Yes they can. Why because they have guns and they are trained to use them. It is probably best not to tangle with the law if you can help it. However, from time to time, innocent law abiding citizens get stopped for no reason. Why is that? Doesn’t this go against our civil liberties?

Police officers are trained to build a case against you. First they use a tool called “Reasonable Suspicion” to stop you, also referred to as a Terry Stop. This in my opinion is the gray area that can lead innocent people to getting into trouble with police officers simple because they are not prepared to deal with this type of harassment. By using reasonable suspicion they can stop you, basically detain you, and interrogate you to make sure you are not doing anything illegal.

Police officers may seem like they are pulling you at random, but there was something that caused them to stop you and check you out. They may use lines like; “Do you know how fast you were going?” or ” It looked like you were swerving a little back there, did you have anything to drink to night?”. To the innocent Terry Stop victim this may sound like an insult. If they had been drinking they might carelessly admit to something thus giving the police officer “Probably Cause”.

You have to be careful with the words you use with police. Obviously you don’t want to be belligerent or over state your rights. The best policy is to be calm and be clear with your answers. The officer is really just testing you.

Know Your Rights

To protect yourself against a Terry Stop, take some time and research online the best ways to deal with Police officers. You will learn a lot. Remember that police officers are highly trained to deal with the public, so they have an unfair advantage over you.

In the case of the Terry Stop the officer is going to proceed to ask you questions. They may even lie to you about why you are being stopped in order to get you to say something incriminating. Officers are legally allowed to lie to you.

If they ask you; “What’s in the bag” or “Is there anything illegal in your trunk”, it is your right to refuse the search. Simply say “Officer, I don’t consent to any searches“. Be careful here and make sure that you are clear to the officer.

If the officer orders you to do something, you are going to have to do it whether it is right or wrong. The distinction here is an “order” versus a “request”. You don’t have to fulfill a request, but you need to make sure that you are clear with the officer that it was indeed a request and not an order.

Then if there is nothing else, ask the officer if you are being detained. If not calmly ask if you are free to go.

Police officers are humans too and they make mistakes. They might be a little overzealous hitting the streets and trying out all that intense training. First off, their lives are on the line every day. You might be wondering; can’t they tell that I am not doing anything wrong? They are trained for both the obvious and the not so obvious. Their perspective will most undoubtedly be different than yours. So see where it goes first before opening your mouth and saying something you shouldn’t. Say as little as possible because what you say can be used against you.

Don’t wait for your Miranda Rights to be given at a Terry Stop. It is only given when you are being hand cuffed which means you are a suspect in a criminal investigation.

Sometimes there is something going on. Maybe the office is having a bad day, maybe you found yourself in a crime sensitive area. Or the office is just a bad cop. Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do except remain calm and alert. Remember that you have the power to keep the situation from getting out of control. If there is a rights violation it will have to be settled in front of a judge.

They have the guns so do what they tell you.

Sources:

• Law-FAQ.com “Can a police officer stop you for no reason?“
• FlexYourRights.org
• Wikipedia.org