Pregnant woman 'Tasered' by police is convicted

[Mobiboros]

Is it federal law in the US to always carry documentation while driving? In the UK, "may I see your license and registration?" is a useless question, since I don't need to have anything like that on my person while driving. I can be compelled to show my license at a later date at my local police station, though.

It's a state law in almost all (if not all) states. You must have your license on you while you are driving (As well as vehicle registration and current insurance card. By "On you" I mean they need to be in the vehicle.). If you are pulled over they ask for license, registration and insurance card. If you lack any one of those you can get everything from "Driving without X" (Which is an added fine), to the police impounding your vehicle if they deem it necessary (If you were driving recklessly originally and they find you lack them for instance), to impounding the car and arresting you (if you were driving dangerously originally.).

The bottom line is, if a cop pulls you over. Comply and have proper documentation. On the spot you have no grounds to argue with them as they are not arraigning you, they are citing you with a crime so don't give them the chance to cite additional crimes. You can't win the argument. Hell, being polite and complying will sometimes let you off with a warning and no actual citation.

[TimothyC]

It's a state law in almost all (if not all) states. You must have your license on you while you are driving (As well as vehicle registration and current insurance card. By "On you" I mean they need to be in the vehicle.). If you are pulled over they ask for license, registration and insurance card. If you lack any one of those you can get everything from "Driving without X" (Which is an added fine), to the police impounding your vehicle if they deem it necessary (If you were driving recklessly originally and they find you lack them for instance), to impounding the car and arresting you (if you were driving dangerously originally.).

In Ohio (at least when I got my license) you have up to 24hours to present proper documentation.

[CaptainChewbacca]

In California, you don't TECHNICALLY need to have your license on you, but if you don't you need to have your license number memorized and be able to tell the police officer.

Mostly, it makes things easier to the point of 'you'd be stupid not to' to have them with you. Otherwise you'll have to make an appointment to come down to the station to show them to the officer.

[Darth Wong]

I don't know why anyone should feel sympathy for a woman who speeds through a school zone and then gives the cop attitude when she's stopped. And let's be honest; anyone who's that stupid and unreasonable will probably fuck up her kid six ways from Sunday by the time he grows up anyway. He'll probably be such a horrendously mal-adjusted asshole that he'll be perfect for the NFL.

[Flagg]

I don't know why anyone should feel sympathy for a woman who speeds through a school zone and then gives the cop attitude when she's stopped. And let's be honest; anyone who's that stupid and unreasonable will probably fuck up her kid six ways from Sunday by the time he grows up anyway. He'll probably be such a horrendously mal-adjusted asshole that he'll be perfect for the NFL.

I honestly can't imagine giving a cop shit for a traffic stop. Even if I know I'm in the right. Just be polite and honest, do everything they tell you to do, and be on your way. You can always ask for a court hearing.

Hell, I've gotten breaks from cops who pulled me over just because I apologized for the infraction and treat them with the respect they deserve.

[Big Phil]

I don't know why anyone should feel sympathy for a woman who speeds through a school zone and then gives the cop attitude when she's stopped. And let's be honest; anyone who's that stupid and unreasonable will probably fuck up her kid six ways from Sunday by the time he grows up anyway. He'll probably be such a horrendously mal-adjusted asshole that he'll be perfect for the NFL.

I honestly can't imagine giving a cop shit for a traffic stop. Even if I know I'm in the right. Just be polite and honest, do everything they tell you to do, and be on your way. You can always ask for a court hearing.

Hell, I've gotten breaks from cops who pulled me over just because I apologized for the infraction and treat them with the respect they deserve.

Some people are just stupid... I've contested two tickets in court and had them both overturned. No need to argue with the cop that I thought he was wrong; that's for the judge to decide.

[Darth Wong]

I don't know why anyone should feel sympathy for a woman who speeds through a school zone and then gives the cop attitude when she's stopped. And let's be honest; anyone who's that stupid and unreasonable will probably fuck up her kid six ways from Sunday by the time he grows up anyway. He'll probably be such a horrendously mal-adjusted asshole that he'll be perfect for the NFL.

I honestly can't imagine giving a cop shit for a traffic stop. Even if I know I'm in the right. Just be polite and honest, do everything they tell you to do, and be on your way. You can always ask for a court hearing.

Hell, I've gotten breaks from cops who pulled me over just because I apologized for the infraction and treat them with the respect they deserve.

That's because you hope to be a productive member of society. People like this don't. They just want to get what's theirs, and everyone else can get the fuck out of the way. They come at everyone with hostility and a massive entitlement complex, so it should come as no surprise when they react to cops the same way.

[Justforfun000]

Flagg Wrote:

I honestly can't imagine giving a cop shit for a traffic stop. Even if I know I'm in the right. Just be polite and honest, do everything they tell you to do, and be on your way. You can always ask for a court hearing.

Hell, I've gotten breaks from cops who pulled me over just because I apologized for the infraction and treat them with the respect they deserve.

Really eh? How fucking stupid can you be to challenge a police officer who has all the power in the world when it really comes down to it. At least at that moment in time. They can ticket you, arrest you, detain you and inconveniece you 60 ways from Sunday and there is fuck all you can do unless you call a lawyer and actually have some clout on your side which is RARE.

