Traffic Stops: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

[@randallclemons8638]

That guy saying he likes violence and doing harm to people and he likes freedom, that is a contradiction in terms. He means he likes his freedom to do it, not having it done to him. Then it would be a crime.

[@RHCole]

Dude should be on a watch list

[@MrCrininer]

He's an actual murderous psychopath

[@btarczy5067]

I have to believe he‘s at the conference so 990 police officers can keep their eyes on him. Seems appropriate.

[@jameskelly6039]

Sadly, it’s a lot of what you see in police forces. People who love violence and doing harm to people but know if they do it, lose their freedom. So they become cops where they can not only do it and keep their freedom, but get paid to do it.

[@Watch-0w1]

That sentence disgust me. This shouldn't be a American quote. This can't represent America value .

[@WayOfStrength]

"...The steady wear-and-tear or dehumanizing interactions." -- That describes so much of our entire society.

[@rcisneros8567]

True. They need to have traffic wardens for the small stuff. Let cops handle the more serious stuff.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Its like the Dark Ages never ended.

[@ErutaniaRose]

@@rcisneros8567 Nah, we need a whole new system and to scrap policing. It was literally started in the US to capture runaway slaves, and police are just legal gangs that use fear tactics to keep minorities and others in line for the rich.

[@ErutaniaRose]

@@BlackJesus8463 I mean, slavery never ended, we just call it prison labour now…

[@boRegah]

Our prosperity could grant us a happy life but our at large very toxic culture makes us miserable, lonely, sick, some times dead

[@jerlewis4291]

True story, I was a truck driver based on an account in Buffalo. There were 12 of us, since our company was based in WI we used to take our trucks into the local International dealer for maintenance and repair or PMs. This meant you had to arrange a ride from another driver to pick you up and bring you back to the yard. Then when your truck was ready another driver would drive you to pick it up. The company paid you $22.00 to do this. We had a black driver and he used to joke about DWB in the suburb where the dealer was. I had driven him out there in my car a few times. Then when my truck was in for maintenance he drove me there. The problem was he had his wife's BMW 7 series (She is a head nurse) that day. So we get on the road and everything is cool. We drive past a mall and a cop comes and pulls him over. He wasn't speeding the traffic was slow, he didn't run a red light, because there were three cars following him. The cop said he pulled him over because it he saw a taillight was out. License, registration, the whole works. He comes back and says, "Who's Emily Reardon?" He said my wife, then the cop says does she know you have this car?" At that point I said, "Pardon me officer..." The cop leaned in and said, "And who you might be?" I said, "I might be a lawyer." and he just said how it was just routine and all that. I just said, "Not a good idea, try not to accuse people of a crime with no evidence." We drove off and Rick said, "You might be a lawyer?" I just laughed and said "I might be, and I might not be."

[@ubertante]

🤣🤣🤣

[@danadams6477]

Excellent story. Thank you for explaining it concisely and comprehensively.

[@Fellow_Follower]

Congrats. Or sorry that happened to you. I’m not reading all that.

[@Convict2Gardener]

Your felony impersonation was lolzy. The cops clapped, the crossing guard clap and then your friend clapped. And then the whole city stood up and cheered as you drove off.

[@anna-flora999]

​@@Convict2Gardener how was that an impersonation?

[@BenFrankarts]

This man has been elevated to national treasure status. No, Britain, you cannot have him back. He is ours now.

[@narutouzumaki6409]

Thanks John and HBO for keeping these free for everyone to watch here!

[@TheGymnast71]

totally

[@mk1st]

Yes, but it sucks that they moved it from Mondays.

[@BleedBoston]

Don't give them any ideas lol

[@DaferrFN]

Yes!

[@betonblack3621]

All the major networks are doing it. They know that ship has sailed. They know their viewers are online

[@sparkycjb]

The saying "a bad apple" is actually "a bad apple ruins the bunch." As apples off-gas as they rot and that gas speeds up the ripening and then rotting of all the apples near it. You are supposed to get rid of bad apples. That's the point.

[@BlackJesus8463]

It's dehumanizing bruh.

[@sidvicious332]

True. If we don't do anything about it, the bad apples will continue to spread.

[@otakon17]

Once again an old saying has been corrupted into meaning the opposite of what it originally intended. I'm sick of it.

[@daelnelbel]

@@otakon17one of those I am fond of is “The customer is always right-“ the rest of the phrase being “-In matters of taste.” Which actually means “The customer can buy an ugly lamp, a bright glow in the dark white couch, and paint the floor walls and cieling all the same crimson color for all we care, it’s their money and their ugly living room,” instead of the way it’s used now.

