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What Are Some Best Practices When Pulled Over on a Motorcycle?

12K views 61 replies 25 participants last post by  AlwaysLearnin 
#1 ·
A couple weeks ago I screwed it on a little harder than necessary leaving a light in the city of York and an officer in a patrol car gave me the hairy eyeball. You know the

I saw that, knock it off. This is a warning

look? I appreciate that’s all he did, and he was right. What I did was unnecessary for the situation.

That got me thinking… What are the things to do and the NOT to do when pulled over riding a motorcycle? I came up with a few obvious things but if any law enforcement officers on the forum have advice please chime in.

1. Turn off the motorcycle, turn on hazard lights.
2. Stay on the bike with the kick stand down, do not dismount unless requested.
3. Don’t reach in any clothing pockets.
4. Don’t reach in any saddle/tool bags.
5. If you must reach in a pocket/bag to comply tell the officer what you’re about to do and why (I keep all my paperwork in a saddle bag).
6. Be respectful, be compliant (of course).

Questions:
1. Take the helmet off immediately?
2. What should the passenger, if present, do or not do? Any different from the above?
3. If I’m having a hard time finding what I consider a ‘safe’ place to pull over is there anything else I can do besides significantly decrease my speed and turn on my hazard lights to let the officer know what I’m doing? I guess this goes for getting pulled over in a car as well.

For the purposes of this question I’m absolutely *not* interested in discussing what my minimum compliance requirement is. I’m not trying to make anyone’s day worse, mine or the LEOs. I have nothing to hide from law enforcement so quite honestly I don’t even care if they search me.

All I want to know is, what can I do make the experience go smoothly for both of us? Is there something I’m not considering?

In my opinion police officers have a very difficult, thankless and often dangerous job. With all the increased bad press and maltreatment by the public in recent years I can only imagine it’s got to be difficult to go to work every day. My wife and I visited NYC this year and all I can say is that those officers must love that city dearly to deal day in and day out with the attitudes I saw.

I really don’t want to inadvertently do something to add to the officer’s anxiety level. Nervous people with guns aren’t good no matter who you are.

Thanks for welcoming me to the forum, I'm finding a LOT of good information here!

-Chris

PS – I’m thinking about requesting a copy of my current driver’s license to keep on the bike at all times in case I forget my wallet. Forgetting it is an embarrassment.
 
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#2 ·
Unfortunately this will never stay on topic as there are those who insist you demand your rights.

I think all you thoughts are good, the only thing I would add is if you have a face hiding helmet, open it.
After that follow his lead.
 
#20 ·
Unfortunately this will never stay on topic as there are those who insist you demand your rights.
’m absolutely *not* interested in discussing what my minimum compliance requirement is. I’m not trying to make anyone’s day worse, mine or the LEOs.
Minimum compliance isn't about being a pain in the ass. It's about not being overly submissive and giving to the officer, which can very well end up with you having a bad day.

You can be polite and obey lawful orders and comply with LE direction when stopped without giving up your rights.

If you were stopped for violating traffic code (red light, speeding, etc) there is no reason for the officer to need to search you or your bike. Deny any requests for this. He or she is fishing, and does not have to right to do so without your consent, and giving consent will not help you.

The officer should be deciding whether your infraction warrants a verbal warning or a citation, and then getting to it in a timely manner, not trying to spin a traffic stop into an arrest. An arrest should happen if the need for one presents itself (like he sees a butt of a gun sticking out from your seat).
 
#3 · (Edited)
The few times I've been pulled over on a bike, I removed my helmet immediately and set it on my tank or hang it from the bar, before he even got out of his car. Then I put my hands back on the bars where he could see them. Engine off, kick stand down. This gives them some security that you're not planning to take off of do anything else threatening. I pull my wallet out only after he asks for my info, and only after I tell him where it is (usually jacket pocket while I'm riding).

For those with CCW permits, I also immediately inform him I have a permit and whether or not I'm carrying. If I am I tell him where it is located on my body. The last time I told him it was holstered on my hip. He said if I leave mine there he'd leave his there. Deal!

The last two times I was pulled over, after giving him my info I asked if I could get off my bike and stand near the ditch, which they had no problem with. And the last one, we ended up talking about my bike before he let me off with a verbal warning. He was one of the sheriff dept motor cops, who happened to be in a car that day instead. He caught me doing 68 in a 45. Hey, sweeping corners are more fun at speed! :)

All this anti-cop **** lately, I've found showing them respects works great. Even if you don't want to, swallow your pride for a few minutes. You'll both depart on a more pleasant note.
 
#6 ·
For those with CCW permits, I also immediately inform him I have a permit and whether or not I'm carrying. If I am I tell him where it is located on my body. The last time I told him it was holstered on my hip. He said if I leave mine there he'd leave his there. Deal!
Sounds like an officer with a good sense of humor!

I had one let me finish my shopping at the local beer store before approaching (I turned right on read and shouldn't have), I laughed and thanked him. Then, when I didn't have my most recent insurance card on me, he gave me five days to drop it at the station house. I took it in and left it with the secretary/office manager/whatever it's called with an explanation of what happened and instructions of which officer it was for.

Two weeks later the officer knocked on my door, the insurance card never got to him. I showed him the current one and he went on his way after a few minutes of chatting, no problem. Next time I'll leave it in an envelope with the officer's name printed on the front.

He could have nailed me a few times in that situation if he wanted to but never did. Pretty damn groovy.

Thanks all for the advice.

-Chris
 
#4 ·
Yes on informing if you are carrying legally. They already know anyway if you are licensed. What those that aren't legal do I don't know except hope they don't search.
 
