I Got Pulled Over on the AutoBahn in Germany and I have NO IDEA WHY

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[@JurianAppel]

It's quite commen for german unmarked police to pull dutch people over who are driving alone. Out of suspision of drugtrafficing, since the Netherlands is ''the Colombia of Europe''. A factor of that could be the speed you where driving. Edit: In europe its quite commen for officers to drive in unmarked vehicles without an uniform

[@guusputten4880]

yeah i think they found out pretty soon that Chris was a genuine tourist.

[@charliekelly9674]

Netherlands is the Columbia of Europe? I think I found my first holiday destination 🤣

[@xseasd]

Wow as a colombian myself, I didn't know the Netherlands had that kind of reputation. From now on I'm gonna start telling people I come from the Netherlands of South America

[@NosyFella]

Yeah Port of Rotterdam is where most of Europe's drug imports arrive

[@Allaiya.]

Oh really? I had no idea about that.

[@ConkerVonZap]

No doubt they were wondering why someone is driving less than 200km/h in Germany.

[@trischas.2809]

With the current fuel prices?! Also, that area is pretty tightly speed regulated.

[@samakechijowo]

Yeah, and without playing Gas, Gas, Gas loudly on its sound system.

[@barbarawissinger]

Try driving the A9, A94 or A99 through Munich. You’re lucky if you manage 80km/h.

[@maxcorsten3178]

@@trischas.2809The traffric on the Autobahn to Düsseldorf is in my experience always very smooth. In the easter holidays there was literally no traffic jam.

[@Perseus7567]

A few things I wish to explain, to hopefully help you understand what happened: 1. In a lot of European countries it's pretty common police ask you to get out of the car, no matter how minor the offence. It's just to make it harder for you to take off in your car. In fact I know that in the UK, if they have no reason to suspect you are a big threat to them, they even ask you to sit in the back of their patrol car - doesn't mean they think you did some crime of the century, just standard procedure to prevent you from running so easily. 2. I think the electronic "Polizei" sign probably also stated "PULL OVER" or "FOLLOW ME" something like that, just obviously in German so you probably missed it saying that. They use similar signs in the UK as well, ones which say "FOLLOW ME" etc. They don't always stop you that way, sometimes they do it from behind, just depends. 3. Minimal lighting on unmarked vehicles is again quite commonplace. Just don't look at the Metropolitan Police's vehicles in London, some of them have basically no lights on them, some have none on the back at all. As for why they stopped you, just as clueless but I'm going to assume these other comments about human and drugs trafficking are probably correct, as they probably know more than me on that, especially if they are local. I will say though, it did sound like they were looking for something or someone specific and for one reason or another thought that was you.

[@TrashskillsRS]

They were 110% looking for illegal goods/drugs.

[@BuurmanDirk69]

Human trafficking over a free border is not a thing. Drugs are more likely

[@TrashskillsRS]

@@BuurmanDirk69 It is btw. There are lots of controls for Ukrainian women currently and previously for Polish women that would be taken for prostitution. In 2015 it was Syrian refugees that was looked for. But of course it is more often vans and trucks they look after, and in this instance they almost certainly looked for drugs.

[@davidwood8730]

I am glad your next video will not be a "A Look Inside a Real German Prison."

[@Hendricus56]

What the hell should he do, that he needs to go into one?

[@undertakernumberone1]

I mean, he could then start a cooperation with Larry Lawton, lol.

[@Schoenburg96]

Big fan here from Germany. Seems like a pretty routine traffic check, which is quite common here, especially closer to the border. They were just following you to find a safe place to pull you over. Overtaking you and pulling you out from in front of you is normal procedure as well. They definitely shouldn’t have made you open the trunk however without any reason or suspicion. From my experience traffic police here are quite happy overstepping the boundaries if you let them.

[@civilwarguy4740]

Do you think they actually had a traffic violation to give them basis to pull him over? Also, I imagine it would be very easy to overstep let them overstep the lines being a foreigner to that country. Like in the United States, criminals will let a cop search their car when the cop asks and get arrested for what they have just because the criminals are too dumb to realize that they can say no to the search

[@maxpayne7459]

@@civilwarguy4740 if they ask if you can open it and you say yes, you basically gave them permission. They hope that you are nervous, so you might say something which gives them a reason to better search.

