In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

Do you have to. . .

mlincolnmlincoln Member Posts: 5,039 ✭✭✭
edited August 2013 in General Discussion
answer that question? The Zimmerman pulled over post got me wondering. A cop pulls you over for speeding (you're not supposed to speed, fair enough). The cop says, "Where are you headed?"

He may be asking because he's trying to cut you a break, maybe you're headed to the hospital to see a dying friend, maybe you're rushing to save a friend who is choking to death. Maybe he's looking for a valid excuse to let you out of a ticket.

But maybe he's fishing for that one in a million bonehead who says, "I'm off to sell these 5,000 hydrocodone pills I've got in the trunk." Or maybe he just wants to know all he can know.

I've been told that if it's not germane to the issue at hand, you can refuse to answer. If you think the question will incriminate you ("Why do you think I pulled you over?") you can refuse to answer. Is it OK to say, "I'd rather not say, officer?"

Thoughts? Opinions from LEO's? Bad legal advice from anybody with an internet connection?

Comments

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,184 ******
    edited November -1
    You don't have to do anything. Doing some things may be wiser than doing others and each situation would dictate, it would seem.
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,588 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The LEO is trying to assess the person- drunk? Stoned, sleepy, unusually jumpy? Or just average.

    Do you HAVE to answer anything? No. Will it likely delay you if you refuse? Yes.

    Of course, if you are feeling really froggy, when he asks where you are going, smile and say "Over to your house. Your wife called, and said you were tied up working radar." [:p]




    BTW- do that, and I do not know you, never heard of you, never talked with you.
  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 31,934 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    When asked "where are you heading". I answer, "that way".
    When asked "where are you coming from". I answer, "that way". I usualy get a ticket even though I was honest. Don
  • HappyNanoqHappyNanoq Member Posts: 12,023
    edited November -1
    My answer..."Well I wouldn't quite know why you choose to stop me... my thoughts were elsewhere and I suspect I was speeding."

    I wouldn't say "It depends on how long you were following me."
  • LaidbackDanLaidbackDan Member Posts: 13,143 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Going to have sex with your Mother.













    What will my bail be?
  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,724 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    went to fast thru a small town on the way to lake and saw local pull out so I slowed down and pulled into a handi wipe...he pulled in after me and asked why so fast..told him i had no excuse for being over their limit as i gave him license..no record on check and i think he was fishing for the newest story one could dream up...and stunned there wasn't one...verbal warning and on my way...watch there every time thru
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had a major disagreement with the High Point, North Carolina police about this and other subjects in 1970. We argued on the side of the road for about an hour. I can't say I won the argument, but they still don't know where I was going.

    When I got home I called their Watch Captain and we argued for over an hour about the same things. I never got around to telling him where I was going either. He never admitted he agreed with me, but the next day those two policemen were in genuine police uniforms, in a regulation police car, and they never spoke to me again.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
  • mateomasfeomateomasfeo Member Posts: 27,143
    edited November -1
    I just tell them where I'm going and beg for forgiveness for my ignorance and how I'm sorry I sped in their town, how I am a danger and should be punished...

    I always get a warning....


    [;)]
  • hobo9650hobo9650 Member Posts: 2,759 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The cop not looks like a nut by releasing the information that Z was pulled over.

    Do they broadcast the name etc of every person they "pull over"?

    I guess just a liberal cop or someone wanting attention themselves.
  • 11BravoCrunchie11BravoCrunchie Member Posts: 33,423 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
    Going to have sex with your Mother.













    What will my bail be?



    Well, according to the Wisconsin Criminal Code, actually performing that particular act with your own mother would be a Class F Felony.

    quote:944.06 Incest. Whoever marries or has nonmarital sexual intercourse, as defined in s. 948.01 (6), with a person he or she knows is a blood relative and such relative is in fact related in a degree within which the marriage of the parties is prohibited by the law of this state is guilty of a Class F felony.
  • LaidbackDanLaidbackDan Member Posts: 13,143 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
  • LesWVaLesWVa Member Posts: 10,490 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
    Going to have sex with your Mother.







    What will my bail be?



    I think that flew over someones head...[;)] [:o)]
  • austin20austin20 Member Posts: 34,817 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by LesWVa
    quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
    Going to have sex with your Mother.







    What will my bail be?



    I think that flew over someones head...[;)] [:o)]
    Turbo.
  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:11b6r Posted - 07/31/2013 : 8:54:11 PM


    Of course, if you are feeling really froggy, when he asks where you are going, smile and say "Over to your house. Your wife called, and said you were tied up working radar."






    LMAO that was good man", never heard that one.
  • EVILDR235EVILDR235 Member Posts: 4,398 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I was with a soon to be ex friend one night when we got pulled over for a noisey muffler on his 53 Studebaker.My soon to be ex friend was a smart * to the cop.The cop desided to do a roadside safety check.The cop tells him,this car is unsafe.My soon to be ex friend tells the cop,this car is safer than your mother.At least everytime my car leaves the driveway,it doesn't get pregnant.Bye bye soon to be ex friend.


    XXXXXX
  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,183 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If the cop says, "Why do you think I pulled you over?" he is fishing.
    If you say "Because I was speeding" or "Because I ran the stop sign" you have just confessed!
    Of course he has you on video/audio tape.

    Just say "I don't know. I was driving legally as far as I know."
  • wiplashwiplash Member Posts: 7,146 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
    Going to have sex with your Mother.













    What will my bail be?


