If a cop stops me and asks where im goin?

Question

Can I say im not answering that??? I know that I have to give them my name and address

I heard that you have to answer questions if they have probable cause, but cant they just make up somthing easily??? what should i do??? not all cops are bad BUT it only takes one to ruin my life

the reason is that i dont know if something just happened nearby, next thing you know i say something as innocent as o yea i was in the barber shop, and somebody had just got killed there, now they have probable cause and ill probably get picked up i dont want that

Answer 1

I would cooperate fully with the cop. If you don't want to say where you're really going, like maybe the STD clinic or something, then just say "to the library".

If you say, "I'm not answering that", you just seem like you're not cooperating, or you have something to hide.

Answer 2

You need to identify yourself to a police officer if you are stopped and driving a vehicle. You don't need to answer any other questions, however... If someone is absolutely refusing to tell me anything, it really tweaks my curiosity. I will take a very close look at all the vehicle documents and will spend a little extra time trying to figure out why this person is being so defensive. You never have to answer a police officer's questions (other than name,address when you are driving), that is a fundamental right that every citizen has (at least in Canada).
It makes me wonder why you wouldn't want to say? Just because you don't want to? For the principle of the thing?
If this is the case, be VERY polite and explain that this is the reason to the police officer and that you are not trying to be disrespectful or rude.

Seems to me it would be much easier to say "I'm going to work, or I'm going to the store". Many times officers ask these question just to get you talking a little to see if you are impaired by alcohol or drugs. Sometimes, they are just making conversation during the traffic stop.

Answer 3

Eh, if you aren't doing anything wrong they won't be ruining your life. They only ruin your life if you've already come close on your own. Now, theoretically, you can decline to answer any question the cops ask you except perhaps your identity. But if you do that you will arouse some suspicion and possibly get your car searched (they can get warrants over the phone if they want to). You don't have to be too specific about where you're going. Just ask "Am I free to go officer?" . . . if they aren't going to arrest you or charge you with something, then they have no right to bother you in most cases. Take your ticket with a smile and tell the officer to have a nice day. Don't argue with him or anything, and certainly claim that you didn't know you were breaking the law.

I saw this video once (put out by the ACLU, I think) that showed this guy getting away by just saying "What did you stop me for officer?" "I don't consent to any searches." and "Am I free to go officer?" You should check it out. Here you go: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8520847761350501823&hl=en

But by far the most effective protection is to avoid breaking the law. These protections were put in the Constitution to protect people from unjust and abusive government officials, not to keep you out of trouble if you're breaking the law. Just think . . . if people could be searched for no good reason, political officials of opposing parties could be searched and their papers copied for use by the opposition. Groups which have lawsuits against the government or political officials could be grossly inconvenienced. Inventors could have their plans divulged. Lovers could have their dirty laundry brought out into the open. Those are the kinds of things these rights protect against. Even if these rights prove to be a major hindrance to law enforcement, the benefits of having them far outweigh the inconvenience posed to law enforcement. After all, if there is a good reason for one to be searched or detained, the government should be happy to tell us why so we may judge the merit of their claims for ourselves. Have a nice day!

Answer 4

Mountain out of a Molehill.

Generally the police officer is asking just to get an idea of the situation. He really doesn't care or keep tabs where people are going just trying to see how you act and judge if something is wrong. You would be shocked at how many serious crimminals are caught over simple traffic stops.

How can answering the question ruin your life (even with a bad cop) unless you answer I am going to get my fix or some other crimminal activity.

If you are not guilty of anything they are not going to ruin your life.

Also being vague or a jerk about any question can cause one to mess with you more... makes us think you are hinding something.

Answer 5

Depends where you are, as far as I know, if your from the US, the constitution says that you cannot be detained without reason. So if a cop stopped you and asked your name and what you were doing, I would ask him what his grounds are for asking.

If he seems to have reasonable grounds, IE: if it was 2am and there had been a number of thefts in the area you were in, then I would suggest he has grounds for asking you. If he has no reason however, then pretty much you can just walk off.

BUT, just because you have the right to just walk off, doesn't mean you should. Telling the police who you are and where your going isn't really a big deal is it? Like that saying goes, if you have nothing to hide, then don't hide!

Answer 6

No you do not have to answer them, and then of course they can find every safety violaton you ever dreamed of wrong with your car.

I have had a bet, that I could find two on any car there is, some really stupid ones, but there are so many silly laws everyone breaks them.

In GA for example, nothing hanging from rear view mirror, no stickers on anything on back window to block view, those lisence plate frames people use block the view of the entire plate.
And that is just getting started, you act like a fool to the officer, he will return the same, for sure.

Answer 7

As an officer, I will engage in conversation in an effort to determine if everything is as it should be!

If a person listens to the questions, they are general questions that do not violate your rights nor are they intended to do anything other than make general observations such as insure no odor of alcoholic beverage consumption is noted.

Often times, in other circumstances, there are events associated with the illegal trafficking of drugs. Some simple questions result in the seizure of large amounts of illegal drugs!

In most cases, though, the officer, unlike many on this forum, is more aware of what he can or cannot do as far as a "temporary" stop or "investigatory" stop!

If you've done nothing illegal...answering a few questions is nothing more than insuring everything is alright!

Answer 8

You might find that not giving information will cause you more grief than just telling them. Although they technically do not havethe right to demand it unless they have probabal cause, if you have nothing to hide, what diff does it make? I retired from 27years of law enforcement and I don't like cops any better than most of the rest of the population. However, I tell them what they want to know to avoid problems.

Answer 9

If you haven't done anything wrong and not going somewhere to do anything wrong, there is a limit to what you really need to provide.
If he/she asks you can respond, sorry officer that's personal to me.
You can respond with anything, but try and be polite if you can.
You're right, there is many good people in law enforcement. But unfortunately the bad ones overshadow the rest of them.
If he continues to harass you, just ask if you are being arrested or detained for a reason.
If you are calm but assertive, he may decide to leave you alone because he knows that you could make life worse for him by notifying his superior, the local paper, etc.

Answer 10

Bear in mind that its "not" illegal to be out at night wearing high heels, smelling of alcohol, or whatever provided the activity is not criminal then the only reason he would ask is, if a crime had happened in the location then he would require this to eliminate/implicate you.
But in general he dosent need to know.
But if you stay where I do then youve nae chance of seeing the police.

Answer 11

How about the truth? Novel concept I know, but you're much less likely to cause problems for yourself (unless you're doing something illegal anyway) by telling the truth. Cops are *taught* to tell lies from the truth.