this case means telling the cop that you have drugs in your car. And off to jail you go. As far as the cop is concerned, his thuggish behavior is now vindicated because you're a drug dealing degenerate.
- matheusmoreira 5y ago
  Alternatively, the cop uses a bunch of highly sensitive field drug tests on your car and gets a false positive. In america it seems that's enough to jail people. And then they lose their jobs, their home.
- technothrasher 5y ago
  And the SCOTUS has already ruled that a cop cannot make you wait for a drug dog without probable cause (Rodriguez v. United States 2015). So in your scenario you've got a cop who is willing to break the law, and in that case all bets are off.
  - arglebarglegar 5y ago
    “I smell marijuana” is probable cause… it’s been weakened recently, but probable cause doesn’t have to be proven. “Bloodshot eyes” is another one that works for DUI cause.
  - kook_throwaway 5y ago
    SCOTUS has made many rulings that cops both know and regularly ignore. There's hundreds of videos online of police threatening a camera person with arrest if they don't provide ID and then blinding or obstructing the camera. All three of those have been explicitly ruled on and leave no question, yet they continue to do it en masse.
  - macintux 5y ago
    I’m skeptical that there is a majority of police who aren’t willing to break the law. Given how rarely police blow the whistle on other police, I’d say there’s evidence that the majority are actively unlawful.
    - xvf22 5y ago
      In their mind they are the law.
- refurb 5y ago
  You’re not going to jail unless you have drugs in the car.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > You’re not going to jail unless you have drugs in the car No, you aren't going to jail unless the search “justified” by the drug-dog “hit” reveals something that the police can spin into probable cause of a crime. Needn’t be drugs, or even actual contraband.
    - zepto 5y ago
      This is false. Probably cause just means they can search your car. Not that you are going to jail.
      - darksaints 5y ago
        Probable cause is the bar for arrest. If they have probable cause, you're getting arrested.
        zepto 5y ago
        Yes, but without evidence you aren’t going to jail, and if you do you can sue for wrongful arrest.
        dragonwriter 5y ago
        > Yes, but without evidence you aren’t going to jail, and if you do you can sue for wrongful arrest. You can sue anyone, anytime, for anything, but even if charges aren't filed or a court dismisses them at the preliminary hearing stage for lack of sufficient evidence, wrongful arrest suits against police are very difficult.
        refurb 5y ago
        Do you mean "suspected of committing a crime"? "Probable cause" relates to searching or entering private property.
- ryantgtg 5y ago
  What if instead of declining you said, “I don’t have a twitter account.” Perhaps it’s less defiant to say that. Are they operating under the assumption that everyone is on social media, and if you deny it then you’re lying?
ArtDev 5y ago
It is perfectly legal for cops to lie to you about anything at all. Including about what the laws are.
revscat 5y ago
> Simply and agreeably assert your rights. More people do it than you think. Police culture in America is based around disgust and disdain for the notion of “rights”. You can try standing up for your rights, but that is likely to be responded to with “stop resisting!” and a subsequent (constitutionally protected) physical assault. Then Ted Cruz will go to Jamaica.
- JasonFruit 5y ago
  > Police culture in America is based around disgust and disdain for the notion of "rights". All American culture increasingly feels disgust and disdain for the notion of rights. The police culture is the result of that broader problem.
  - SantalBlush 5y ago
    This might be true if police brutality and disregard for rights were new problems, but they're not. The reason these problems with the police are finally being discussed is because there are cameras everwhere now.
threatofrain 5y ago
There's no way to agreeably assert your rights. The cop wants something from you, and you're saying no. Being extra polite merely increases your chances of a neutral interaction, but you're already starting off on a negative feeling.
- swader999 5y ago
  I just say "Sorry, my attorney forbids me from any discussion, here's my license and registration"

alistairSH 5y ago

you simply and politely decline And then the cop calls for the drug dog, and suddenly, you're dealing with a dog trained to please it's handler, which in this case means telling the cop that you have drugs in your car. And off to jail you go. As far as the cop is concerned, his thuggish behavior is now vindicated because you're a drug dealing degenerate.

matheusmoreira 5y ago
Alternatively, the cop uses a bunch of highly sensitive field drug tests on your car and gets a false positive. In america it seems that's enough to jail people. And then they lose their jobs, their home.
technothrasher 5y ago
And the SCOTUS has already ruled that a cop cannot make you wait for a drug dog without probable cause (Rodriguez v. United States 2015). So in your scenario you've got a cop who is willing to break the law, and in that case all bets are off.
- arglebarglegar 5y ago
  “I smell marijuana” is probable cause… it’s been weakened recently, but probable cause doesn’t have to be proven. “Bloodshot eyes” is another one that works for DUI cause.
- kook_throwaway 5y ago
  SCOTUS has made many rulings that cops both know and regularly ignore. There's hundreds of videos online of police threatening a camera person with arrest if they don't provide ID and then blinding or obstructing the camera. All three of those have been explicitly ruled on and leave no question, yet they continue to do it en masse.
- macintux 5y ago
  I’m skeptical that there is a majority of police who aren’t willing to break the law. Given how rarely police blow the whistle on other police, I’d say there’s evidence that the majority are actively unlawful.
  - xvf22 5y ago
    In their mind they are the law.
refurb 5y ago
You’re not going to jail unless you have drugs in the car.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > You’re not going to jail unless you have drugs in the car No, you aren't going to jail unless the search “justified” by the drug-dog “hit” reveals something that the police can spin into probable cause of a crime. Needn’t be drugs, or even actual contraband.
  - zepto 5y ago
    This is false. Probably cause just means they can search your car. Not that you are going to jail.
    - darksaints 5y ago
      Probable cause is the bar for arrest. If they have probable cause, you're getting arrested.
      - zepto 5y ago
        Yes, but without evidence you aren’t going to jail, and if you do you can sue for wrongful arrest.
        dragonwriter 5y ago
        > Yes, but without evidence you aren’t going to jail, and if you do you can sue for wrongful arrest. You can sue anyone, anytime, for anything, but even if charges aren't filed or a court dismisses them at the preliminary hearing stage for lack of sufficient evidence, wrongful arrest suits against police are very difficult.
      - refurb 5y ago
        Do you mean "suspected of committing a crime"? "Probable cause" relates to searching or entering private property.
ryantgtg 5y ago
What if instead of declining you said, “I don’t have a twitter account.” Perhaps it’s less defiant to say that. Are they operating under the assumption that everyone is on social media, and if you deny it then you’re lying?

ArtDev 5y ago

It is perfectly legal for cops to lie to you about anything at all. Including about what the laws are.

revscat 5y ago

> Simply and agreeably assert your rights. More people do it than you think. Police culture in America is based around disgust and disdain for the notion of “rights”. You can try standing up for your rights, but that is likely to be responded to with “stop resisting!” and a subsequent (constitutionally protected) physical assault. Then Ted Cruz will go to Jamaica.

JasonFruit 5y ago
> Police culture in America is based around disgust and disdain for the notion of "rights". All American culture increasingly feels disgust and disdain for the notion of rights. The police culture is the result of that broader problem.
- SantalBlush 5y ago
  This might be true if police brutality and disregard for rights were new problems, but they're not. The reason these problems with the police are finally being discussed is because there are cameras everwhere now.

threatofrain 5y ago

There's no way to agreeably assert your rights. The cop wants something from you, and you're saying no. Being extra polite merely increases your chances of a neutral interaction, but you're already starting off on a negative feeling.

swader999 5y ago
I just say "Sorry, my attorney forbids me from any discussion, here's my license and registration"