[@civilwarguy4740]

@@maxpayne7459 I know that’s what I said

[@Schoenburg96]

@@civilwarguy4740 im not certain about the law in that part of Germany, but where I live in Bavaria they can randomly stop and identify any person or vehicle within 30km of the border. I imagine it’s similar elsewhere in Germany. No specific reason or violation is needed. The reason for this is that there are no border checks between Shengen countries, so to combat cross-border crime, they can make random stops. Regarding the searching of the vehicle, you’re right. If they ask you and you do it then it’s ok, even if they wouldn’t be allowed to just do it themselves. The threshold for them being allowed to do it without permission is quite low though, any suspicious behavior for example is probably enough in most cases.

[@TrashskillsRS]

@@civilwarguy4740 They can do a control check without any violation when close to the border.

[@redringaming3017]

Dutch, German and Belgian police regularly stop foreign cars for a routine check. Mostly because of drug trafficking in the border regions. In the Netherlands alot of drug runners use German rental cars for example, so if you drive a German rental in the Netherlands you are very likely to get pulled over.

[@untruelie2640]

German here. I'm sorry that you had that experience. Something like this never happened to me, but as far as I know (and other people already pointed out) it is not an uncommon occurance. I hope you don't get a lasting bad impression of Germany.

[@carpediem5232]

Why would that be a bad impression of Germany? It seemed to be a routine police check in the border region. The police did not seem to be unfriendly or violent.

[@RoadsFranconia]

Ein Deutscher der sich für sein Land entschuldigt weil ein Ami sich vorher nicht informiert hat wie das hier abläuft... Genau mein Humor... Und du entschuldigst dich auch noch für sein "unschönes Erlebnis"... er wurde lediglich kontrolliert, meine Fresse. Der könnte in den USA noch froh sein, dass die ihn nicht mit dem Taser gegrillt haben, weil er nicht auf Anhaltesignale reagiert hat. Merkt ihr Anti-Deutschen es eigentlich noch? "I'm sorry that you had that experience..."

[@sqponn443]

A lot of Dutchies travel to Poland for stuff that is illegal in the Netherlands or you have people smuggling weed into other parts of Europe.

[@jh1618]

I have never seen that in Germany (source: I live here), and when there are traffic controls, it's not in unmarked vehicles. Likely they are doing some drug-related checks in the border region, as the Netherlands have much laxer drug laws than Germany. Hope you still enjoy the rest of your stay :)

[@Hendricus56]

There are civil police cars, simply because people don't stop speeding as much when they don't see an obvious police car

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@Hendricus56 reminds me of a story I've read a while ago: The person telling the story was driving over a country road (Landstraße), can't remember which Speed Limit (could've been the usual, could've been less than usual for Landstraße) AND a No passing rule (Überholverbot). First Car speeds up and passes the storyteller. Then, another car overtakes BOTH of them. The Storyteller wonders: "What the fuck? Overtaking 2 cars in a no-passing area?!"... and then, that car's police lights start flashing and the board that VTH mentioned came out.

[@kiweeltyler3586]

Subscribed to this channel because I found out you had this second channel from your main channel community post. Which was recommended to me of course 😂

[@therealHannibus]

Sorry for the experience.. I can say I've had all that happen to me in Michigan multiple times. Never fun to be asked to step out of your vehicle, searched, and generally harassed when you aren't doing anything wrong. Enjoy the trip!

[@mrbeep8096]

I drove today. When driving getting pulled over and the traffic lights turning from green to yellow and then to red when I get to a point where I can't stop in time really makes me nervous. Especially when it comes to getting pulled over. Nerves sky rocket just at the mere thought of it. Oh ya the discord server is doing great so far. As side from needing to keep 1 eye on general chat at all times that is fine.

