Why do police officers touch the back of your car after pulling you over?
Where does the police department get most of its funding?
Find out in Top 9 SECRETS Police Officers Don't Want You To Know!
Number 9.
"Tapping Your Car" If you have ever been pulled over you may
have noticed the police officer graze or tap the back of your car before approaching your
window.
This is not an effort to get under your skin nor does that police officer have OCD nor
is it part of some pregame ritual.
No, in fact this tapping can become a vital tactic if the traffic stop doesn't go as planned.
What started off as a clever trick by one department has spread globally and though
it isn't in any official police manuals it has helped in numerous incidents.
The reason for the tap is quite simple, the police officer is putting his or her fingerprints
on your car.
This can be a crucial piece of evidence in several ways.
Leaving their fingerprints on your car can help to identify a suspect in the event that
an officer is harmed or if the driver evades arrest.
In the event that a policeman is accused of harassment or brutality is technique can link
the correct officer to the car and therefore the complaint.
Some police find the tap tactic useful in provoking paranoia in a potential suspect
as most people don't know why they are tapping the car.
It could make someone that is hiding something appear even more guilty and start making excuses
for something the officer wasn't thinking to accuse them of.
When an officer taps the back of the car a paranoid criminal might start thinking to
themself, "Did they just find something?".
On the flipside there have been instances where this maneuver has lead to more trouble
for the police as the pulled over person may also think the police officer is planting
evidence or damaging their car.
Because of this and the advent of high-definition dashboard cameras the practice isn't used
as much as it used to be.
Number 8.
"Complaint Cover-Up" While the police often seem like an imposing
presence that can only be checked by an even higher authority, the truth is, they actually
work for the taxpayers.
As a citizen you are more than allowed to file complaints if you think that you have
been mistreated by an officer or if you see one acting in a manner you think is illegal
or unprofessional.
The problem is, these complaints might not get very far.
Many police forces are tight knit communities, especially in rural areas, which stand together
behind the idea that they look out for their own first and foremost.
So if a complaint comes in about an officer that is well-liked, that complaint may just
end up going straight into that circular file cabinet also known as a trash can.
In a recent study, it was found out that over one-third of all complaints about the police
are either disposed of or indefinitely shelved.
In some cases filing a complaint can backfire on the person who filed it and lead to unwarranted
harassment by the police.
But don't let this stop you if you really do experience abuse or see an officer engage
in illegal activity as most police officers dislike corruption even more than average
citizen as it makes their job harder.
Number 7.
"Small Talk" You may have experienced this scenario: you
are pulled over for a minor traffic violation and the police officer lets you off with a
warning, not only that they are genuinely interested in you and how your day is going.
You then drive off thinking 'man, what a swell person, I can't believe police officers get
such a bad rap'.
While most police officers are good people you might be surprised to find out that the
cop that pulled you over probably doesn't really care about how your day is.
Making small talk is actually an incredibly useful tactic for police officers.
By chit-chatting with a person an officer can make a pretty accurate judgement on their
sobriety, they can get someone to confess to something they weren't under suspicion
for or merely find out whether you are just anxious or actually hiding something.
Small talk can also be effective in limiting potential danger as if a police officer acts
friendly or cordial a criminal might second guess fleeing the scene or assaulting them
or another citizen.
In the same way that small talk can be beneficial to the police in certain situation there are
others that it is advised against.
In the case of domestic disputes police officers are trained to not express any clear emotions
while talking to the individuals involved as any perceived favoritism by officers towards
one party can escalate the situation.
Number 6.
"Police Property" As stated earlier the taxpayers help pay for
the police department but when it's all said and done the amount of funding that the police
get from taxes makes up only around forty percent.
So where does the rest of the money come from?
Well at some point you may have been or seen advertising for a police auction where they
sell confiscated automobiles and other property that has been seized from criminals.
It turns out this is where the police force gets the remaining 60% of their budget.
At first glance there seems to be nothing wrong with the police taking an evil-doers
items and then reselling them at a fraction of the cost to pay for all the gear, facilities
and other police needs.
For the most part your first glance would be correct but there have been countless incidents
throughout the years of police busting people for minor offenses yet still confiscating
valuables in order to help up their budget.
Even in the cases of hardened criminals who have committed serious offenses the police
have been found taking more than they are authorized.
But really there is no one to stop them other than the FBI and as is especially the case
in small towns, either these seizures go unnoticed as the Feds have more important things to
worry about or they are covered up, which seems fairly simple if a whole precinct is
in on it or if they known how to manipulate the bureaucratic nature of police work.
Number 5.
"Passive Prejudice" Profiling is usually a toxic and touchy subject
when comes to the police.
Although profiling people based on their race, religion, gender or beliefs is undoubtedly
wrong and the good cops out there try everything to avoid it, there are some instances where
profiling for certain things is readily admitted and even taught.
Dozens of officers have stated in off the record interviews that if they see someone
speeding in a sports car they are more likely to pull them over than they would a soccer
mom in a minivan.
