A couple of years ago, I was driving outside of Alexandria, MN. I was going 45 in a 30, and I got pulled over by a State Trooper.
I immediately moved to the side of the road, opened my window, and placed both hands on the steering wheel in plain sight. Now, I should have anticipated that the Trooper would want to see my ID, taken it out, and held it in my hand (while on the steering wheel). But I didn’t.
Sure enough, the first thing the officer did was ask me for my ID. I told him that my wallet was in my front pocket and asked if it would be OK if I reached for it.
He took a step back, arched his eyebrow and asked, “Are you armed?”
My response, “No. But you didn’t know that.”
The officer took my ID and went and did whatever he does in his car. When he came back, he asked me several questions which I answered calmly and respectfully, or simply said (also calmly and respectfully) “yes sir” or “no sir”.
After two or three minutes of that, he gave me back my ID and I went on my way. I didn’t even get a warning.
And that, my friends, is how NOT to get killed by the police.
Now, I could have done any number of stupid things that would have made the situation worse.
I could have:
- been intoxicated and/or whacked out on drugs.
- had outstanding warrants against me.
- tried to run away.
- bitched about how stupid it was to have a 30mph zone in the middle of nowhere.
- argued and acted belligerently and/or disrespectful to the Trooper.
- moved quickly and without warning.
- produced a weapon.
- fought with the Trooper.
- tried to disarm the Trooper.
I could have done any of those things. But I didn’t. It was my choice, and I chose not to be an idiot. And nobody got hurt.
Had I tried even one of the things I just mentioned, I would have greatly increased my chances of being injured during the interaction with the officer. And, if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that none of them are related to color or race in any way.
If you get pulled over by a law enforcement officer, you hold all the cards. Whether or not the situation turns ugly is entirely in your hands. Police officers aren’t looking for ways to escalate a situation and they don’t sit around in their spare time trying to think up excuses to kill people.
The fact is, you have nothing to fear from the police until you give them something to fear from you. The results of your choices determine if anybody is going to get injured. And, if you choose wisely, no one will.
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