“They can arbitrarily pull over anyone, anytime. They’ll say they saw a swerve, sudden change in speed, thought he saw the driver texting, anything. They can use any one of a dozen excuses to “make contact” and then they immediately go in to evidence collection mode looking for anything they can charge you with.”
A few years ago, I was letting my then teen age son drive my new Corvette through town while I was following a few cars back. He made a small swerve ( entirely within his lane) to avoid a chuck hole. The cop who was alongside me immediately turned on his lights and pulled him into a bank parking lot. So I discreetly pulled in and watched for a minute or so. Then I walked up and intervened. The cop threatened me with arrest for interfering, but his tone changed when I told him that the boy was my minor child and that I had seen the whole event unfold. I told the cop to either issue a ticket, or leave immediately, noting that if he didn’t do the latter, I would be at the police station swearing out a complaint before he could get there. The one thing that I have learned is that they back down when they know there will be repercussions that they cannot defend against. They are, from my experience, ALL A$$HOLES, without exception.
Being very matter of fact probably helped (i.e. not looking emotion-driven).
That probably is usually the case but as with all rules, there are exceptions. In December of 1986, in San Diego, CA, Motorist Cara Knott, age 20, was stopped on I-805 by CHP officer Craig Peyer for some trumped up reason. He directed her to an abandoned, dead-end overpass. During their encounter, and this is speculative because Peyer has never given an account except to deny the crime,this was the scenario presented in court. Peyer apparently made advances which were rebuffed by Miss Knott, along with a warning that he could be reported for his misbehavior. At this point Peyer, apparently to prevent the incident being reported, attacked Ms Knott, and after a struggle, strangled her and threw her over the highway barrier into the canyon below. Peyer was linked to the crime by convincing physical evidence and the accounts of other women he had stopped and is still serving time in a CA state prison.
I had a somewhat parallel experience with a newbie young cop for shooting my new pellet rifle in my spacious backyard after a neighbor who complained without seeing all the precautions I had made. The young cop ordered me to not do anymore shooting even though I told him and the more knowledgeable older female cop that I had checked all laws ,state and local, and even called the local PD and received an O.K. I believe the young guy is typical of today’s training ‘against’ citizens.