How to behave if a policeman stops you in the USA: advice from a Russian-speaking immigrant
Author of the channel "Russian American" on Yandex.Zen spoke about her own repeated experiences with American police officers and gave advice in case you are stopped by the police on the road to the USA. Next - from the first person.
I have been driving a car in America for over 10 years. Of course, everything happened, and drove by youth, and missed the brake lights, and even somehow turned onto the street with one-way oncoming traffic.
My general impression of the local law enforcement officers is that they are very reasonable guys. If the violation is serious, you will receive a fine, and if it is minor, then they will look at how you behave and what violations you have had in the past. For the first violations here they are often released and given only a warning.
Once I was stopped for speeding, when I actually exceeded it, and they slapped me with a fine. Of course, it was disappointing, but at least it got to the point.
All other meetings with the police were much nicer.
I was stopped a couple of times for very minor violations. And both times the situation developed the same way. The policeman came up to my car, introduced himself, and said why he stopped me. I, realizing what my mistake was, apologized and tried to roughly explain what happened. The officer asked me for documents and I gave him what he needed. After that, the policeman went into his car, checked my information and returned a few minutes later to return my documents and warn me to avoid the same mistake in the future. And also to wish you a safe journey.
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I remember in those moments I was in quiet horror. How is it that they didn’t give me a fine or something worse? I grew up in a country where policemen scared children and did not expect anything good from the authorities. And at first it was strange for me to see a normal human attitude. Of course, the absence of accidents and the criminal past in my history helped me then. Like the fact that for 10+ years I had only one fine.
Here are the top three tips for anyone stopped by a policeman in America:
- do not argue with them;
- Be friendly and respectful;
- just do what they ask you to, or clearly say that you don’t speak English and do not understand what they are saying.
When I first arrived in the USA, I was afraid of the police. Now I often turn to them if I can’t find the building I need, or if I have a question. A couple of times I had to go to the police stations to get some documents, and each time they helped me without problems and with a smile. Honestly: they have a difficult job, and I am very grateful to them for everything that they do.
Original column published on the blog. "Russian American" on Yandex.Zen
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