[Mongoose]

I have yet to get pulled over on a motorcycle (knock on wood) but when I do I just wanna do what "the cop wants". Here is my questions on general protocol:
1- Stay on the bike or get off?
2- Keep helmet on or off?
3- Registration is under the seat.... wait till he asks for it? Tell him it's under the seat and ask if ok to dismount?
4- Wallet/license in outer jacket pocket... tell him I'm reaching for it?
I know this sounds stupid but hey... whatever keeps him cool/safe feeling will most likely prevent a ticket.

 

[Metalstorm]

Pull over, turn off engine, stay on the bike, keep hands on the bars or at the very least visible at all times and do nothing until instructed.

The officer needs to feel safe and in control of the situation.

And yes, if you need to reach into your wallet or dismount to remove the seat (after the officer asks for your license, etc...), let the officer know what you're doing first and wait for his/her acknowledgement before proceeding.

This more than likely won't prevent you from getting a ticket but it will more than likely prevent you from being shot

 

[sendler]

In wallet

I have a rack over my rear seat so I have decided to keep the registration and insurance papers in my wallet. I would shut the bike off, lift my visior, and sit still with my hands on the grips until they ask me for my papers. If I am on a busy boulevard and there is a side street or parking lot within a few 100 yards, I would continue riding until I can get off of the main road. The cops don't care if your situation creates a traffic jam but I do and in the end I would hope they would appreciate not having to deal with cars whipping past while they are trying to work.

 

[DoubleRGirl]

when i've been stopped i just take off my helmet and get the things i need out of the tail, but i have heard of people getting shot reaching for their wallets so i don't know. might be because i'm a girl and was wearing a pink backpack

 

[Sluggoserver]

What sendler said but a bit more. Stop well enough right, off the line of traffic, so that the officer can stop behind you without having to overtly "shield" you from passing traffic with his/her car, thereby limiting the exposure to him/herself to idiots texting while "driving." A small courtesy like this will be immediately recognized for what it is.

 

[Pete]

It's a sad state of affairs when people have to be so frightened of the police. I've lived in a number of different countries and the Police in America are the worst! They dress in paramilitary garb.. Many are on steroids just waiting for their chance to confront you. They view themselves as little dictators, barking orders at you..

Police used to be primarily an investigative agency. They would investigate crime. Today's police are something entirely different. They exist to enforce unconstitutional laws and regulations. Their job is to entrap you and make you pay. They exist to raise revenue for the city and state. They exist to keep you in line.. They do not work for the public good. They do not work for the public period. They get their marching orders from the Governments which get their marching orders from the lobbyists and special interests which get their marching orders from the financiers of the world.

What you are seeing is the end of America. It's all be design. The destruction of the economy ( which will likely be complete with in the next year) the destruction of morality ( already complete) and the militarization of the police ( to deal with it all)

"
America's Police Brutality Pandemic


by Paul Craig Roberts (Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration.)...One disturbing aspect is that the police always arrest the people that they have gratuitously brutalized. There was no justification whatsoever to arrest councilman Snyder, or the UCLA student, or the University of Florida student. The cops committed assault against innocent citizens. The cops should have been arrested for their criminal acts. Instead, the cops cover up their own crimes by arresting their victims on false charges that are invented to justify the unprovoked police violence against citizens.
Another disturbing aspect is that no one tells the police to stop the brutality. "Free" Americans are so intimidated by police that on February 19 of this year male customers in a Chicago bar stood aside while a drunk cop weighing 251 pounds beat a 115 pound barmaid, knocking her to the floor with his fists and repeatedly kicking her, for obeying the bar rules and not serving him more drinks."

I would guess it was the cop's weight and not his badge which kept people for getting involved.
On the flip side are cases like what happened at an Oakland BART station not far from where I live. A 20-something cop trying to arrest an unruly train passenger was so harassed by 20-30 people on the train platform trying to get in his face while he was trying to do his job that he ended up shooting the guy he was arresting accidentally. The idiots on the platform who turned the whole situation into a near riot should have been charged with manslaughter; instead the cop was. It's a wonder anyone is even willing to "protect and serve" in places like that.