#5 ·
In Nebraska, if you have a CC carry permit but aren't carrying, you should still mention your permit and the fact you aren't carrying at that time, because as soon as they run your DL they'll know you have a CC permit and are going to be upset you didn't mention it.

A lot of bikes don't have hazard lights.

If there is a driveway or place to pull off not far ahead, I'd opt to pull in there rather than park on the shoulder. Slow down and signal your intentions.

As mentioned... be respectful.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Notification for concealed carry is going to vary from state to state. Some require immediate notification and others don't. Check local carry laws.

In Illinois, the permit is tied to the license plate of every vehicle registered in the name of the licensee. There is no immediate notification law, but it is required to notify that you are carrying and where if asked by law enforcement.

Licensed carry holders statistically are not a problem for law enforcement. I don't think there has ever been an incident where a licensee has used their weapon against an officer during a traffic stop. There may be an isolated case that I haven't heard of, but it's far from the norm.
 
#8 ·
Notification for concealed carry is going to vary from state to state. Some require immediate notification and others don't. Check local carry laws.

In Illinois, the permit is tied to the license plate of every vehicle registered in the name of the licensee. There is no immediate notification law, but it is required to notify that you are carrying and where if asked by law enforcement.
^^^^ Yep! Nebraska does not yet have CC permits 'connected' to vehicle license plates. The argument is that some vehicles are driven by more than one person and they may not all have CC permits so the state doesn't think it's worth doing... yet.
 
#11 ·
Better not be wearing it in the communists states brother. They will shoot you and ask you about it later.

A captain shoot a guy in Baltimore this week because he was holding a chapstick in his pocket. That is just one side of the story but the one playing on the news.
No mention on what was going on when the unmarked off duty Captian saw that cause him to stop and question this individual
 
#14 ·
Since Gov. Jay Nixon gave Missouri CCW info to the Feds, which he is not allowed to do, ours no longer appears on our drivers license. There was a pretty big deal about this back in 2013.

Anyway, LEO has no way of knowing if you have a CCW or not. I have only been stopped twice while carrying and haven't mentioned it yet. If it ever comes down to them wanting to search my car I will tell them. By the way, both times were going through sobriety check points.
 
#16 ·
I've been pulled over once while carrying. I handed the officer my CCP with my DL. I think it's only courtesy.
Our interaction was almost exactly the same a what Lurch posted. He said, "If I don't see yours, I won't show you mine."
 
#17 ·
The first time I was pulled over was around 1970 and I was so nervous I forgot to put my Honda CL-90 on it's stand and walked away from it as it fell over.
The cop tried not to laugh, gave me a verbal warning, and told me where I could find some less congested roads if I wanted to have fun.

Maybe he took pity on me, he was a fellow rider.

So I do recommend putting down the side or center stand.:)
 
#18 ·
This was told to me years ago in Virginia, but it's probably really one of those stories that goes around without any real truth to it. Cute, nonetheless. State Police officer stops a Biker coming out of the Hampton Roads bridge tunnel:

Cop: "Do you know why I stopped you?"

Biker, jokingly: "You want to sell me a ticket to the annual State Police Officers' ball?"

Cop: " No, we don't have balls. You were going through the tunnel at..."

Biker: <smile>

Cop: <smiles, closes his ticket book, laughs>"Have a nice day and ride safe."
 
#21 ·
I guess I've been lucky to not have been pulled over yet while riding my bike. Car sure, but not bike ;) I would assume 'courtesy' is the right attitude to keep things going smoothly, even IF I thought A) I was being pulled over without a good reason, or B) "I'm late already & this stop will make me even later" :rolleyes:

I have a question for those who use a video camera either attached to the bike or to you (on helmet or otherwise).. Would you think it to be wise to turn the recording off during the stop? "I don't care" if you aren't "required" to stop recording during a stop, I just think it would make the event go by with a bit less hassle?
 
#22 ·
I've never been stopped while recording, but I am having a hard time imagining a stop going better because the camera was turned off. If he is polite and respectful of your rights and profession in his actions with the camera off, he is going to be the same with it on. The opposite is not always true.
 
#25 ·
My advice on how to handle a traffic stop

1. As soon as you see the blue lights behind you slow down and turn on your right blinker. Then look for a SAFE place to stop. Stopping in a well lit area is always a good idea if you can.

2. Turn the bike off and put the kick stand down.

3. Take off your helmet

4. Relax, unless you are a real criminal it probably just a ticket at worst.

5. As far as the CCW goes, no the officer won't know you have a permit until you give him your DL and he runs it so please tell him. In Mississippi we expect you to have a weapon in your car/bike.

6. Be nice, this will go a long way if you go to court and talk to the prosecutor and try and work out a deal.

7. Keep your hands visible and tell the officer when you are going to grab something out of a bag.
 
#29 ·
As far as the CCW goes, no the officer won't know you have a permit until you give him your DL and he runs it so please tell him. In Mississippi we expect you to have a weapon in your car/bike.
In Illinois, they know as soon as they type your plate number into their laptop. A flag pops up immediately.

Of course if you aren't driving your own vehicle they won't know unless they run the DL.
 
#28 ·
Oh I hear you Rob you can be polite and not give up your rights. I haven't been pulled over in a long long time. I guess I am just careful were I do stupid stuff :)
 
#34 ·
One exception: if you're going to carry, know the laws where you're going.

I can think of a half dozen at least of my coworkers who have arrested people with valid CCWs in their state who were ignorant of the fact that DC didn't have reciprocity with them. They happily admitted to having a gun in the car when asked. They weren't so happy when the cuffs went on. They thought they were being polite and helpful.
 
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