Boring Question for LEO

[aquachick04]

I was driving home in my FJ last night and was thinking about getting pulled over (not as in contemplating attempting to be pulled over, as in wondering about different scenarios involving being pulled over).

Being a young(ish) female, what are my "rights" if I were to get pulled over at night on a desolate stretch of road? I have no fear of LEO, but am always a little worried about people posing as LEO (we've recently had a rash of rapes involving perps masquerading as LEO and pulling over women & assulting them). Am I "allowed" to continue to a safe area to pull over & is there a universally accepted way to indicate this is what I'm doing and not "fleeing"?

[fjctrevor4x4]

aquachick04 previously said:

I was driving home in my FJ last night and was thinking about getting pulled over (not as in contemplating attempting to be pulled over, as in wondering about different scenarios involving being pulled over).

Being a young(ish) female, what are my "rights" if I were to get pulled over at night on a desolate stretch of road? I have no fear of LEO, but am always a little worried about people posing as LEO (we've recently had a rash of rapes involving perps masquerading as LEO and pulling over women & assulting them). Am I "allowed" to continue to a safe area to pull over & is there a universally accepted way to indicate this is what I'm doing and not "fleeing"?

im not a leo but i have had friends tell me that they put their hazards on and call the local pd or state pd and check to see if it is actualy a cop behind them...and they will inform them that you are going to drive to a safe well lit place.

so just slow down considerably and go into the right lane with your hazards on

[LSR-bbs]

As a LEO with no knowledge of your location and any potential laws specific to your location, here's my advise...

As long as you acknowledge the officers presence (turn on hazards/signal) and continue at or below the speed limit and stop at the nearest, well lit and/or populated area should not have a problem. I work traffic enforcement at night and this is common and no problem.

You have to use common sense. If you live in a really rural area (where it realistically could be miles before a populated area) I would call 911, give your location and vehicle, the fact that your being pulled over and that you are waiting on a safe/populated place to stop. They should relay this to the officer.

The above being said #1, for the love of God, please make sure that your being stopped and that it's not the officer trying to get past you on an emergency situation. I can't tell you how many times people will totally ignore lights/sirens and not yield. Unfortunately, 99% of the time the emergency will outweigh the stupid quotient and I have to keep going instead of stopping the obstructing driver.

The above being said #2, it will not fix the stupid factor of a bad officer over reacting.

[LandCruiserSteve]

aquachick04 previously said:

Am I "allowed" to continue to a safe area to pull over & is there a universally accepted way to indicate this is what I'm doing and not "fleeing"?

Yes, you are allowed to continue until which time you feel it is safe to pull over.

Virtually every fellow law enforcement officer will agree that we are just as concerned as you are about the problems of police officer impersonations in the scenario you just described.

No, there isn't a universal signal for informing a police officer of your intentions. However, a non-threatening wave out of your window pointing down the road will likely advise the officer that you're waiting until safe ground (populated, well-lit) is achieved.

If you have your cell phone with you, you might want to call the police department's dispatcher to tell them what you're doing, so they may pass that information onto the officer. At the same time, you can verify with the dispatcher that it is, in fact, a genuine officer making the traffic stop.

Even upon reaching a "safe" area, if you still are doubtful about the officer's identity, remain in your car with the doors locked and windows up until you can comfortably ensure you know who you're dealing with. (i.e., police identification card/credentials, telephone verification, additional officer(s) on the scene, etc.)

Also, be very hestitant to pull over for any totally unmarked vehicle attempting to stop you, regardless of your location or time of day. Again, law enforcement agencies are very aware of police impersonators, and a marked unit will called to perform the traffic stop in the event of you exhibiting caution or failing to pull over.


EDIT: LSR-bbs must've posted his reply about the same time I did. X2 on exactly what he said.

[Tom and Elaine]

One of our officers recently experienced a concerned female hesitant about stopping. They were on a rural highway approximely 40 miles from any town, he followed the person approximatley 15 miles to a highway maintance crew working on signs where she stopped. The officer called me and advised me of the situation. Seems the woman was traveling from Minneapolis to Billings Montana and had decided to travel the "back roads of Montana" She attempted to call 911 and was not immediately succesful. When she finally did get through she was not sure where she was and ended up in a PSAP in another county. All turned out well but made for an interesting traffic stop.
Tom and Elaine