You have to treat such circumstances as a battle you have to lose in order to fight the war later. You can always take it up with the courts.

[Terralthra]

I do not know about other states, but in California, one reason for the driving license requirement is that in order to get a driver's license, you have to sign something saying you will submit to a breathalyzer and other such things if stopped by a police officer with probable cause. In effect, this means by asking you for your license, they skip a whole bunch of legalistic ways out of a drunk driving ticket. In essence, it goes back to Darth Wong's point, about the US emphasis on individual rights.

[aerius]

Really eh? How fucking stupid can you be to challenge a police officer who has all the power in the world when it really comes down to it. At least at that moment in time. They can ticket you, arrest you, detain you and inconveniece you 60 ways from Sunday and there is fuck all you can do unless you call a lawyer and actually have some clout on your side which is RARE.

You'd be surprised how many of these idiots I run into doing my job at Customs, where we have even more powers than police officers. We literally have the power to arbitrarily detain people, search through all their clothes & luggage on a whim, and if they ate the evidence (eg. drugs, jewellery) we're after we can make them sit on a steel toilet till they shit it out. We have search & seizure powers which the cops can only dream of.

And yet the assclowns still insist on arguing with us and refusing to co-operate. Not too long ago I had some dickwad tell me "It's none of your fucking business!" when I asked the standard "where you came from, how long were you there, anything to declare?" questions. He insisted on refusing to answer and was promptly escorted to secondary where he got the full treatment, as in we interrogated him, photocopied all his documentation, searched through all his clothes and luggage, made him fill out a stack of forms in triplicate, and questioned him some more. He wasn't very co-operative and had to be detained for nearly two days before he answered everything to our satisfaction.

Some people just think rules & laws don't apply to them, maybe they watch too much TV, maybe they're stupid, maybe they're just egotistical jackasses, probably all the above. There are days when I almost wish we could make those assclowns disappear into a gulag or something.

[Justforfun000]

You'd be surprised how many of these idiots I run into doing my job at Customs, where we have even more powers than police officers. We literally have the power to arbitrarily detain people, search through all their clothes & luggage on a whim, and if they ate the evidence (eg. drugs, jewellery) we're after we can make them sit on a steel toilet till they shit it out. We have search & seizure powers which the cops can only dream of.

I was always under the impression that customs did have extraordinary detaining powers, but never had it confirmed until now. I half-wondered if for example you were still in Canada and were attempted to be detained BEFORE you enter US 'soil', you could say "fuck you then, I'll give up my plane ticket and stay home".
I'm now assuming when you enter your space, you are essentially giving over your rights similarly to when you drive a vehicle.

I hate going through customs. I always feel like I am half-guilty of SOMETHING by the way some of the people look at you. Some don't smile an inch, look you up and down like you might have murdered their mother last Xmas, and speak to you in a stern 6th Grade Teacher lecture tone.
When you're automatically made to feel like that, it's easy to get defensive and flub your speech which then makes you look even more suspicious. lol. You can't win.

However, I've never been nervous returning INTO Canada. Since I'm definitely a Canadian citizen and I never do anything illegal like smuggling, I don't feel threatened.

And yet the assclowns still insist on arguing with us and refusing to co-operate. Not too long ago I had some dickwad tell me "It's none of your fucking business!" when I asked the standard "where you came from, how long were you there, anything to declare?" questions. He insisted on refusing to answer and was promptly escorted to secondary where he got the full treatment, as in we interrogated him, photocopied all his documentation, searched through all his clothes and luggage, made him fill out a stack of forms in triplicate, and questioned him some more. He wasn't very co-operative and had to be detained for nearly two days before he answered everything to our satisfaction.

Some people just think rules & laws don't apply to them, maybe they watch too much TV, maybe they're stupid, maybe they're just egotistical jackasses, probably all the above. There are days when I almost wish we could make those assclowns disappear into a gulag or something.

Lol. Well in this circumstance, you actually DO have the ability to punish someone for ruining your day. Must be satisfying at times. People in other jobs like a store clerk, waiter, usher, etc. have to deal with rude assholes all of the time and they have to smile and take it.

This guy certainly learned that it certainly WAS your business, and next time I'm sure he won't be such a smartass.

[PeZook]

I honestly can't imagine giving a cop shit for a traffic stop. Even if I know I'm in the right. Just be polite and honest, do everything they tell you to do, and be on your way. You can always ask for a court hearing.

I agree ; It's as pointless to berate a cop for writing a ticket as yelling at a store clerk because the store has a policy you don't like.

Except that the store clerk can refus eyou service, while a cop can really ruin your day if you piss him off enough

Hell, I've gotten breaks from cops who pulled me over just because I apologized for the infraction and treat them with the respect they deserve.

I saw such things happen, too. Some assholes have such a massive sense of entitlement that they simply can't see that treating others with some basic courtesy and honesty can, in fact, yield very good results in life. Especially since a traffic cop probably deals with several idiots a day, and thus a simple "Have a nice day" is most likely a welcome change from the usual routine.