[@dennypetrosian8589]

Man, I was giggling the entire time hearing you explain how oblivious we are to certain foreign procedures. A story you will remember and tell for years to come. But be safe and have a fantastic trip, brother. Alles gut, endes gut.

[@tomgirdlestonegstone3760]

I love your channel and I hope you sweet blessings and growth in the future I love your reactions and reviews to the American civil war I also love your gaming channel so much ( im catching up on crusader kings 1066) I’m a bit drunk so I’ll leave it at that I wish I could of had you as a history teacher like you you are the best history channel I’ve ever seen you were a tonne better than what I had In my history class in England . You helped me pass my history exam at school.

[@luissantos709]

i hope everything is ok. Have a great trip

[@KevinTheRheaFromHell]

I’m Dutch, living close to Belgian border and Antwerp. This happens in Belgium too. The Netherlands is notorious for its drugs trafficking sadly enough. So it’s quite common to get pulled over, especially close to the harbor. I hope it didn’t ruin your day. I think it’s also more common for European police to ask you to step out of the car, even if they don’t consider you a threat. One small tip if you want to be able to spot them again, they often drive Volvos for some reason ;). At least here in the Netherlands

[@neozeed8139]

I wonder how Spain treats the Portuguese

[@GavinVox68]

Ooooh, you were a bad boy, running from the cops. 😆 Glad you're ok, though.

[@dougahearn3105]

Wow, that is crazy, I grew up in Bavaria, never had that happen, can’t really speak for that part of Germany as I didn’t grow up around there, but yea crazy story.

[@lesalbro8880]

That sucks. Sorry you had to deal with that

[@shinnaay]

Glad you're okay VTH!

[@dingodelta]

I see them doing it often in New Zealand now where a target car will be over taken by a unmarked car and a marked car will fall in behind the target car, at a signal both will flash their lights and bring the target car to a halt, always use to be pulled over from behind until a lot more people started running from them.

[@jhroenigk]

I feel like this type of shakedown is far more common over here. Funny it should happen to you in Germany of all places! 😂 Glad it all worked out. Great content.

[@steve67339]

Since they didn't charge you or even told you it could also be just a random control. Happened to me, too. They check your papers and some other stuff and if they are out to get you they check if your first aid kit has expired (most people forget to get new once and have no idea when theirs expires). In your case it could have to do with the dutch license plate (especially in border regions it is common for people to go to the Netherlands to get substances that are legal there, but illegal in Germany).

[@Yair-sw4mg]

Something similar happened to my dad, I think. He was on a train in Germany and 2 plain clothed travelers wet on and they started checking passports and seeing if people are in Germany for tourism or if they are planning to live there

[@albertstadler2639]

A german here that was literally pulled over yesterday. :D Nothing to worry about, it's pretty common that the police pulls you over for no reason. They just check your driving license and if the car is yours most of the time and let you drive on. And most of the german police is also very respectful at least in south Germany were I live. :)

[@brianhobaugh]

Sorry that happened to you! I’m American as well so I’ve got no clue about European law enforcement. Have a great trip!

[@RoadsFranconia]

If I come to an foreign county I inform myself about the rules there. As simple as that. And he didn't.

[@brianhobaugh]

@@RoadsFranconia So you inform yourself of every singular rule of a country you visit? Don’t be ridiculous.

[@grahamkight9111]

@@RoadsFranconia Ah yes my favorite thing, going though an entire book about every single freaking law in a country.

[@drew7119]

6k Subscribers already!? Very impressive.

[@unpowi]

Border region, Dutch rental car, American, only one person in the car… Don’t take it personal. They are just driving around and thinking ‘maybe we can check this car out’. I hope you liked your drive through the Ardennes.

[@blueocean7738]

German police tends to be quite annoying

[@ingmars100]

I live near Aachen. They pull alot cars over with netherlands license plates that look like rentals because they suspect drugs wich is really common here 😅 they problably whatched for the bag in your car on the first drive and checked if the car is a rental then. 🙂 And maybe they got a little suspicious as they noticed you wherent from here 😅 Also these dressing and car is really common for drug investigators since thes are mostly semi "undercover"

[@trischas.2809]

the Area where you were is notorious for searching for people traveling with no luggage in rental cars - and have the wheel hubs full of dope.

