What not to do on a traffic stop

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by JonJon78, Apr 13, 2025.

  1. gentleroger

    gentleroger Road Train Member

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    Technically, you're correct.

    However, de-escalation should be the goal of every interaction between law enforcement and the motoring public. The driver gave the cop his license, then when back in the truck for the registration. At that point, flight is a non issue - cop has all the info and the truck to boot. If need be, the driver can be located.

    The cop was also willing to skip searching the 'perp' because of the poop situation. Another officer said "yeah, no, we're following sop".

    When the supervisor asks if he's been searched the response was "I'm just getting ready to do that".

    When told to spread his legs, the driver spread his legs. The cop didn't think that was sufficient and sassily demanded more. More than a couple jump cuts later we end the video with a "I never use force" joking moment with the corporal.

    Most importantly- this incident happened 3 years ago. It is being shared from a "law and order" YouTuber who doesn't include the ultimate adjudication.

    Is the driver a jerkoff? Yep.

    Was the driver trying to get out of the ticket? Probably.

    Could the officer have let the driver go to the bathroom, then give him the citations and arrest him for failing to follow a lawful command? Yes.
     
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  3. Flat Earth Trucker

    Flat Earth Trucker Road Train Member

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    "Protecting and serving the crap out of you."

    Could the cop have allowed the driver to use the bathroom? I think so.

    Would the world have ended? Probably not.
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2025
  4. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    but you weren’t rushing for a toliet. And no I didn’t watch the video.
     
  5. Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    In my opinion, the leo tried to de-escalate. The driver kept escalating and attempting to leave the scene from the beginning. I mean from the get go. The driver gave the leo his license after a back & forth, all while the driver was... at times, moving away from the leo to head to the store. Yes, finally after a few back & forths, the driver did give him his licence, then again, attempt to head to the store, all while arguing and resisting by flight, toward the store.

    I agree, the guy probably needed to go to the restroom. That's what some of the opinions here are sharing. Oh, I get it. When you need to go, you need to go.
    So, you just take his word for it & you just expect the leo to take his word for it. It dont work that way. As a matter of fact, the more a perp attempt and begs and pleads and attempts to move away, that only becomes more suspicious behavior.
    Let's be honest, you/we don't really KNOW.. that the driver needed to go to the bathroom. He said he did, but we don't KNOW that. Using all sorts of tactics to flee from police, make police (& me) even more suspicious. And I want to reiterate & make a point that we still don't know if he REALLY had to go.
    During the resistance, while being handcuffed, he was now physically resisting.
    After all the wrestling around and resisting, the driver now SAYS... he has crapped on himself. Maybe so, but do we REALLY know? Do we? I never seen any crap on his shoes or wet spots on his pants, even after several minutes. I didn't see any wet spots on the seat of his britches when the searched him. I'm not saying he didn't but I never seen any proof that he did. He just "said" he did.

    I'll state why all this took place and why the officer insisted he become compliant, especially after there was some resistance, even from the beginning.... The reason why the officer insisted that he comply and give him a minute to investigate before allowing him to leave the scene.

    The driver goes through the intersection hurriedly. The officer assumes/implies that the driver ran a red light. The officer pursues. The driver hurriedly stops at the fuel island and bails... knowing there is a cop on his tail & pursuing him without doubt. So the driver hastily retreats from the truck & the leo. The cop calls him out to stop.. hold up.. whatever. After some exchanges & insistence that he HAD go to the bathroom, the leo asks for some paperwork. The driver eventually hands him his licence after a few exchanges and still insists on arguing and pleading to leave the scene.
    So why was the officer so insistent that he investigate a bit before allowing him to leave?

    So again, we KNOW that he did not have a kilo of "?" in his pants to get rid of, don't we? I mean we KNOW that, right? I mean, he just needs to go to the bathroom. This is just a truck driver. There's no way this driver is so insistent to leave the scene and get away so hastily from the leo OTHER THAN, to go to the bathroom. No other reason under the sun. Its positively, without any doubt whatsoever, he needs a bathroom. Its couldn't possibly be anything else in the world
    The leo needed the paperwork & drivers licence and do a quick visual & physical brief investigation before allowing the driver to hurry to the restroom.
    In a realistic situation, especially after the drivers behaviour, the leo just needed to get the paperwork and do a quick assessment, then the driver could have been on his way to the bathroom EASILY in less than two minutes. Probably & without exaggeration, in less that 90 seconds. Then Jim Bob could have been allowed to leave the scene as now he is deemed safe & the leo has his info should he flee out the front door and escape, all while the leo runs checks on him and take whatever action he is going to take (tickets/warnings etc). But nooooo.. Jim Bob truck driver had to resist. Delaying ever further the opportunity to go to the bathroom, rather than comply and get there even quicker.

    Let's look at another very realistic situation without exaggeration. Just as reasonable as the first.
    Jim Bob truck driver is a tanker driver.. possibly a local driver. So, he's on the phone talking to his estranged wife who works at the local truck stop. They argue. He's beyond angry because she is pumping the neighbor on the side. So he heads to the truck stop madder than hadeese. Hastily run through the intersection, leo sees him, follows him to the truck stop and Jim Bob bails out and the leo calls out to him. But Jim Bob yells, "I gotta go crap!!
    Jim Bob has an old rusty piece in his pocket.... madder than mad and his estranged wife is inside.

    Now, of course because we KNOW Jim Bob REALLY had to go to the bathroom and his anger at his estranged wife is the wildest craziest notion that anyone on this forum has ever come up with, that this is ridiculous.. right?. No way Jim Bob had a sump'em sump'em in his pocket for his estranged wife who's pumpin the neighbor. That's impossible. We know that, cause... he's just gotta hit the crapper.

    So, now, does the leo investigate for 90 seconds, get his DL, paperwork and pat him down first? Or does he just say, well OK no problem Jim Bob, just go on in and come see me after you stash a kilo of (?) or kill you wife and two other employees and injure a few bystanders, then I'll give you a couple of tickets and send you on your way.
     
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  6. LOTSO

    LOTSO Heavy Load Member

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    IMO...A "Good Cop" would never let what we saw on this video escalate into what happened.
     
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  7. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    I had a simular situation, but I gave the cop the info first, ask him if I could go use the restroom, without being a jerk. He did walk into the Pilot and wait outside near the soda machine, but he let me use it. No reason to be a jerk in a traffic stop. The court room is the place to fight it out. I always run video drive cams at a minimum, always. Video beats what someone think they saw.
     
  8. El Hueso

    El Hueso Medium Load Member

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    When people think they are going to prevail over cops and show them how things are going to go, there can only be one outcome. Stupidity cause this. The cops hold all the cards. If you disagree, take it up later in the courts. If you try to win on the side of the road, you'll make it ten times worse. Defeat them with a lawyer and some research, not your mouth and attitude. And attitude goes a long way. This guy was an example.
     
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