    What Bail?
    There is no such thing as Liberal Men, only Liberal Women with Penises.'
  • Ray BRay B Member Posts: 11,822
    edited November -1
    My experience is that the officer is not seeking an admission, but is 1. seeing how coherent the driver is, and 2. seeing what score the driver gets on the jerk-meter.
  • 1BigGuy1BigGuy Member Posts: 4,033 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You have the right to remain silent.
    If you're a big enough PITA you just might get to hear the officer say those very words.
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,815 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
    If the cop says, "Why do you think I pulled you over?" he is fishing.
    If you say "Because I was speeding" or "Because I ran the stop sign" you have just confessed!
    Of course he has you on video/audio tape.

    Just say "I don't know. I was driving legally as far as I know."


    It doesn't matter whether you admit to it or not, you are either speeding or you are not, intent is irrelevant in simple moving violation. It always helps if we have an admission but it doesn't matter whether you intended to commit the traffic offense.
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,815 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Ray B
    My experience is that the officer is not seeking an admission, but is 1. seeing how coherent the driver is, and 2. seeing what score the driver gets on the jerk-meter.


    That is a fairly accurate assessment of the situation!
  • WarbirdsWarbirds Member Posts: 16,813 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Its like many things in this world. I expect you don't have to do it, but it keeps life much simpler if you do.
  • texdottexdot Member Posts: 2,315 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have had many encounters with police officers,although very few on traffic stops. I could see a good butt woopin and a camera that "never existed".
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I decided to expand on my above post so it doesn't look so much like I was just being a jerk and an intentional pain in the * to a couple of honest, hard working cops.

    This was in 1970 during my interlude from the Navy. I was working as a computer operator/programmer for The Prudential. I was working the Sunday night, early Monday morning cleanup shift. I finished my work, locked the building, turned the alarm on and notified the local police I was leaving the building.

    The Prudential was located in a shopping center and I was parked behind the building. When I pulled out into the street I saw a black Ford with no markings pull out of the shopping center parking lot and fall in behind me, obviously following me. After I made my turn onto the highway and gone about two or three miles, he turned on his siren. This was after midnight and he was blasting his siren. He didn't have any blue or red lights.

    My first inclination was to ignore him, but after I thought about it for a minute I decided I didn't want him to follow me home. I already had a round in the chamber of my Browning Hi-Power so I pulled the hammer back and secured it against my right leg and pulled over. He pulled in behind me. When they got out of the car I saw they were dressed all in black. Black shirt, pants, shoes, windbreaker jacket, Sam Brown belt and ball cap. This was back when cops dressed like cops in a uniform complete with badge and white Bancroft combination cap. I had serious doubts that they were police.

    The driver came to my door and the guy who got out of the passenger side came to the right rear of my car. This caused me to think maybe they are cops. The guy at the rear of my car was slapping his left hand with a four cell flashlight in a threatening manner which pissed me off whether they were cops or not. Then the collar device on the guy at my door reflected some light and I saw it was `HPPD'. I decided to take a chance and assume they were cops, but by then I was mad as hell and in no mood to be easy to get along with.

    He asked me where I was going. That's when I told him if I thought he needed to know, his watch commander would have told him when he came on duty. He didn't like that answer, so we discussed it for a while.

    I never did see a badge on either one of them, but they didn't see my gun so I guess we came out even.

    I didn't tell them how close we all came to dying that night, or that I had a gun, but I did tell their watch commander when I got home. He didn't seem to like it very much, but the next day he had them in uniform with badges and in a marked car. They never spoke to me again.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
  • austin20austin20 Member Posts: 34,817 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Dave W.
    Its like many things in this world. I expect you don't have to do it, but it keeps life much simpler if you do.
    Testify!
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,723 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
    I decided to expand on my above post so it doesn't look so much like I was just being a jerk and an intentional pain in the * to a couple of honest, hard working cops.

    This was in 1970 during my interlude from the Navy. I was working as a computer operator/programmer for The Prudential. I was working the Sunday night, early Monday morning cleanup shift. I finished my work, locked the building, turned the alarm on and notified the local police I was leaving the building.

    The Prudential was located in a shopping center and I was parked behind the building. When I pulled out into the street I saw a black Ford with no markings pull out of the shopping center parking lot and fall in behind me, obviously following me. After I made my turn onto the highway and gone about two or three miles, he turned on his siren. This was after midnight and he was blasting his siren. He didn't have any blue or red lights.

    My first inclination was to ignore him, but after I thought about it for a minute I decided I didn't want him to follow me home. I already had a round in the chamber of my Browning Hi-Power so I pulled the hammer back and secured it against my right leg and pulled over. He pulled in behind me. When they got out of the car I saw they were dressed all in black. Black shirt, pants, shoes, windbreaker jacket, Sam Brown belt and ball cap. This was back when cops dressed like cops in a uniform complete with badge and white Bancroft combination cap. I had serious doubts that they were police.

    The driver came to my door and the guy who got out of the passenger side came to the right rear of my car. This caused me to think maybe they are cops. The guy at the rear of my car was slapping his left hand with a four cell flashlight in a threatening manner which pissed me off whether they were cops or not. Then the collar device on the guy at my door reflected some light and I saw it was `HPPD'. I decided to take a chance and assume they were cops, but by then I was mad as hell and in no mood to be easy to get along with.

    He asked me where I was going. That's when I told him if I thought he needed to know, his watch commander would have told him when he came on duty. He didn't like that answer, so we discussed it for a while.

    I never did see a badge on either one of them, but they didn't see my gun so I guess we came out even.

    I didn't tell them how close we all came to dying that night, or that I had a gun, but I did tell their watch commander when I got home. He didn't seem to like it very much, but the next day he had them in uniform with badges and in a marked car. They never spoke to me again.



    Good story. Sounds like they were the jerks and that their boss fixed their wagon for them as well, at least for the time being.
    What's next?
Sign In or Register to comment.