 

[motorpsycho]

when i've been stopped i just take off my helmet and get the things i need out of the tail, but i have heard of people getting shot reaching for their wallets so i don't know. might be because i'm a girl and was wearing a pink backpack

I agree. From my personal experience, it has always been the double standards of society because extra precautions is usually never taken when dealing with females as they are generally not profiled as a hostile threat straight off the bat, unless they're armed or portray the intent to harm themselves or others. And I'm certain your pink backpack did nothing to escalate the stress level of the situation, so... much kudos to you DoubleRGirl.

 

[Michael]

I stay on my bike and say "What's the problem, young man?"

Seems to work. The last time I got a ticket was about 35 years ago. It was for doing 5 mph over the 55mph limit.

 

[DoubleRGirl]

I agree. From my personal experience, it has always been the double standards of society because extra precautions is usually never taken when dealing with females as they are generally not profiled as a hostile threat straight off the bat, unless they're armed or portray the intent to harm themselves or others. And I'm certain your pink backpack did nothing to escalate the stress level of the situation, so... much kudos to you DoubleRGirl.

yeah get yourself a pink hello kitty backpack, always helps to diffuse the situation hehe

I stay on my bike and say "What's the problem, young man?"

Seems to work. The last time I got a ticket was about 35 years ago. It was for doing 5 mph over the 55mph limit.

sounds like a cop just having a bad day

 

[shauno]

wow! at first when i read your post i laughed my ass off because i thought you were joking, but obviously you are serious, i live in australia and the cops here are cool and most that pull you over on your bike are more keen to admire it lol, they understand that removing your helmet is a pain in the ass so they seem to only ask you to do it if you were doing something very bad and they need to confirm your id. i keep my registration in a cheap wallet i bought just to keep permanently in my bike jacket and as i only ride with my jacket (safety first) i always have it on me.
i thought your cops were only ass holes in the movies lol but i guess not, i always greet them with "sir" or "hi officer" and they seem to always smile and respect you back when you respect them

 

[Badger]

Last speeding ticket for me was the week Princess Diana died. Twice since then I have talked my way out of 80 in a 55 once and in a 65 the other time.
One time it was the State trooper himself, the second time it was the judge.

My advice, do nothing but raise your visor until the Cop gives you instructions. He has the badge and the gun, so why complicate things unnecessarily. Of course the best strategy is not getting stopped in the first place.

The next best strategy is to be totally honest and respectful. Lots of smart arses with attitudes get the full monty for harassment. They have the time, the ability to kill you, and they get a paycheck regardless of how much crap they drag you through. Not the best recipe for an attitude and quoting a lot of the constitution.

regards
Badger

 

[Mongoose]

This was def a good thread to start. got a lot of good ideas. as far as cops being militaristic.... you only really see that in the city. i live in a small town with maybe 2 - 3 cops on duty at any time. Most of them I see all the time out walking there dog or at the gas station getting coffee and I always say hi.... kind of like an investment for when i do get pulled over they will remember me as the nice young man from the store or whatever... just hope they don't see the horns holding up the halo...lol.

 

[Metalstorm]

What I hate is that you have to sign the ticket.
It's voluntary but...
Signing gives the cop permission to give you the ticket.
Not signing it means the cop can't ticket you but you get insta loss of license/impound-age of vehicle.

I really don't see how they can call it "voluntary".

I once got a ticket for going 45 in a 25 zone. The problem was that I was going 45 in a 40 zone but when the sheriff caught up to me I was going 25 in a 25 zone. He claimed I was going over 60 around a specific corner (no radar just estimation by eye). I was driving a Bronco II that can't take the specified corner faster than 50 without risk of flipping so I told him he was wrong and that the idea was preposterous. He didn't like my attitude so instead of citing me for going 45 in a 40, he wrote that I was going 45 in a 25 and cited me for unsafe speed.

Then in court, under oath, he lied to the judge and said I was going over 55 "through" the 25 zone! Never mind the fact (and I had photos) that I was pulled over less than 10 ft inside the 25 zone and my house (my destination) was only 200 ft away so I had no reason to go "through" the zone let alone speed. My neighbors would not let me get away with that.

