Just thought I would share this with you guys.

I just got pulled over by the west la police right now. Heres the details...

He asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I told him, I may have accelerated pretty hard coming out of the turn? And then he asked do you know how fast you were going? I said I don't know.

Then he said I was 2 cars behind you before you made a left turn and it took me a while to catch up to you; You must have been going more than 40mph (speed limit). I replied I can assure you that I was not, I was only in second gear. which was true, I accelerated hard on first and a bit on 2nd.

He got my drivers license, reg and proof of insurance...

I heard checks on my name and addresses and probably my past record in the background.

He then walked up to me and asked if I had past speeding tickets before, I said no. He then said "do you vote", I replied yes. I thought he said do I bowl, good thing I said yes. Then he said, you know that the ballot is coming up for our raises. You can see how old our patrol cars are. I told him, I understand, I work for the city as well and I know what you guys are going through.

He then hands me my documents and license and said to be careful. You never know if someone cuts in front of you. I said, I understand and Im sorry for causing you the trouble.

He then lets me go.

NOW the BIG questions is, will it be different if I would have said to him earlier that I was speeding when he asked why I got pulled over?

Is that a standard question to convict me for a ticket instantly? Or would he have let me go anyways if I said I was speeding just for honesty's sake.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by johninator NOW the BIG questions is, will it be different if I would have said to him earlier that I was speeding when he asked why I got pulled over?

Is that a standard question to convict me for a ticket instantly?

 

That's a classic question so you incriminate yourself. The best thing to do is to do like you did, that is, play dumb like you're unsure of what you did wrong but be courteous and don't incriminate yourself. Worst thing you could do is say you were speeding because they could not be able to prove that your were and then you go and say you were which 99% of the time makes them obligated to write you a ticket to teach you a lesson. They always tell you I'm writing this ticket so you don't forget next time and it does work for some time then the effect fades so you're up to your old antics in no time. All this insight from a guy who's never gotten a speeding ticket. Knock on wood!

 

NEVER admit you were speeding...i agree with above poster, just play dumb and say you aren't sure as politely as possible

 

I agree with BBY2KS2K, it can depend on the cop but the rule of thumb is NEVER admit to speeding. Why should you? You think he has never gone over the limit for no reason? Even out of uniform I'll bet he has.

But if your going over the limit big time, say 30+ mph over you prolly deserve a ticket.

I had a friend several years ago get spotted racing, cop got behind him and turned on blue lights. My friend pulled over, the car he was racing kept going, cop kept chasing the other car. My friend turned around and went other way and turned into a subdivision. He drove around awhile (big neighborhood) all the sudden about ten cop cars swarm him. They question him was he racing, he says no, they say your lying, they even lied to him trying to get him to admit to it. They lost sight of him and never made a positive plate check, they couldn't prove squat and they knew it. They did give him a ticket for going like 2 mph over the neighborhood speed limit.

 

if it's just a traffic violation, I've found that honesty goes a long way when dealing with the police - they know why they've pulled you over whether it be a stop sign or speeding. I think the question of "do you know why i pulled you over" is used to see if you're being honest with the officer.

for more serious offenses then no - "i would like to invoke my fifth amendment right and not answer any of your questions"

as a side note, i've been pulled over three times in my S since 02 and have not received a ticket

 

hehe, i always just say I'm late for kidney dialysis.

one didn't believe me, so he asked me where I did that. I gave the location, and he said, "no, where on your body". I showed him my arm, and he let me off.

BTW, it was not the day I do dialysis, but whatever, the pity gets them all the time.

BTW, I don't have any kidneys and do dialysis. makes an excellent excuse.

 

if it's a speed trap don't , if the cop is just on the street either yes or play dumb.
if a cop is hiding and shooting radar he is there to make money, chances are he will not let you go since he heard every story in the book and they need to make a quota.
if he's on the street he's not hard press to give out tickets , more of a keep the streets safe so be polite. ' showing off to the gf, sorry, never do it again'
from my experience.

 

I always admit to whatever they accuse me of and play up to the officer's ego. If a police officer has taken the action to pull you over, then he has already decided that you are guilty enough to receive a ticket. At that point all I can do, IMO, is try to make him feel like he has accomplished his job without the hassle of giving me a ticket. 99% of the people that the officers come in contact with are complete ***holes, so I try to take the opposite approach. It seems to work pretty well, at least for me.

 

I've always used a response, phrased as a question.
officer: do you know why i pulled you over?
me:was I speeding officer?

Tells them thay you know what's going on, yet doesn't admit guilt.

In the end though, it really depends on the officer.
Jeff