[@steventyler8002]

They were looking for drugs. I have traveled by car around Europe and I can tell you that you need to take a few minutes to search any country specific rules before you cross the border. Some countries will require a temporary sticker you need to purchase at or near the border in order to drive on the highways. Some require different safety equipment like in Austria you need to have a vest and reflective warning triangles. Also be very careful when approaching small towns as they often have speed cameras at the edge of town. You get an email from the rental agency letting you know your credit card will be charged for the ticket about 10 minutes after the offense.

[@Hendricus56]

Well, one thing is certain: Germany don't has a toll. The CSU famously failed with establishing one, that would have only costed foreigners money (because otherwise they could have stopped long before beginning. No one would have supported it)

[@shepwhiteshepherd3015]

I immediately paused when you sayed Düsseldorf, since I live there. Man I knew that you were coming over again to Europe, saw how close you were these days, but my fave history channel guy driving literally almost past me is kind of weird. Awesomely weird. 😂 👍🏻 Enjoy! And know I’m curious to hear the rest of the story. Edit: Hilarious! 😅 But as other commentators posted…drug trafficking. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Hendricus56]

Sounds like simply a case of Zivilstreife or Civilian patrol. Usually modified normal cars without markings that you usually don't notice until they want you to notice them. Is easier to catch people with cars like these than with a marked car, since you usually stop most stuff as soon as you see a normal patrol car. Since from the outside they look pretty much like a normal car, they fly under the radar for most people

[@alexanderg1297]

Thought it was odd they pulled you over from the front. I would’ve done exactly the same thing. “Oh he’s pulling over the person in front of me.” 🤣

[@trischas.2809]

Pulling over is *always* done from the front in Germany - they can break you into submission that way.

[@neoxperson7858]

@@trischas.2809 Yeah, you're less likely to take off, if there's a car in front of you.

[@gd88467]

@@neoxperson7858 I’m military police in the US partly the reason why our police pull you over from the rear is so if you do take off they can hit your bumper or rear tires so you lose control and disable your vehicle. Also its harder to shoot someone behind you than in front of you.

[@Freeman12349]

@@trischas.2809 That's incorrect. On the Autobahn, they pull you over from the front because they don't want you to stop on the side of the Autobahn so they lead you to a service station or a parking lot or something like that. In urban areas, they mostly pull you over from behind for tactical reasons.

[@RoadsFranconia]

Why do you ignorant Americans inform yourselves when entering a foreign country? "Oh they drive on the left in England, didn't know that... thought the world follows our role model back home..."....Sorry, but being suprised that things work way more efficient here in Europe than in Wild West USA is two clicks away.

[@elbrobert2377]

wonderful first impression xD. Welcome to Germany Christ !

[@TajiriOli]

It is actually pretty common if you come from the Netherlands to Germany. They wanted to check you for drug trafficking. Happened to me before too. I live close to the Netherlands border. So don't worry too much about it. Edit: spelling mistakes.

[@Kevichkovil]

Dutchie here that lives 15 minutes from the German border. So you had a regular traffic stop. Here it's normal for the police to stop you and just see if you are driving with a licence, unlike in America they can pull you over without you having done something wrong. But I've seen it mentioned already it also you were driving in the border region with Dutch licence plates and a rental (they can pull that up) so that means often it's people smuggling drugs from the Netherlands to Germany. But what it sounds like it was just a normal stop to check papers of the rental, insurance, and your drivers licence. And also in most European countries as long as they don't find anything illegal or see anything incriminating they don't have to tell you a reason why they pulled you over. For example in the Netherlands we have a law that when you turn 14 you have to be able to identify yourself at all times with your ID or passport. They don't need a reason. But if they ask you to identify yourself you have to comply. Doesn't mean that you did anything wrong. And in that matter if i remember correctly German law is quite similar. Most European countries in that matter. Oh and about the getting out of the car thing. It also a normal thing to ask. It has to do mostly with safety. In case someone hits the cars from behind etc. Just small details

[@jorgedasilva7665]

Wow. Yeah, it depends on the state here but I think around half here you are not required to ID yourself unless the police have a reasonable suspicion that you might be doing something wrong.