[brianeyci]

He wasn't very co-operative and had to be detained for nearly two days before he answered everything to our satisfaction.

If you were a hawt broad he would have answered!

Or maybe not. Maybe you needed to be white, middle-aged, with a heavy build for him to take you seriously, like the cop from Die Hard. You skinny cunt, get some weight.

I think it's a consequence of bend over backwards and suck customer's cock or else bad service some consumers have. The boomer age is the worst: they will be wanting full benefits and fast treatment and if they don't get it for anything, healthcare, government services, they won't understand that delays for the greater good are reasonable and they'll be going for head. Your gulag would need room for a few million.

[The_Saint]

Plus, acknowledging receipt of the ticket by a signature at the time it's issued also prevents people from claiming that they never got the court summons in the mail.

This happens sometimes - but court summons are usually sent as a registered letter with confirmation of delivery...

Having worked as a mailman here any and all infringements are sent as standard mail (it's cheaper!) but court summons are registered (nb as a mailman registered mail to yourself is funny for some reason)... now if someone else signs for it and hides it you're still fucked because then the police come looking for you except now instead of the original speeding problem which you probably had a 50/50 chance of getting away with it's now an avoiding court problem which there's an almost zero chance of getting away with.

I'm not sure if the right to being breathalised is in the small print when you get licenses here (most likely is) but it's generally understood to be part of the rights and responsibilities... a license is not a right and if you want one you have to expect to be pulled over and that the copper actually does has a right to see it.

Oddly enough it wasn't that long ago (less than ten years I think) when you only had to front up to a police station within 24 hours with your license (or an elder bother/sister with theirs if you were playing the system) but they dropped this when they did an overhaul of the laws and now it's not considered a viable loophole.

[Broomstick]

This was my earlier response to someone else regarding this.

Basically, it makes it virtually impossible for someone to claim that they weren't the one driving because the police have the signature.

But your picture is on your license. You have to prove that your license is you, ot yhey'll arrest you for driving without one. So the only reason I can see this being a problem is if some US states issue driving licenses with photos. Is this the case?

Actually, through the 1970's there WERE some states that issued driver's licenses without photos. I believe that they all do now.

Keep in mind that procedures can be developed and continue long past the point they are really necessary. The "sign the ticket" thing was done back in the 1970's before there were computers. You got the ticket and the cop had a carbon copy. Likely, they simply didn't change the procedure after computers arrived.

This is what happens if you get caught speeding in the US:

1) You get pulled over
2) You politely ask the cop why he pulled you over, unless he tells you first
3) He writes you a ticket. Along with this, there will usually be an explanation that signing is not an admission of guilt, and he will answer polite questions in regards to your obligations in regards to said ticket.
4) You sign the damn ticket
5) You can now proceed about your business.

No violence involved. Yes, you will be delayed 10 or 15 minutes, boo-fucking-hoo. If you weren't speeding you wouldn't have been pulled over.

But if you get rude or belligerent to the cops they're going to start worrying. Traffic stops can be hazardous - the cops never know who they're pulling over until they actually do it. Last year two police officers killed in my county were shot during traffic stops.

Also, being pregnant is NOT a "get out of jail/arrest free" card. As pointed out, if she locks her arms through the steering wheel it would be a real fight to pull her out.

Tasers are NOT "torture". Yeah, it fucking hurts while its firing, but once it's done it's done - pepper spray can hurt a long time not to mention screw up your vision for awhile. With another person in the car you risk getting them unintentionally. Truncheons can break bones, which will really fucking hurt for months. Just physically wrestling with her can leave bruises, dislocate joints, etc.

I don't know where young men get the idea that a pregnant woman is somehow a pushover. An adult female human is quite capable of inflicting harm upon Mr. Police Officer - they are not immune to black eyes, busted teeth, bruises, or getting kneed in the crotch. Not to mention that women fight dirty - men are inclined to simply punch, but women punch, spit, scream, kick, and attempt to claw out your eyes.

I was taught young that you don't give shit to the cops - even if you don't deserve arrest, you'll only make things worse by resisting. Be polite, cooperate, and let the lawyers sort it out later. As soon as you give the cops shit you have just given them a legitimate reason to arrest you.

[Broomstick]

Is it federal law in the US to always carry documentation while driving?

It's not a Federal law, no - but every state I've ever heard of explicitly requires you to carry your driver's license while driving on public roads (you don't need one to drive on private property). Failure to do so is an automatic fine at the least, and typically leads to you spending time back at the police station until your identity is verified.

You are also required to have proof of insurance on you in most if not all states as well. Failure to do so can also result in arrest. For those who do not own a car and thus do not carry their own insurance, when renting a car you can be required to purchase coverage for the time you are renting (not a huge increase to the cost of rental).

[Lagmonster]

That's because you hope to be a productive member of society. People like this don't. They just want to get what's theirs, and everyone else can get the fuck out of the way. They come at everyone with hostility and a massive entitlement complex, so it should come as no surprise when they react to cops the same way.

There are also the people who you occasionally see featured on COPS; the ones to whom police are "The Man" and who think it's cool to act like a gangsta and belittle the police.