As you have probably guessed, the judge went with the sheriff. They pretty much always do.

So in short.. most..not all.. but most law enforcement officers don't give a rat's ass about the constitution. If they know they can get away with it they will abuse their power. They will bend the rules until it **** near breaks if it suits their personal agenda.

Every once in while you can fight it and win but usually you end up getting shafted worse than if you had just taken it in the first place.

Unfortunately, I always choose to fight. I can't help it. I just have a hard time accepting things that are unjust.

On the other hand.. If I know I've done wrong I man up and take it.

 

[shauno]

all and all you can deduce from all this, is if you see a cop standing next to you in line at the bank, or supermarket checkout etc it doesnt hurt to say "howdy".... he may be the one that pulls you over the next day and lets you off coz you were nice to him

 

[thaicbr]

I stay on my bike and say "What's the problem, young man?"

Seems to work. The last time I got a ticket was about 35 years ago. It was for doing 5 mph over the 55mph limit.

And the officer here would say "AlliWah... Ohhh falang... bie bie"

Which loosely translates to 'WHAT.....ahhhh white skinned devil who takes our ladies and drinks beer..... go .. go

 

[Michael]

And the officer here would say "AlliWah... Ohhh falang... bie bie"

Which loosely translates to 'WHAT.....ahhhh white skinned devil who takes our ladies and drinks beer..... go .. go

I was, of course, describing my modus operandi in the west, England and NZ.

Here in Phuket the police seldom pull anybody on the move over. Great gangs of them set up checkpoints. I don't know about other parts of Thailand, but these days in Phuket they are after the easy targets. Tourists and youngsters without helmets and/or documentation generally obligingly stop and cough up some cash.

I tend to ignore them, and generally they do not bother me. Occasionally they do insist that I stop, in which case I skid to a halt and flash my local licence pronto, without saying a word.......... and the reaction is pretty much as described above, and I on my way in 10 or 15 seconds.

If I want to play silly buggers, I do it off the road, wherever I am. I was fortunate to grow up on a farm, so did, and still do have the opportunity to do stuff off road. On public roads I follow the Road Code, a lot of which is just common sense.

For me the buzz of motorcycling is not seeing how fast I can go, wearing a full face helmet, which takes away much of the sensation. I travel at moderate speed and don't explore the limits of the bike or myself on the road. Wearing an open face helmet, I enjoy the feeling and smells of the changing environment on my face.

The police have no reason to pull me over and spoil my day, so I get fairly assertive if they do. Fortunately I don't ride in some parts of the US. It sounds like I might get shot if I was there.

 

[motorpsycho]

Fortunately I don't ride in some parts of the US. It sounds like I might get shot if I was there.

Lol. Our Law Enforcement in the US aren't trained to use deadly force as excessively as you might presume; even in all of our impoverish of cities, they most certainly will not embark on Martial law at the first sight of trouble for something as minor as a routine traffic stop. They have to follow a rigorous step-by-step "Escalation of Force" procedure before they can even think about resorting to their last option; their firearm.

 

[Badger]

Wow, What a sad statement to make. I'm sure you don't even understand what the constitution is, it's original intent and why it's so important. Just roll over and take it regardless. Pathetic. Part of me wants to sit down with you for an hour and try and teach you about the constitution. The other part of my wants to slap you for being an ignorant fool.

America would still be a colony of England if people thought like you...

Grow up son.

 

[Redline]

Thailand:

Pull down facemask and smile.
Apologise in Thai and ask if it's okay to pay here. 'Yes' will be the reply.
Hand over 100thb ($3).
Everyone salutes eachother.
Drive away.

 

[Badger]

Yep, spout off to a cop about your constitutional rights boy. They shot a woman dead at a traffic stop when she drove off and then "threatened" them with her vehicle.

She is dead and they can say anything they want. What happened to her rights? They like yours were flushed down a toilet. I'll save my constitutional arguments and claims for the place where they can do me the most good, in a courtroom as part of a lawsuit with a huge settlement.

You on the other hand will begin by bending over a vehicle at the scene, then get bent over again in the holding tank, and probably a few more times before your dumb arse ever gets in front of a judge, if you live long enough.

regards to the rest