[@flyspampon]

Big fan from Germany here! Sorry to hear that this was your first experience in Germany! However, as others stated, this sounds like a normal police check to me, the things you described are pretty common. Hope u enjoy your stay. I actually lived near Aachen for a while.

[@antoineparadisproulx]

maybe they were just looking for a car that fit the one you are driving, sometime the most simple explanation is the right one.

[@ShivamR34440]

Dang that sucks

[@civilwarguy4740]

I’m just glad I live in a country where you need to break the law for police to stop you

[@bisque6448]

At the very least you have the constitutional protections that make it much harder for police to be a nuisance for no apparent reason.

[@neoxperson7858]

Since you're probably American, you live in a country where, if you don't immediately pull over, they call in two more units, get out their handguns, tasers, rifles and beanbags, pull you out of the car and put you in handcuffs. Surely something to be proud of.

[@timv.8974]

The Police probably thought he broke the law cause they pulled him over. Dutch rental car driving in Germany is very very suspicious.

[@civilwarguy4740]

@@timv.8974 yeah in my country there needs to be evidence of a crime not just a hunch

[@lesalbro8880]

I got pulled over on I-44 in Missouri for driving "close to the dividing line" in the left lane. Not for speeding, or going over the line, or driving erratically, or anything else. Then he asked to search the trunk. I told him to go ahead, and after he found nothing illegal he returns to the window and starts questioning me about where I'm going and why. After he was satisfied with my answers he let me go. I then asked him what it was all about and he told me that it was a major drug running route. I was traveling alone from Wisconsin to California and effectively he found that suspicious. Similar thing happened heading into Lincoln, Nebraska on the way home. This time I got asked to step out of the car, frisked, told to sit in the police vehicle while he called in my plates, asked me to sign a form authorizing him to search my car and then had me stand a ways in front of my car facing it while he searched it At this point I knew what it was about and the fear I felt earlier had turned into anger. He walked up to me and told me I was free to go I asked him if this is how you treat people from Wisconsin when they drive through here? He said I had acted nervous. I told him that of course I was nervous since he gave me a bogus reason for pulling me over and then he's making me get out of the car and was frisking me and telling me about the police dog barking and snarling in the back of his vehicle. He asked me if I wanted to file a complaint and I told him, "No I just want to get the hell out of here.". Got in my car and took off. This was over 9 years ago and I'm STILL pissed off about it. TL/DR: The police here will absolutely pull you over if they think you're suspicious, regardless of whether you broke the law or not. They can, and will, just make up an excuse for pulling you over.

[@achedrick1]

Maybe some kind of suspension? Maybe someone else in a similar car. If it was trying to catch drugs like some other people suggested it would seem like they would have actually searched the car. Still odd they didn’t say why. Odd. Least that’s all it was.

[@vthextra]

It was a brand new car from the rental company. Had 17km on the odometer when I got it that morning.

[@aradan3913]

they thought you were smuggling stuff. Most likely because of the plate being from the NL.

[@jonathanh6030]

Oh poor chris that's a huge culture shock :D

[@gunner38ED]

Pulling over someone from tge front is very commonplace in Spain too. Those digital signals in the back tell you something ther want and they might use loudspeakers too. Last time I saw it, they did it to some fool who forgot to turn on the headlights at night on the highway. That person didn't understand whay they were trying to tell him so he got pulled over... and probably had to be subjected to an alcohol test. It is nothing super unusual, especially if they thought you were being sly and failed to comply to the first attempts. Poloce checks are nothing to worry in most cases as long as you don't loose your cool. Igot stopped more than 15 times in a 3 week work stay in Morocco. Pure routine in the entrance or exit of every single town.

[@stephenparker6362]

Hi Chris, the only thing I can think of is that they were checking to see if you were a drug smuggler. Apart from that I hope the trip is going well.

