From: rigg@ssdt-tempe.sps.mot.com (Dana Rigg)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: dealing with a police officer
Date: 15 Dec 92 23:34:57 GMT

I'd like to address several points that people have made.  Since
these were in several posts, I'll just summarize without credits.
My brother is a cop in Phoenix and we have discussed this situation
numerous times.

[ Turn on dome light ]

Good idea.  He will be more comfortable if he can see in the car.
Without it, he will probably shine his flashlight in your car anyway.

[ Get out and walk to the police car ]

There was a caveat in the same post with a comment that the
person was from a rural area where the Sheriff would give you a ride
home.  Perhaps in this situation, you can get away with this.  In 
Phoenix, this would immediate light up the cops danger signals.

First, the officer has no idea if there is anybody else in the car.
He will not feel safe until he looks.  Second, even though the officer
must approach your car, he still has you in a confined space, limiting
your movement and reducing your ability to threaten him.  He is in
control.  Once you are out of the car, you are no longer in his control
and he must find a way to establish dominance of the situation.

Also, if there is more than one person in the car and one or more of
them get out, he now has two (or more) separated people (perps is his
mind until control is established) to monitor.  If all people remain
in the car, he can watch you all at once; a much less stressful
arrangement.

[ Engine off, hands on the wheel ]

Definitely the pose preferred by officers.  You may also want to put
the window down before the officer even gets out of his car so that
your initial conversation is clearly heard by both parties and your
hands never have to leave the steering wheel while the cop is
standing there.

[ Tell officer about gun in car ]

Yes.  Do so in a polite, non-threatening manner while hands are
clearly visible.  If he sees it before you tell him about it, the
anxiety level of the situation is going to rise significantly.

[ Placing hands behind head, assuming the position, or any other
  such act ]

Don't anticipate what the cop wants.  Simply sit quitely until he
tells you what to do.

A couple final points.  NEVER reach under the seat or in the glove
box after you have stopped.  The cop is watching you as he gets
out of his car and approaches yours.  If he sees you lean over
in your car, you will be looking at the business end of his weapon
in a BIG hurry.  As far as he knows, you are going for your gun.

Always be polite.  The vast majority of officers are not country
hicks or power-hungry, dominance fanatics.  Like the rest of us,
however, they do not like being treated rudely and they will
retaliate by citing a rude person for the smallest of infractions.
My brother once followed a guy for 5 blocks, waiting for him to 
screw up.  The guy apparently saw him following so he didn't do
anything wrong.  When my brother got tired of waiting, he pulled
him over anyway.  Why?  The guy yelled obcenities at a fellow
officer who was directing traffic (a thoroughly thankless job
if you ask me).  The result?  The guy recieved a citation for
"unnecessary noise from a motorized vehicle." :-)  He was extremely
belligerent during the whole process, which simply made my
brother feel that much better about writing the ticket.

Dana Rigg
Chandler, AZ
rigg@ssdt-tempe.sps.mot.com