They said that this goes both ways though as if they see someone speeding in a beater
they are also more likely to pull them over.
Police officers also admit that they profile younger drivers.
As younger drivers are usually more reckless whether its by choice or not, stopping them
for reasons they might not stop a middle-aged person can help them to learn a lesson or
even save their life.
If you are young and watching this you may be thinking 'hey, that's not fair' but the
fact is, most people make mistakes when they are younger, that they regret when they are
older and having an early wake-up call is never a bad thing.
Though police officers may be unfairly profiling according to a person's age they are also
usually more lenient when it comes to actually arresting or ticketing them.
Number 4.
"Too Fast For Action" There are many times when police officers
must make judgment calls that weigh stopping a criminal versus ensuring the safety of the
public.
Usually in these scenarios police officers are trained that public safety should be the
first priority and are forced to let criminals go for the moment and try and catch them at
another time.
What you might not know is that this policy is observed for speeders.
Yes, there is a speed that is too fast for even cops to try and stop you.
If a speeder is going well over 100 miles an hour and an officer doesn't have the freedom
to maneuver in the road ahead they might just let them go and hope they can get enough of
a description of the vehicle so that officers up ahead can catch them or they can find them
once they have to slow down.
High-speed chases are extremely dangerous to not just the officer in pursuit but those
citizens just trying to get to work.
Because of the inherent danger not to mention the numerous lawsuits brought upon various
police forces for property damage resulting from these chases officers are taught nowadays
to let speeders go if the danger of a chase is more than that of the reckless speeding.
In one instance a highway patrolman clocked a motorcycle going almost 200 miles an hour
down the highway and decided that the best thing to do was nothing at all.
Number 3.
"Friendly Check" You might for granted the fact that your local
law enforcement has access to the private records of you and your entire community but
you can trust us when we say 'they don't'.
Everyone's information whether or not you have committed a crime is in a police database
that they can access almost instantly.
If you haven't committed a crime the database won't turn up much other than your vehicle
and address but the fact that any officer can look up anyone is a scary thought.
Although they technically aren't supposed to use this information unless it involves
police work many police stations look the other way when it comes to looking people
up.
There are countless stories from retired police officers who use the database for less than
ethical means, whether it is just looking up the record of their daughter's new boyfriend
to tracking down personal enemies.
The higher up the chain of command the less chance of an officer getting caught for using
private information for personal use.
So if you are dating the son of the police chief and about to meet his parents for the
first time consider the possibility they might know about all of those unpaid parking tickets.
Number 2.
"5 Reasons" A lot of criminals think they can get away
with being blatantly breaking the law as long as they demand that the cops have a warrant
but what these criminals don't know and that you should remember is that there are five
reasons that the police can search your property without a warrant from a judge.
Reason One.
You have probably heard of 'probable cause' from television shows like Law and Order and
CSI but what does that really mean?
Well it can't be just one piece of evidence like bloody hands but if there are other factors
such as bruises, ripped clothing or other signs of criminal activity they can add these
up to justify probable cause.
Reason Two.
Probable cause, isn't necessary if there is something illegal within 'plain view' of the
officer such as an illicit substance, weapon or paraphernalia that can only be used for
one thing.
Reason Three.
If an officer apprehends a person after finding probable cause, they can then search your
property without a warrant.
This is called 'search incident to arrest'.
Reason Four.
An officer can search your house or car if they determine that there are 'exigent circumstances'.
This means that if they believe and can prove in court that there was an immediate fear
of evidence being destroyed they are authorized to proceed with a search or arrest without
a warrant.
For example, they see someone that they are attempting to pull-over over begin throwing
things from their windows.
The Fifth Reason is rather obvious yet many people don't realize it when they are defending
themselves in court.
If you consent to your property being searched in any matter whether it is merely by way
of a head nod the police can search anything and everything without a warrant.
When you add all these reasons up it kinda seems like the police shouldn't ever need
a warrant at all.
Number 1.
"Allowed To Lie" Many people think that it's entrapment for
a cop to lie about being a cop but this just isn't true.
In fact, police officers are allowed to lie about pretty much anything and everything.
Lying is a common practice and useful tool when trying to apprehend criminals and is
not just used by crooked cops trying to get an edge like it appears on television.
It should not surprise you then that some of the best cops and detectives are some of
the best liars.
Cops can lie about finding evidence, test results, confessions of accomplices and even
the results of a lie detector test in order for a criminal to confess.
Though most cases can't stand up to trial based on evidence collected purely by this
method, sometimes loud mouthed criminals will lead the police right to real evidence when
they think the jig is up.
There have been several reported instances where lying just out of practice has made
people who weren't really under suspicion at all crumble and divulge secrets to their
criminal activity.
Unfortunately, there are also some cases in which paranoid people who aren't guilty at
all have been so swayed by an officer or detective's lies that they confess to a crime they didn't
commit.
What do you think needs to change when it comes to America's law enforcement practices?