I don't often pitch to you a
Must Read article, but
The Washington Post has one you owe it to yourself to read. Written by a 17 year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, it tells you how to avoid getting injured or killed if stopped by police.
Even though it might sound harsh and impolitic, here is the bottom line: if you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don’t argue with me, don’t call me names, don’t tell me that I can’t stop you, don’t say I’m a racist pig, don’t threaten that you’ll sue me and take away my badge. Don’t scream at me that you pay my salary, and don’t even think of aggressively walking towards me.
But if you believe (or know) that the cop stopping you is violating your rights or is acting like a bully, I guarantee that the situation will not become easier if you show your anger and resentment. Worse, initiating a physical confrontation is a sure recipe for getting hurt. Police are legally permitted to use deadly force when they assess a serious threat to their or someone else’s life. Save your anger for later, and channel it appropriately. Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you.
The really valuable parts of the article deal with how the stop looks to the officer(s) conducting it. Their mindset is very different from yours. You know you didn't do anything wrong, he (or she) doesn't know that.
An average cop is always concerned with his or her safety and tries to control every encounter. That is how we are trained.
Controlling behavior feels like bullying even when it is not so intended, which makes taking this advice harder, but no less important.
