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Drivers License and Registration Please…

So… most of us know what happens when you get pulled over by the police for a traffic stop. You pull over, hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel, window down and follow the officer’s directions. It usually goes like this: Officer: May I see your drivers license and registration please? You give the officer the documents and the officer lets you know why they stopped you. Speeding, broken tail light, dead inspection sticker, dead tag and so on. Get your ticket and move on. Makes sense to me. Some people think it’s a good idea to do this:

Officer: May I see your drivers license and registration please? Driver: I ain’t showing you shit! Why did you pull me over? You got no right to ask me for nothin and I ain’t giving you shit! Now …somebody please tell me the wisdom in this strategy of interacting with a law enforcement officer. I’m sure you have seen the body cams of officers dealing with a non-compliant person refusing to cooperate. It NEVER ends well for the driver…NEVER. I recently had a Mother explain to me that her daughter was dragged from her vehicle and arrested during on of these routine traffic stops. I asked her to tell me what happened…Mom said that her daughter “didn’t do nothin” She got pulled over and wouldn’t give the police her license. I asked her why. She said, “because she didn’t do nothin”. I made the comment that she was lucky that it didn’t escalate into a shooting. She said, “You got that right”. I said, “What would have happened if she would have reached under her seat for some reason or opened her glove compartment? Mom just kept telling me that “she didn’t do nothin”. I kinda knew where this was going next, and sure enough there it was. “The police would have never even stopped her if she wasn’t black”. I explained to MOM that her daughter was charged with reckless driving, 65 MPH in a 35 MPH and that speeding could have been the reason she was stopped. I went on to explain her other charges: Obstruction of Justice, Failure to Obey a Law Enforcement Command, Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (Felony) and that the Magistrate gave her a $10,000 bond. In the end the daughter went to video arraignment in Prince William County Virginia where the Judge released her on her personal recognizance. (So much for accountability.) I had true compassion for Mom, I made the comment that, “When our children get cut, we are the ones that bleed”. Mom nodded her head in agreement. All in all we had a good conversation. I asked Mom this question: “Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently if the same thing happened to you?” Moms answer? “Shit, I would have given him my license and been on about my business”. Good job MOM! I like that lyric from Crosby, Stills and Nash…”Teach Your Children Well…”

I would love to hear your opinion about this episode of 101 Ways to Get Arrested.

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How to Turn a Paper Cup into a Missile

So…what had happened was…you were driving down the road minding your own business when a car pulls up on your rear end that gives a new meaning to tailgating. Lights flashing, horn blowing and hand signals are giving you the impression that this person behind you is having an emergency. You would gladly move over into the right lane on this four lane highway but there is a car on your right, one in front of him and one behind him. The person behind you is yelling obscenities at you, you can’t hear them but you see them in your rear view mirror. They are out of control! Red Light! You stop for the red light! This seems to exacerbate the out of control driver having a conniption fit on your bumper, finally you can change lanes and let crazy lady go around you. Instead, the road raged driver follows you into the right lane and continues her erratic behavior! Is it possible that road rage is contagious, kind of like a yawn? Maybe so because your road rage button just got pushed! Looking in your rear view mirror you’re palms up sayin WTF is wrong with you lady? She passes you on the left but decides to shadow you,  parallel to your car still shouting vulgar insults with an intensity that makes you think she just might try to run you off the road. THATS IT! Had enough. You reach for the McDonalds cup in your cup holder and toss it out the window at her car. Your temper has flared! You have contracted the rage! Finally she speeds off and leaves you shaking and shaking your head. Wow that happened so fast!

Blue Lights: Yep, right in the rear view mirror.  “Drivers license and registration please.” “Did you have an altercation with a driver a little while ago?” “Why yes I did!” You tell the officer the whole story with emotional enhancement how she tailgated you yelling and screaming even tried to run you off the road. “Did you throw anything at her vehicle?” The officer asks.  You confess, “Well, I think I tossed a McDonalds coke at her when she was threatening to run me off the road.”

Game Over: You are under arrest! That’s right, any person unlawfully throwing any missile at a motor vehicle when occupied by one or more people is guilty of a Class 6 Felony! If the person throws the object maliciously its a Class 4 Felony. This is a very serious offense!

Check it out! 18.2-154 Shooting or throwing missiles!

Not worth it right! Absolutely Not! Keep your wits about you and don’t get arrested.

Think about this. The application of knowledge is wisdom