[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

I detest the growing police state and it sound like this guys rights were PROBABLY violate, BUT... I am not sure.

Basically, a cop sits on the tail of a car with Colorado plates and then the driver starts acting suspiciously. That is a profiling all good cops do. Get you nervous and see how you react. If the driver had just kept going down the road at the same speed in the right lane, there isn’t a darn thing the cop could have done to him, legally. Instead, he acted in a suspicious manner, pulling off the highway.

Now, is that alone enough to warrant reasonable suspicion on the part of the cop? No, probably not. Cops make a lot of honest people nervous when sitting on their tail. A lot of people would probably pull over at some point just to see if the cop is really following them or just driving behind them.

I don’t really see this as the kind of jackbooted mentality that warrants my complaints like no knock raids and DUI checkpoints.

Cop intentionally makes the driver nervous to see what he will do. Driver blinks, and cop pursues because driver is acting like he has something to hide. Driver gives permission to search the vehicle, which was his mistake. He should have given no permission and asked if he was being arrested or detained or could go on his way. He never should have given permission, because there was no just cause for a search by the cop. But he gave his permission, and that allowed the cop to legally search.

I don’t think the driver has a leg to stand on, and I consider this good old fashioned policing, not jackbooted thuggery.

So flame away. Or tell me what I am missing in the story, because I don’t see an abuse of power by the cop here. I see hardball tactics making the driver nervous to see what he would do, and that’s all I see.

[Leaning Right]

I see hardball tactics making the driver nervous to see what he would do, and that’s all I see.

In a free society a cop should not be trying to make a citizen nervous in the first place. It's a cop's job to be alert for violations, not to provoke violations.

[Paladin2]

"Cops make a lot of honest people nervous when sitting on their tail."

Some are more paranoid than others. Should the easily paranoid be selected by surveillance pressure?

Stopping at rest area seems to be normal behavior. "Am I free to go?"

[BykrBayb]

The cop deliberately makes his victim nervous, then calls that nervousness probable cause. It isn’t.

[Ghost of SVR4]

Your entire post can be summed up thus, intimidation.
Go lick a boot.

[andyk]

Basically, a cop sits on the tail of a car with Colorado plates and then the driver starts acting suspiciously. That is a profiling all good cops do. Get you nervous and see how you react. If the driver had just kept going down the road at the same speed in the right lane, there isn’t a darn thing the cop could have done to him, legally. Instead, he acted in a suspicious manner, pulling off the highway.

Now, is that alone enough to warrant reasonable suspicion on the part of the cop? No, probably not. Cops make a lot of honest people nervous when sitting on their tail. A lot of people would probably pull over at some point just to see if the cop is really following them or just driving behind them.

Bingo, we have a winner. The cop was actly coply. This is what society has asked for with the War on Drugs and existing DUI laws.

But seriously, never allow a search. That's just stupid. Most other FReepers seem to know - never ask if you're under arrest, always ask if you're free to go. Only do that as a last resort when events have unfolded, and you have no idea why you're still being held.

Don't be obsequious and call the officer "sir" or "ma'am". Use their title - deputy, sheriff, officer, etc. When in doubt, default to officer and let them correct you if their ego requires it.

If they ask you to give them information, ask if it's okay to unbuckle your seatbelt. Tell them "my drivers license is located here". Wait for them to tell you to go ahead. Tell them, "the registration and insurance is located here". Again, wait for them to acknowledge before reaching for items. Where are your hands when you're communicating with them? Gee.

When pulling over, pull to the shoulder and slow to a crawl, then pull over a little more. You don't want them getting swiped by a car. More importantly, you want them to know you don't want them getting swiped by a car.