Resources for your rights when stopped by police officers?

Question

I was stopped by a police officer during the daytime on Friday. He asked me to come back to his car with him while he checked my driver's licence.

I know that I am not obligated to do so, and that there have been cases in which women were attacked because of situations like this. This time, because it was the middle of the day and on a busy highway, I complied, and nothing bad happened. However, I would like to know what sort of response I should have to the situation in the future. An internet search didn't produce informative results (all the keywords I can think of are too broad), but I am wondering if people know of internet resources for researching your rights when stopped by a police officer and/or what you can do if you are being made uncomfortable without coming off as insubordinate.

Answer 1

Depends on the locality. Usually the officer will understand that if you are on a highway in the middle of the night that you want to stop in a well-lit area. If you are in the middle of the country, like West Texas with no gas stations or well-lit area, it is in the digression of the officer.

The best idea is to call your local law enforcement agency and see what their suggestions are. They change from one city to another.

Great source to check is www.aclu.org

Answer 2

Citizens rights when stopped are the best kept secret in this country. First and formost you are NOT required by any law to have a discussion with a cop. Miranda rights are not only for those under arrest. If it is a uniformed officer in a marked car you must follow all of his instructions, if there is doubt drive to a well lit area (preferably a private business) and dial 911.
You are within your rights, after you supply identificartion registration license insurance etc to refuse further discussion. "either arrest me or cite me, I will cooperate" is all you need to say.

Answer 3

depends on the police officer, IE if the police officer in full uniform and in a marked police car, you must obey the instructions of the officer

if an UN-market car and the person is not in uniform then you can drive to a lit area

if you feel threaten call 911 when getting pulled over