[@szariq7338]

So, I'm from Poland and: 1) Unmarked police cars are somewhat common (my advice on how to identify them more easily: if you suspect one if there are 2 adults in the front, there is a strong chace that's unmarked police car). 2) Pull overs "for nothing" are so common that planned pullovers are only for planned arrests. 3) Pulling over from the front is understandable, since it's harder for real criminal to just speed up and flee. 4) Btw that "ping pong paddle" is colloquially called in Poland "lizak", or "lolly pop" in English, when you see one being operated by policemen from road department you just move to the side Other nitpicks are explained by others. Also if you ever come to Poland, get yourself a green leaf sticker and stick onto your rear and front windshield. Here that means you're a beginner driver (and even if you're not, it's not punishable by law to be an experienced driver and have green leaf sticker) and you'll be forgiven more often by other commuters, since manual transmissions are still a big thing on our roads.

[@Darilon12]

Think of this as a less obstructive version of full-on border checks.

[@iceylore7767]

Happened to me several times too, dw. They're doing random checks, nothing uncommon. Also, the sign probably said "Bitte folgen" which is german for "Please follow" Also, did the place they stopped you at have a sign saying "Zollamt"? Usually that's where they pull people over.

[@Lakitu886]

I assume this was your first time driving in Germany and you’ve already been pulled over more times than I have and Ive lived here my entire life 😂

[@eutropius2699]

Sometimes I feel like a Düsseldorf

[@jjforcebreaker]

As others have already said- rental car, NL plates, behaviour that's off... For various reasons it's just slightly less unsuspicious than a white beat-up van circling around the white house. Standard practice, nothing to worry about.

[@DudokX]

Sounds like something from a TV series I used to watch as a kid, Kobra 11

[@AwesomeRepix]

Ahh classic Civil cops. We got plenty of those here in DK too.

[@amynurss1375]

Oh geez.

[@Megetkedelig]

Here in Denmark we have something called civil police which is when police dress up as normal civilians and drive in unmarked cars i can imagine they have the same thing in Germany

[@michaelgrabner8977]

Just a totally random routine traffic check...happens sometimes, and it don´t has to be a reason to get pulled over, I assume it was just to check the car if all is as it should be in order to be allowed driving at the Autobahn/road saftey check....no big deal, as long the car is in the shape it has to be in behalf of required safety standards which rented cars usually are, so they then didn´t look at that then specifically like for instance checking the profile of the tires in detail, and the look into the trunk was foremost just for the hazard triangle which is mandatory to have with you in the car which rented cars also always usually have and that´s all routine as long you don´t behave suspicious during their checks. Although driving on while get pulled over is already heavily suspicious, as you can imagine now in the aftermath ;-D And making you getting out of the car is just a standard procedure before they make a look into the car (just for preventing you to drive on again/preventing an attempted escape respectively for the case they will find something illegal) which is also just a standard procedure and it was not about you in particular at all. Because there is no physical border between Germany and the Netherlands the police just makes random increased spot checks in that particular areas close the border and obviously you had a dutch licence plate.

[@febuan7539]

Sounds just like a normal situation near the border. You can calm bc this was just a normal procedure here in Germany. :)

[@michaeld.uchiha9084]

They search for drugs because of dealers in the netherlands. Same on the border to Czech or Poland they search for drugs, weapons, cigarettes and other smuggler stuff.

[@sapaulgoogdmen9542]

What I heard was the new videos are taking place in section of the German line

[@ballisticmanna5971]

Ohio man pulled over in Germany for being in Germany

[@sns4748]

For being too close to Dutch border to be precise😂

[@barbarawissinger]

That’s normal. I’m stopped about 2-3 times a year by the Polizei as a normal traffic stop. Usually you’re asked for you driver’s license and car registration, have to show safety equipment (safety vest, first aid kit, etc) and prove that all your lights work. If the German police stop you for cause, they will let you know. I did complain the time I was stopped at 4am after working the late shift, since I was alone in the car, the police car didn’t have its lights on & the road was dark. They apologized & said that they understood.

