This content provides practical advice and specific phrases for drivers to navigate traffic stops legally and safely, aiming to prevent innocent interactions from escalating into searches, DUIs, or arrests by understanding and avoiding common police "traps."
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You're driving home, normal night,
nothing illegal. Then boom, red and blue
lights in your mirror. You pull over and
the officer walks up to you with this
question that sounds harmless. Do you
know why I pulled you over? Most people
answer that question and they don't
realize they stepped into the first
trap. Because that question, it's not
small talk. It's a confession generator.
In the next few minutes, I am going to
show you seven traffic stop traps that
turn just a warning into a search, a DUI
investigation, and even an arrest. And
I'll give you the exact phrases to use.
Calm, respectful, and legally smart so
you don't talk yourself into trouble.
And stay to the end because trap number
seven is the one that matters most when
a stop drags on and you feel like you're
being held hostage on the side of the
road. Trap number one, the why question,
or I say I call it the confession trap.
When an officer asks, "Do you know why I
pulled you over?" They're fishing for
admissions. Here's what people do.
Driver, uh, was I going a little fast?
Maybe my tail light was out or the worst
one. Officer, I only had two beers. I
think I'm safe to drive. Even if the
officer wasn't sure what they saw, your
guess can become the reason. So, the
move is simple, polite, and forces
clarity. Oh, officer, why did you stop?
Say it calmly, then stop talking. You're
not being rude. You're being smart. But
just be aware, officers don't always
have to tell you why they stopped you.
Sometimes they're going to say, "I'm the
one asking questions tonight." Got to
love those guys, right? There are some
states like California, the officers
must tell you if asked. But just
understand that's the exception, not the
rule. So be prepared for an officer not
to tell you why he pulled you over. But
please don't argue about if he was or
was not allowed to pull you over at
that. Arguments made for the court, not
the side of the road. Trap number two,
the I know my right spiral, or as I call
it, how to escalate things needlessly. A
lot of people think the goal is to win
an argument at the roadside. It's not.
Court is where you win. The roadside is
where you avoid giving them extra
reasons to investigate, detain, or even
arrest you. Here's the trap. Once the
tone becomes combative, everything
becomes officer safety and
non-compliance. And suddenly you're
being ordered out of the car, might be
ordered to sit on the ground, even if
it's wet. When they put in some
handcuffs, officer safety. Officer
safety, the courts give the officers so
much leeway. And as soon as they say
that, well, things can go south quick.
So, here is the best mindset. Don't
argue, don't perform, don't escalate.
You can assert your rights without
turning it into a show. So, what you can
say is, "Officer, I am going to comply
with your lawful orders. I just don't
consent to searches, and I will not be
answering any questions." That sentence
is pure gold. It's respectful. It's
clear. It's controlled. Now, just
understand for you people out there that
think the right to travel involves not
needing a driver's license, you're
wrong. Number one. So, if an officer
asks you for your identification,
driver's license, or you don't have it,
name, address, date of birth, like
you're required to give in some states
like Indiana, get that information to
them. Proof of insurance. Please don't
fall for this. I have a constitutional
right to travel. You can't tell me I
need a driver's license. No, that's not
what constitutional right to travel is.
Not even close. It's not. Give me those
cases. They're not relevant. So, please
do your best not to just make the
officer mad needlessly. I'm not telling
you to lick his boots. He's doing his
job. You're doing your job. And your job
is to assert your rights. So, trap
number one, don't guess. Trap number
two, don't argue. Control the tone. Now,
trap number three is the one that ruins
people who thought they were being
helpful. Trap number three, the mind
trick consent search. This one is deadly
because it comes wrapped in politeness.
The officer will say something along the
lines, "If you don't have anything
illegal in the car, then you wouldn't
mind me giving a quick search." Or, "If
you're innocent, you'll let me search."
Or, "Hey, listen. I'm going to give you
a quick search. It'll only take you a
second. If you consent, you've just made
their job easy. And yes, your car can
end up looking like it got hit by a
tornado and that's still your problem.
So your line when asked those question
is very simple. Officer, I do not
consent to searches. Then stop talking.
If they search anyway, you're not
stopping it with your words. Your lawyer
stops it in court. Just don't consent to
searches. And for some of you all
thinking, what? I'm not afraid of them
searching my car. I don't care. Couple
different things. Number one, you don't
know every single thing in your car. Did
you give a little ride to your nephew?
You don't know what he's doing all day.
Was your car unattended? Did someone get
into your car and do something inside
it? Or number three, even if you truly
do have nothing to hide. Those officers
can search your car
and then leave all yourself on the side
of the road and drive off. Don't do that
to yourself. Don't do that to yourself.
Don't consent to searches. Trap number
four, the windows hands movement trap.
