LiveLife
Member
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer/LEO, just a random layperson posting on THR.
One of three CA agencies I worked for before retirement covered the entire state and my office was responsible for surveying hospitals/health care facilities from Bakersfield to northern borer with Oregon. During seven years of driving all over the state (Often, I had 12-14 hour drive back home after week long survey), I never got pulled over using coworker's son's suggestions. Only times I was approached by CHP were when I was pulled over during 12-14 hour drive back home and was tired to take a nap on the side of road and when explained, patrolmen replied they were doing wellness/safety checks and that would be the end of encounter.
Wife's cousins are Ventura Police sergeant and Ventura County sheriff's deputy and when police are asking "stupid questions", they are likely looking for suspects/perpetrators matching your vehicle's descriptions and/or persons matching your descriptions and could be fishing.
Instead of giving stupid answers (and getting upset), which you are not required to provide, be polite and simply ask if you are being detained. If no, then ask if you are free to go. Because if police do not have reasons to detain you, they have to let you go about your business.
During early years of 26 years I worked for CA state government, a coworker's son worked for CA Highway Patrol. When we inquired how not to get speeding tickets/pulled over, he told us to "stay/blend in with the herd and don't stand out":traffic stops that worry me are the ones where the officer is telling you your tag light is dim, or you're swerving within your lane
- Don't make sudden moves
- Don't drive way faster than other cars/vehicles,
- Drive on the right/slower lanes and stay away from left/fast/PASSING lane
- Signal BEFORE changing lanes (I usually let blinker blink 3 times and change lanes gradually)
- When driving in left lane (If right/slower lanes are pack full of semi trucks or poorly maintained CA road is really bad ... Yes, CHP know that too), don't brake approaching vehicle in front of you. Instead, adjust your speed to maintain safe distance behind them.
- Have your speedometer calibrated or verify accuracy with road speed indicators and note if your speedometer is off and drive no faster than 5 mph over posted speed limit (If everybody is speeding 10-15 mph over like on I-15 from LA to Vegas, drive with the flow of traffic but not faster).
- Maintain vehicles to avoid "fix it" ticket pullover for broken tail light, etc.
- CHP sometimes will park near the top of freeway/highway onramp so patrol car won't be seen by approaching drivers on the offramp side. IF you are speeding for some reason, slow down as you approach freeway/highway overpass. (They often also park in the shadow of overpass)
One of three CA agencies I worked for before retirement covered the entire state and my office was responsible for surveying hospitals/health care facilities from Bakersfield to northern borer with Oregon. During seven years of driving all over the state (Often, I had 12-14 hour drive back home after week long survey), I never got pulled over using coworker's son's suggestions. Only times I was approached by CHP were when I was pulled over during 12-14 hour drive back home and was tired to take a nap on the side of road and when explained, patrolmen replied they were doing wellness/safety checks and that would be the end of encounter.
You have the right to remain silent. (Anything you say will likely be used against you )something about your car ... where the cops start asking a bunch of stupid questions and shining their flashlights all over the inside of your car
Wife's cousins are Ventura Police sergeant and Ventura County sheriff's deputy and when police are asking "stupid questions", they are likely looking for suspects/perpetrators matching your vehicle's descriptions and/or persons matching your descriptions and could be fishing.
Instead of giving stupid answers (and getting upset), which you are not required to provide, be polite and simply ask if you are being detained. If no, then ask if you are free to go. Because if police do not have reasons to detain you, they have to let you go about your business.
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