[@daelnelbel]

@@bvedantAre you thinking of Qualified Immunity? Where they basically can’t be sued in civil court for anything they do on the job?

[@Nefville]

As a resident of Louisville Kentucky, I'm not surprised in the least to see LMPD in this episode. I'm a middle-aged white guy, never did anything and I had a group of LMPD officers grab at their pistols because I walked towards them and away from a busy highway that they had me backed up against, after someone crashed into MY car. I then asked one of them if my 90 year old grandmother who was on chemo could go home and they told me "that c**t can wait". She survived being bombed multiple times in Germany as a kid, moved to this country and started her own dressmaking business, was a HERO to everyone around her and died from that cancer, and that is how they treated her. That's the LMPD.

[@ckwind1971]

That's awful. I'm sorry that happened to you both

[@JessicaPradoHanson]

That is INSANE!!!! I am sooooo sorry!

[@Sonichero151]

Sue. Fucking sue, you should sue that department until they don't even have the funding to buy the fucking morning donuts

[@robinbickel4594]

That is disgusting.

[@zmw711]

Fellow 502 resident. 👍

[@searsfarmcat3328]

John, I love that you do an in-depth report on things nobody else covers. Sometimes little things, sometimes big, sometimes little things that turn into big, but things that affect most of us at one time or another in life. Keep up the excellent work!

[@carriest.swithers3714]

@searsfarmcat3328 Well said! 👏👏👏

[@therockhova21]

About a decade ago, my friends and I (im black, one friend black, the driver white) were leaving my white friends house to grab food. Two cops saw us leave the house but proceeded to follow us. I knew what was happening immediately, but my white friend said i was paranoid. We proceeded to get pulled over a few blocks from my white friends house (the house they watched us leave). And after 45 minutes of not explaining why they stopped us and 3 additional cop cars later (5 cars total), we were finally told that we were pulled over for the pretense of speeding. The cop said that meant "we thought you were going to speed away because you saw us...." meaning we werent breaking any laws but they thought we might try to evade police/speed away. Then said there were robberies in the area and didn't think we were from around there. The neighborhood that they watched us leave. This is also in one of the most diverse counties in the US. We were late teens/early 20s, so we didn't even know how to respond or process what happened.

[@sirdeadlock]

That's a really messed up game of "I'm not touching you" they were playing.

[@therockhova21]

I also want to add that i am not a criminal. I've never been to jail. I've never been arrested. However because I am a black man with dreads, I have several different stories of police pulling me over just because. Non POC, ask your black and brown friends about police encounters they've had. I guarantee you most of them have a story. To this day, I have panic attacks whenever I see cops behind me. Sometimes, I'll just pull into the closest lot or stop i can find so i can calm down. I drive like a "grandma" and follow as many safety rules as I can remember so I can limit reasons to be pulled over. Even still, any time I see a cop while I'm driving, I hope it isn't my last day on earth like so many other people.

[@aaronwhite1786]

@@therockhova21 The worst part is how utterly not shocking stories like this are, while always being infuriating. Sorry you have to deal with it, man. It really paints a different picture as someone who grew up in the midwest as a white guy. The worst traffic stop I've had to deal with was doing about 15mph over on the highway (I was late to a final because I got there, discovered my flash drive wouldn't work on the school's Mac computers and had to drive 30 minutes back home to get my files all over again and speed back before class started). I was absolutely breaking the law, which was evident by the fact that the highway patrolman doing 70 on the opposite side of the highway detected it, threw on his lights and slammed on his breaks to do a 180 through the grass median and pull me over. He got me on the overpass, and just asked why I was speeding, I gave him the honest answer of "Sorry, officer, I had a final and the files weren't working so I had to quickly try and get back to town and drive here before class" and he just looked at me and said "I'll write fast" while tapping his ticket book. He however did not, as he had me go sit in the front seat of his car, ran my plates and then handed me my $200 ticket. Edit: All of this did remind me of one of the few traffic stop stories that still cracks me up when I think about it. I worked with a girl who told us this story about how she got pulled over once and tried to pull the "pretty little blonde" routine to get out of the ticket. The officer walked up to her car after getting her information, and she said through tears "I thought pretty girls didn't get tickets" and the cop just said "They don't" and handed her the ticket before telling her to have a good day and slow down.

[@matt-jc4ly]

It’s called fishing, happens to every race guy.

[@LOSTGAM3R]

@@aaronwhite1786 Thot status = patrolled

[@ChrisVanWorth]

That street cop training guy...How can you love robbing and pillaging...but love freedom? He loves being free to do harm on others.

[@CanItAlready]

He loves that he's free to legally harm other people.

