When driving, the most important thing you can have in the car is a Dash-Cam. They cost anywhere from $30 – $200 on Amazon, and this is going to be your proof of what happened before, during and after the Police Stop. Police Officers often lie about why they pulled you over to get you to incriminate yourself, so having a record of what actually happened right before the officer pulls you over is TOP PRIORITY!

If you don’t have a Dash-Cam the first thing you want to do at a traffic stop is start recording immediately with your phone. Next, calmly place your hands on the steering wheel and wait for the officer. When the officer gets to your window, again, calmly ask the officer why they pulled you over.

In most cases the officer will try to get you to give them your drivers license and registration before they tell you why they pulled you over, however you DO NOT have to do this until the officer establishes “Reasonable Suspicion” as to why they pulled you over. This is because of the 4th Amendment and following two Supreme Court cases..

Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648 (1979) &…

Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996)

These two cases established the law and fact that police officers MUST have Reasonable Suspicion to pull over a driver and ask them for their drivers license and registration. Until a police officer establishes this Reasonable Suspicion, meaning a lawful reason as to why they pulled you over, you don’t have to do ANYTHING they say! A police officer can only tell you what to do IF you’ve broken the law, so always make the officer prove, ESPECIALLY on camera that you’ve broken the law.

If the officer refuses to give you a reason for why they pulled you over until you give them your license and registration, calmly and respectfully ask for a supervisor. The supervisor will usually be a sergeant or lieutenant with slightly, to a great deal more knowledge than the patrol officer. In many cases police officers are not aware of the laws they’ve sworn to enforce and have to have it explained to them by a superior.

If the officer won’t call his or her supervisor or claims that they are the supervisor but still won’t tell you why they’ve pulled you over, The first thing to remember is not to get frustrated or angry because now this has become what is known as an “unlawful detainment” which is a violation of your Constitutional Rights and grounds for you to place a claim/lien on their Official Surety Bond and or sue them at a later date. For the time being, simply comply with the officers orders Under Protest ON CAMERA, and use The Law to do your talking for you after the police stop!