[@Beachie1981]

By the sounds of it, they may have been checking for people smuggling, which has been on the rise over the last two months with what is happening in Ukraine and eastern Europe. They'll be suspicious of any rental cars right now, particularly those coming in from other countries.

[@undertakernumberone1]

just smuggling in general probably.

[@abradolflincler9500]

Reminds me of FDR being stopped four times by the German police while riding his bicycle.

[@Ryuuma94]

In Germany we call it "Allgemeine Verkehrskontrolle"

[@neoxperson7858]

The little sign in the back generally says "Polizei, bitte folgen". Which means "Police, please follow". And that "ping pong" paddle is a Polizeikelle, its used to signal cars to pull over. It sounds like a regular traffic stop over to be honest. Maybe you did something you yourself didn't notice that caught their attention. That and you not pulling over for a good while, was probably what made them check you and the car. The Netherlands license plate was probably the reason why they pulled you over. They like to check cars with foreign license plates, especially ones from the Netherlands because of drug smuggling. Since weed is legal in the Netherlands, its pretty common for people to smuggle it into Germany. That and.. Again.. you not pulling over was probably pretty suspicious. Edit: I hope they were at least nice to you and I hope you're having a great stay so far, besides that!

[@yallahyallah4220]

Don't worry Chris, completely normal here. The Netherlands are a european hub for drug trafficing and the german police in the border region is instructed to pick out cars with dutch numberplates for sample searches to disturb that trade and rented dutch cars are their prime target.

[@Layer67]

That sounds so unconstitutional…oh wait

[@MichaelWells770]

I'd be thinking that they were pretending to be police.

[@andresousa5302]

If they were searching for something specific I dont think they will tell you. At least here (Portugal/Spain) I don't think I've ever been told when I was pulled over for a random inspection

[@civilwarguy4740]

In your country cops are allowed to stop cars for “random inspections”???

[@andresousa5302]

@@civilwarguy4740 yeah... its called " stop operations" They can either be looking for something specific or simply checking if you got all documents in order and stuff. I don't see what's wrong with it honestly

[@Joseo110]

They generally don't need a reason to pull you over in Germany, they can just pull you over to check for drivers license etc

[@z1107eod]

If on the autobahn, failure to yield to faster traffic.

[@freimannthelion5671]

I think the Autobahnpolizei (Highway Patrol) saw the Netherlands Plate and wanted to pull you over because of potential drug smuggling. Thats a hughe thing in the Borderarea to the Netherlands. Btw Autobahnpolizei sometimes uses unmarked vehicles

[@PastelFurry]

Yeah unmarked police cars are quite common in Europe, we have them in Sweden although they are kinda pointless cuz it's not difficult to spot them, while in Sweden they don't have any type of signs they will have lights and the easiest way to recognise them is if they have more than 1 radio antenna, usually they tend to have 3 but that might be outdated now adays, I think its also just being used to seeing them you kinda end up having a real easy time spotting them. But yeah police asking you to get out of your car isn't that common here in Sweden they'll do it if they wanna chat with you for a bit but if they just wanna ask about a broken taillight or something like that they'll just ask us to stay in the car. Also while I don't know how it is in the US or other european countries I know that in Sweden you don't actually have to identify yourself to police if they ask you to, not saying its a good idea not too but you are just actually not legally forced to do it, but if you refuse they will most likely be more interested and usually end up having you come along to the nearest police station so they can look into those sorta things.

[@angelika9729]

Just a regular check...

[@sovietstateofpotato9404]

Sorry dude

[@CommanderTavos99]

You are in Germany right now?? Cool where are you going? =D

[@nuysu4564]

In germany thats normal on borders to other contreys because they dont realy have a normal border controll they pic some random cars that have wiered licensplates etc. And controll them its against smugglers etc.

[@KeeJaaRes]

Yeahhh you got Dutch plates? They probably wanted to check you for drugs 😂 happened to me quite a lot.

