Posted: 2/28/2008 12:10:00 PM EDT
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Well I got pulled over today, nothing too exciting but I do have a question. I was driving down the road in my work van (2003 Astro Van, Company logos all over it), make a right hand turn and see the lights in my mirror. I pull into the next parking lot and roll down the window. The officer approaches my window and asks me if there was any reason I was going 50 in a 35. I say "No Sir", he proceeds with the license, registration, and insurance stuff. This is the part that gets me. Before he walks back to his cruiser to fill out the ticket he asks if I have anything illegal in the vehicle?? Whats up with that? I responded No with a little chuckle. Is that a normal question for an officer to ask on a traffic stop? It was the middle of the day, I am in a clearly marked work van, windows on all sides (the back has windows also), I had all my current paper work, and he asks if I have anything illegal?? This was my first time being pulled over so this may be SOP but it caught me off guard! He did drop it to 45 in a 35, I thanked him for that. Also, since this was in my company vehicle should I let my manager know? As far as I know a speeding ticket has nothing to do with the vehicle I was driving but I figure I will let my manager know anyways. |
| He's just fishing. It's not a big deal. He was watching your reaction. If you looked nervous, or something didn't seem right, he'd poke a little more. He must have thought you were on the up and up, since he neglected to ask "Well then, do you mind if I have a look?" |
Gravity likes my foot A LOT! 
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Um, no. Answering a question with a question like that will get you a nice wait for the dog to show up. Illegal means against or in violation of the laws of your locality, the State, and the country. Feel better? pato |
About what?  I'd get the humor detector checked if I were you. |
That's what I figured. No skin off my back by him asking, just thought it was a silly question at the time. |
Ankeny, Iowa. Just north of Des Moines. |
Well.....because like the topic reads I in fact did get pulled over.  Never once did I say I wasn't guilty of speeding, I thanked the officer for knocking it down to 10 over for me. |
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You'd be shocked the answers I have gotten from such questions... The funniest one was, after seeing an empty beer can in the boat....pretty normal.... Me: "Son, you been drinking?"  (DUDE starts breathing in REAL deep, and exhaling REAL LOUD, like he's about to hyperventilate. He does this three or four times then says) Him: "NO, BUT I JUST SMOKED A LITTLE WEED!!" Me and partner:  GR |
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Standard questions for me when I pull someone over: Is there anything illegal in the car I need to know about? Are you on probation or parole? You wouldn't believe the things people will say to the first question to incriminate themselves. Example: "Well... I'll be honest with you officer, I have a little weed and some vicodin that I don't have a prescription for." Click click.
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Makes sense. Guess in my case when your an honest citizen with nothing to hide, it seems like a silly question. But in reality there are many people that you guys pull over that have to think about that question before they answer. |
| Why do some of you guys have to be assholes to people who do not have post counts in the hundreds of thousands? (Beside the the fun factor) But some of you do come off really arrogant to some folks who may not be as stupid as you assume. We would probably get a lot more information on things in GD if this was not so common. |
Ummm....yes. Have you been stuck under a rock? This site is know for pictures of people in bathtubs with dogs, cookies...you name it! I don't think a question about a traffic stop is so out of line... |
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It was a bait question... no problem, you did fine. Some people will blurt out all sorts of incriminating things. If you've got a nervous-looking guy sitting there sweating like a hooker in church, sometimes that question bears real fruit. And all sorts of guys carry contraband in their work vehicles. |
Hey, ya never know. Joel Rifkin had a dead hooker in the back of his truck when he got stopped for speeding by NYS Troopers. |
No, I'm confident that out-a-ammo posted the correct response. |
Very much so!!! Vehicle was pulled over with strong smell of marijuana coming from it. Mind you there were four males in the vehicle. I just asked who has it? The driver produced his and the right rear passenger produced his bag. The funny part was... Not to be out done, the rear drivers side passenger said, " I've got some too!!!" and produced his bag as well.  Dumb a$$ criminals |
Ok, how bout this... two teenage males park near the gas pumps at a corner gas station. They watch and wait till a women gets out of her vehicle to go pay for her gas and leaves her purse in the vehicle. One runs up to her car, grabs the purse and he jump in their car and take off. They go about three blocks down the street, loot the purse and dump it in the dumpster of another gas station. They drive back down the street near where they had just robbed the women and run out of gas just short of the station. As we are there taking the report she looks up and says,"there they are!" The two males are pushing the "getaway" vehicle back up to the same gas station. I never laughed so hard in my life. You should have seen the look on their face when I asked who was responsible for filling up the getaway car.
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You obviously have no idea: Last week: Man calls police on burglar. Burglar is friend who stole what was described as a "glass tobacco smoking pipe" (that smelled of burnt cannabis) and a digital scale along with a pornographivc dvd and assorted other junk. Burglar arrested, evidence catalogued and recorded and contraband seized and held. Police call man to come get his stuff. When the officer fails to return the contraband victim asks for the "rest of [his] stuff." The officer tells him that he is not returning the contraband. Apparently feeling he had not pushed his luck far enough he asked the officer to "look the other way." Ultimately the officer offered to return the items and arrest him for possession of paraphernalia. Finally, the victim wisely said "never mind" This is not uncommon. This week's funny is better. |
We had a guy with a suspended license run over a 7 year old girl killing her. When he got out of jail he drove to the precinct to pick up his property and promptly got arrested again. |
It's a free country and you can say whatever you want to whomever you want. When I make a traffic stop or have dealings with citizens--I always call them "sir" or "ma'am". In Texas, we call it common courtesy. I suppose that fine art is lost on other areas of the country. pato |
Same way here. Sir and ma'am are standard ways of addressing another person if you were raised right. Oh, and BTW: And that cop wanted to arrest you, slam your face into the floor after dumping you from your wheelchair and tazering you and shooting your dog. < runs > |
Small world, that's where I grew up! I still live in the area too. The Ankeny cops are pretty active, as well as Johnston, Polk City, and most of the suburbs. I keep close to the posted limit in town, but relax a bit more when out of city limits 
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