Know Your Constitutional Rights
How many people know what they Must comply with when having contact with the police? I dare say, not many. Plus, it is always nerve wracking to have contact with the police, specifically when they are questioning you or have stopped you in a traffic stop. It does not matter if you are a criminal or not. Even getting stopped for speeding, or not stopping completely at a stop sign or red light can cause (and does cause) most people to have an increase in anxious feelings. It’s funny how we’ve become conditioned to become anxious and/or fearful of the police when we have always been told they are there to protect us and keep us safe.
Why do we become anxious when we are stopped for a traffic infraction? Some could argue that they have had previous experiences with the police which did not turn out well. Perhaps they were wrongly accused. Perhaps they got mouthy and were assaulted. But most of us have never actually had a bad experience with the police like the aforementioned – so why do we still become anxious? It comes back to the idea of the power differences within the relationship.
You may remember my previous blog where I discuss the ways in which peoples position in society automatically set up an uneven balance of power. If you missed this blog post you can read it here: http://mainelypublishing.com/blog/category/abuse-of-power/
Ira Glasser, Executive Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), from 1978 to 2001 discusses in this video: http://www.sprword.com/videos/BUSTED/ how to conduct yourself when faced with having contact with the police. Granted the officers portrayed in this video are most likely not the norm, but we all know that people are after only human and sometimes let the power of their position go to their heads. Everyone should know how to advocate for themselves when faced with contact with authority figures. We all know that the police departments in our country are charged with solving cases and crimes. Some (hopefully most) officers are upstanding public servants who take the ethics of their work very seriously. However, sometimes when an officer is faced with finding the guilty party they will fall prey to utilizing some of the “shortcuts” the film discusses.
So, watch the film if you are so inclined – and know how and what to do and not to do the next time you are pulled over for a traffic stop.
