Surviving Traffic Stops

The question I get the most from listeners and friends is; What should I do when I get pulled over?  It’s not surprising that I get this question mostly from African American listeners and friends becaus for most of us, when there is a Police car behind us its not a matter of IF I get pulled over but WHEN I get pulled over. Traffics Stops can be scary and emotional events, but when you’re African American they can be terrifying.  Am I going to make it home?  Are they going to plant drugs in my car? Will I get shot?  Sadly these inner thoughts are all too real in 2018 when you’re African American. When I pull over a car at night, it is a tense event for me also.  It’s not a natural thing  to walk up to a unknown car that often has tinted windows, at night when you don’t know who or how many people  are in it.  The citizen is nervous because he or she does not know what kind of Officer (attitude wise) is approaching them.    In this episode of Behind The Blue Curtain I’ll talk about Traffic Stops from a Police Officer’s perspective and from an African American perspective. I also want to hear your stories good or bad if you’ve been stopped.  We’ll talk about what to do and not to do when pulled over. Things you can do to protect yourself.   There are things Officers can do, say or not say to lessen the chance  of the stop wspinning out of control.    I do NOT speak for the City of Waco, the Waco Police Department, the Officers, Civilian Employees or Citizens of Waco.  My opinions are based on my personal and professional experiences.