Lawyers say to keep your mouth shut and say nothing.

[Sanders]

There's some wiggle room - just have to be selective in what you say.

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[44044]

Sounds like the plan…

[rto]

Damn, could that be Glockie?

[Johnny]

It all depends. In the vast majority of situations, you're better off to STFU. However; it's not always the case.

I'm a reserve deputy. I'm old, broken, and only get called to do the missions the full timers don't want to do. Last year I was tasked to guard an empty residence in the middle of nowhere. I sat there in a cruiser for 6-8 hours. Finally, a door opened in the "empty" residence. A guy stepped out. He was a beat-down meth-head. He was tired and just wanted it to be over.

I thought I there was no one in the residence, so I was taken aback. When we spoke, things started to come together. He was just a dumb ass who made some very poor life choices. After a while, we were talking like old friends.

I called a couple full-timers. They showed up and arrested him and another dude. Like my interaction, everything was VERY friendly and respectful. The full-timers went out of their way to make sure the guy was treated well. They made arrangements for care of his dog, let him call his girlfriend, etc... The whole thing was surreal.

The "arrest" was more like a conversation between friends. In the end, everyone benefited from the friendly interaction.

Honestly; this was probably a 1 in 10 encounter. If I'd have been one of those meth heads in another county, I'd have done better just to STFU. In this county, however; their peaceful and cooperative disposition earned them big points with the sheriff and the judge.

[4thIDvet]

"I don't know nuttin where is my attorney am I free to go or are you illegally detaining me"

[bill3542]

I don't hate cops, I simply don't trust any of them. Those DUI checkpoints are the worst. I seriously pissed one off one night when he said where just doing are jobs, just ( following orders ).
I reminded him that there others who said the same thing.... they had black uniforms, arm bands and wore jack boots. this pissed him off and he threatened me with arrest for ( disorderly conduct ), I reminded him of free speech and he told me to get the hell out of there.

[4thIDvet]

I don't hate cops, I simply don't trust any of them. Those DUI checkpoints are the worst. I seriously pissed one off one night when he said where just doing are jobs, just ( following orders ).
I reminded him that there others who said the same thing.... they had black uniforms, arm bands and wore jack boots. this pissed him off and he threatened me with arrest for ( disorderly conduct ), I reminded him of free speech and he told me to get the hell out of there.

Have you been drinking? - You think I would be driving like this sober?
Are you drinking tonight?- Why am I supposed to be?
Can I see your license?- Can I shoot your gun?
Where is your license-Damn man on the front of my truck where its supposed to be?
D.A.M.M.-Drunks Against Mad Mothers.

Jokes but drinking and driving is NOT a joke. Don't drink and drive period.

[Bluntforce]

Gas prices vs. beer prices = drink, don’t drive.

[Johnny]

I don't hate cops, I simply don't trust any of them. Those DUI checkpoints are the worst. I seriously pissed one off one night when he said where just doing are jobs, just ( following orders ).
I reminded him that there others who said the same thing.... they had black uniforms, arm bands and wore jack boots. this pissed him off and he threatened me with arrest for ( disorderly conduct ), I reminded him of free speech and he told me to get the hell out of there.

There's a different vibe among county law enforcement. Every encounter with a citizen is an encounter with a voter. Our sheriff has a very "gentle touch". Friendly warnings are the norm. Sometimes he purposefully lets things slide. Examples:

During one small-town Summer festival he allows drinking in the streets. At a lake resort area, he lets the citizens block roads for impromtu block parties. In both cases, it's understood that as soon as citizens abuse the privilege, it's over.

In two years of doing this, I've only had two negative encounters. In both cases, it was elderly people having complete meltdowns because of road detours. These detours would have added about 5 minutes to the person's trip. Instead; they thought it more prudent to spend 10 minutes venting about how much these 5-minute detours were inconveniencing them!

Are there bad deputies? Absolutely! I'd say about 5-10% shouldn't be wearing the uniform. I guess that's typical of just about every profession, business, church, etc...

[bill3542]

My situation was getting off work at 2AM and running into a DUI checkpoint at 2.30 where your treated like a criminal for being on the road at that time... I told one with a flashlight and a nose problem to get the fuck away from my car one night or get a warrant.

[Johnny]

There's no excuse for a cop treating you poorly during a DUI checkpoint, or frankly during any normal encounter. They all know better than that.

The best way to handle the rude or abusive cop is to stay cool, calm and professional. When it's all over, write a statement along with names of witnesses and arrange a meeting with his chain of command. Nothing will ever likely come of it, but it's the right thing to do.