[@backseatgamer7367]

Becomes you don't know Weingarten

[@kaisermaximiliandererste8833]

A a german i can say that because you were at the durch border they wanted to check if you were a dutch drug dealer because Germany has Strict drug laws and some smugglers come to Germany to sell weed

[@Victor-07-04]

Much stuff thats actually illegal in Holland is not illegal or just more accessable in Germany and perhaps Poland, so much Dutchies go there

[@franzferdinand5810]

yeah it's a 100% beceause you have a dutch license plate. As a dutchie that lives close to the border this happens all the time!

[@KoolSpool]

You’re going to Aachen? Are you going to make a video on Charlemagne?

[@jacksonkuhns5135]

That’s weird I bet you that they were impersonating a police officer

[@maxpayne7459]

They were probably undercover policemen. Happens very often close to the dutch border.

[@neoxperson7858]

Unmarked police cars are pretty common, especially on the Autobahn. So, no. probably not.

[@ShadowhispersBand]

Seems like they mihht have thought you were smuggling drugs from the NL. But I might be wrong

[@vthextra]

That's what I was thinking, since I had a NL plate.

[@maxpayne7459]

@@vthextra since you also didnt react to them at first, they mostlikely wanted to inspect closer and see if you had any drugs

[@skeeterd5150]

What’s the price per liter for gas there?

[@vthextra]

I paid 1.80 today in Belgium

[@cjayj442]

@@vthextra 😲 that's like $7 per gallon? Holy cow!

[@jobfranschman8436]

@@cjayj442 That’s cheap for the Netherlands. It’s over €2 for both gasoline and diesel.

[@virginiarogers6034]

Odd

[@SomeGuyFromUtah]

Lived in Germany for over a decade. I didn't have many interactions with the police but I'm pretty positive they have a lot more power and you have a lot less rights over there than you'd do over here. In the usa they need a reason to pull you over rather than looking for a reason after the fact. I've also been through several police stops in Germany and they will track you down if they see you trying to avoid it. In America they would usually need a reason to pull you over outside of just wanting to avoid the stop... although if police in America want to pull you over they can usually just tail you until they find a way to justify it.

[@professorwhat2704]

Wow... Not sure what to say about that... It's kind of creepy.

[@dontich]

I got pulled over after accidentally going into Austria haha- whoops, silly $100 fines

[@ratiuvictor9533]

Well you look kind of suspicious

[@Mamaki1987]

Looks like they wanted to check if you have drugs with you. With a dutch licence plate you might have gotten their attention. And yes, they get in front of you because cars can be fast and you can't escape that easily when you are in front of the person you are trying to pull over. And ciminal investigation services are always in plain clothes with plain cars.

[@jonas9877]

lots of folks drive from the netherlands to germany to smuggle drugs. bc its easier there with port at rotterdam shipping so many drugs illegally into europe, so yeah it was probably just a routine check. love from austria btw

[@sm5970]

They are doing what is called “Kontrolle”, they normally search cars from Netherlands for drugs. They drive unmarked vehicles plenty of times to be incognito. Always follow them, the sign says ‘Polizei, Folgen Bitte, Police, Follow Me’ they are just doing their job. They have a right to search cars and investigate, and people have no problem with it. They wouldn’t try bother you for the sake of it so believe it or not, people in Germany have a civil relationship with police cooperate because they know they’ll be on their way in a matter of minutes.

[@cuzimmoody6470]

germany is strange

[@bostjanhren2716]

Damn man. Im guessing you matched the description of someone they were searching for. Hey but go look at the remains of Charlemagne in Aachen.

[@NosyFella]

You were profiled. As many others have said it sounds like a drug trafficking check due to Netherlands licence plate (Rotterdam is drug import capital of europe) and you being a male travelling alone in a rental.

[@boy_becauseofyou]

They were not in uniform. Therefore they were obviously investigators and no normal officers. Fahndungskontrollgruppe are they called in my state. On the Autobahn everybody can be checked without any mistake from you. Either for a traffic check, "near" the border or to check for international offenders if there are clues for this. As some people smuggle drugs from the Netherlands (it's easier to get weed there) they thought you would be someone worth checking. Seems ok although they should have explained their intend.

[@No-dy3zk]

Surprise they are not on the Polish boarder. 😉