Officers are trained to watch hands and
movement and rightfully so. The trap is
frantic reaching, digging around the
glove box, leaning under your seats,
just grabbing your registration. Even
innocent movements get narrated as
suspicious. I observe movements. I
feared for my safety. I suspect the
driver was trying to hide some. So, here
is your best practice checklist in 5
seconds. Pull over safely. Window down
enough to communicate. Cans visible on
the wheel. At night, turn the interior
dome light on. And number five, speak
slowly. And if your documents are
somewhere you have to reach, say it
first. My registration is in the glove
box. I'm going to reach over and get it
for you. That one sentence removes the
fertive movement storyline. Officer
can't say you're trying to hide things
or being suspicious. I'm doing what you
asked me to do. And it goes without
saying, if you are carrying a firearm,
you want to keep that separate from your
license and registration, whatever
documents are in your glove box. You
don't want a situation where the officer
observes you reaching into a glove box
and he sees a firearm because then it
becomes a safety issue and the officers
and safety issues can pretty much do
whatever they want unfortunately and it
might not end up very nice for you. So
keep those firearms and documents as a
license, registration, insurance, keep
that separate than any firearm. Trap
number five, the step out of the car
order. If an officer orders you out of
the car, most people think they can
refuse to get out. In most situations,
officers can legally order the driver
and passengers out of the vehicle under
various Supreme Court rulings. The trap
is arguing about it because the argument
becomes resisting so fast. It becomes
non-compliance so fast and it becomes an
officer safety issue faster than you can
think. and all of a sudden you had these
extra charges do not exist 30 seconds
ago. So do this instead. If officer asks
you to get out of the car out of the car
officer is at a request or a command. If
they say it's a command, comply calmly,
then you anchor the record and you can
even say autoblade. Catch on their
camera or maybe even your recording
device. I'm complying but I do not
consent to any searches. I advise
rolling the window back up and locking
the car as you get out of it. It might
piss the officer off, but it does add an
extra Fourth Amendment barrier to them
getting back into the car. It's not
going to prevent it entirely, and some
officers might just take the keys and
open it back up. Hopefully, that's on
the body cam or dash cam. Getting out of
the car is not giving in. You're
avoiding a worse outcome while
protecting your legal position. Now,
trap number six, the weapon surprise,
which basically don't create a scare. If
you legally carry, listen closely. Laws
vary. In some states, you have a duty to
inform the officer that you're caring
the moment he walks up. Some states, you
have a duty to tell them you're caring
if they ask you. Some states, like
Indiana, you don't got to do anything.
But you can't lie if asked. Keep that in
mind. Lying is a crime. But the
universal trap is this. Your paperwork
and a weapon are stored in the same
place. So if you grab the insurance
document and the officer sees a weapon,
NOW EVERYTHING IS HANDS DON'T MOVE. Step
out. England and your night could very
well be ruined. So do two things. Store
paperwork separate from any weapon. And
don't reach for paperwork, anything
without narrating what you're doing. And
I've said it in other videos, I would
never touch a firearm in the presence of
a police officer because well, that
could end very badly under officer
safety. You might not be going home that
night, but that officer probably will be
a okay. So, if you're in a state, we
have a duty to inform or the officer
asks you if you're caring. Here's your
line. Officer, I want to let you know
that I'm lawfully caring. How would you
like me to proceed? If you're in a state
that does not require disclosing that,
please don't do anything that can cause
an officer to think that you are a risk
to his safety because again, that will
not end well for you. So, hands on the
wheel, calm voice. Let them give you
instructions. I want you to do this. I
want you to do that. Now, trap number
seven is what happens when the stop is
over, but somehow you're still not
leaving. Trap number seven, the dragging
it out trap. The Rodriguez clock, as I
like to call it. This is the trap they
really hope you don't understand. That
the stop turns into a fishing
expedition. The officer is checking
something, waiting on a supervisor,
running it again. Just one more minute.
In Rodriguez v. US Supreme Court said
police cannot extend a traffic stop
beyond the time reasonably needed to
handle the traffic mission just to
investigate other crimes without legal
justification. So what do you do in real
life? First you wait until the ticket or
warning is done or the stop should be
over. Then you ask the question that
resets the power dynamic. Officer, am I
free to go? If they say yes, leave. If
they say no, don't argue. You clarify.
Am I being detained? And if so, for what
reason? Well, they may not have to tell
you why they're detaining you or keeping
you longer. But those words are going to
trigger something inside the officer's
memory. Oh man, this guy knows
something. He knows I'm dragging this
out. If the officer won't answer or
gives you a bad answer or just trying to
keep chatting you up, you use the
cleanest line in America. I'm going to
remain silent and I want a lawyer
because the goal isn't to win the
conversation at the roadside. The goal
is to give them nothing to use against
you later. So, here's a quick recap with
some screenshots to help you remember
all these seven. Number one, no officer,
why did you stop? Number two, I'll
comply with lawful orders. I won't
answer questions. Number three, I do not
consent to searches. Number four,
request or command. Then comply with
commands. My registration is in the
glove box. May I reach? Number six, I'm
lawfully carrying. How do you want me to
proceed? Number seven, am I free to go?
Here's the truth. Most traffic stops
don't become cases because of what's in
the car. They become cases because of
what the driver says and how the
situation escalates. Be polite. Keep
your hands visible. Don't consent to
searches. Don't answer investigative
questions. And if they cross the line,
you fight it in court, not on the side
of the road. Now, if you watch this
video this long, you must like me. Come
on. Subscribe to my channel. Like this
video. Leave me a comment. Let me know
if you agree. Let me know if you've ever
dealt with any of these traps. You truly
don't know what to say. Let me know who
you remind me of. Got a running list
here. John Iguazamo, Joe Peshi, Turtle
Montra, someone mentioned Tom Cruz. That
person is my favorite person in the
world. Remember, this is general advice.
You need to do the research for what's
applicable in your state. Although I've
done my best to make sure the videos on
Tuesday afternoons are applicable to the
entire 50 United States, but there's
always some weird exceptions. Research.
Check it out. Figure out what the law is
on your area. Find a cool attorney in
your area. have them on speed dial so
you know them before you need them. And
if you're facing charges in Indiana,
give me and my team a call 317632 3642.
But most importantly, I want you to
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