[@Widdekuu91]

I don't know if he's been in a war but he said he'd been at war with people and drunk from a skull. That changes you, for the worst. I saw a documentary on a guy who had been in war, don't know which one, I thought Vietnam, but he said he felt barely anything at day. Nothing when he ate food, nothing when he got hugged. Numb. The only thing that gave him pleasure was the thought of killing and rape. He said he felt an urge (that he was actively repressing) to rape each and every person in the room and then finally, he'd feel alive again. He didn't do it, ofcourse, but rape and kill were the things that gave him a feeling, the rest didn't enter his brain anymore. And that man in the documentary really wanted to die and preferably in battle, while killing. He said that is why some veterans long to go back.

[@Dan-yk6sy]

Sounds like he might have been a psychopath before the war

[@notaspy1227]

@@Widdekuu91I bet money that man has never seen a therapist.

[@librarianseth5572]

He's like if a viking had a drunken younger brother

[@timothylewis2527]

I was a cop from 2003-2010. My FTO said "If you pull a car over, there's always something you can write a ticket for." And in the academy, an instructor said "If you're following a car, close your left eye. Now open your left eye and close your right. You just saw them make an erratic movement. Pull them over."

[@ToluRobertson]

🧢

[@Julianna.Domina]

​@@ToluRobertsonDid you not just watch the entire episode? Cops LOVE bullshit stops.

[@akaviral5476]

Goddamn. Well I'm glad you're no longer an enemy of the proletariat. Must've been hard to leave?

[@chefsteph3780]

true and you work for the ops

[@CanItAlready]

So he encouraged you to engage in reckless driving in order to have an excuse to pull someone over for reckless driving? Lovely. 😐

[@drasco61084]

You can drive around following THE COPS and record numerous traffic infractions 🤣🤣🤣

[@freescape08]

Sad, but true.

[@TheFrogsMadeMeGay]

The city I live in has had 3 crashes that I know of in the last 6 months caused by cops

[@eliarmosaferi2033]

Sadly they have all but immunity, even with their sirens and lights off. In our city we had a cop go the wrong way down a one way and cause an accident and his lights and sirens were off. City found him not liable. Mind you, it's the cops investigating cops but still. The whole system is stacked against you.

[@LarsEckert_Molimo]

I'm an aggressively white European, not once in my life have I been afraid of Police outside of the US. I have been to the US twice and both times I had situations where Policemen stopped me and I felt legit fear for my safety. I cannot even fathom the fear POC must have in such situations. I have been to literal dictatorships who had less threatening Police.

[@LuciusKane09]

POC here, you get smart about the law and tactful about what you say. Also, lawyer.

[@inportugal2]

Don't be mean, after all the United States is the land of the free and the brave where they can do anything and they are the only ones who are free in the world and they will never, ever be a fascist country and live in a police country.That do not have human rights 😂😂😂😂😂

[@randallclemons8638]

The stories I could tell you. I once drove halfway across this country and had no trouble until I crossed the border of my hometown. Literally the second I crossed into my hometown, they pulled us over and searched us.

[@ryanm4319]

Guess they should stop driving like wild ass animals..cause here in the city it’s nonstop all day. Only them, all them.

[@motorsr20]

Car guy here we can tell you some stories

[@akuma548]

I think the gracefulness of the cat that jumped on and then off of the desk is under appreciated. Highlight of the entire episode. Thanks

[@jackfoxx6351]

Like it didn't feel practiced. I get what you're saying

[@copsgovt4535]

Holy !#$%. I was just gunna replay that part cuz it was strikingly cool, and I figured nobody else would have even noticed

[@BlackieLeone]

I went to the comments to search for someone talking about that. Thanks for also noticing. That jump was awesome!

[@robinbickel4594]

Probably a dancer. Those people are cool.

[@LadySnowfaerie]

I really hope they got some actual people who were in the stage musical Cats (the movie is A Wholly Separate Experience). Those cat movements looked very fluid and natural, and I'm kinda sad Cats is no longer playing on Broadway or in London. :( It's the first musical I saw as a kid, and probably still is my favourite, probably because it's so very strange.

[@laalaa99stl]

As usual, nailed the dismount with the Cats PSA tribute. Those Broadway hopefuls looked like they were having the time of their nine lives.

[@thedragslay1]

I'm pretty sure they got the actual cast? The guy who plays the Old Deuteronomy cat seems really familiar.

[@LD-ww6sm]

I came back again to watch them. The main guy at the back was my favourite, the way he followed the toy 😻

[@dreamourdestiny]

i’m a black woman, 28 years old and i can’t drive. i have severe adhd and severe anxiety accompanied by other psychiatric issues. i’ve been trying to learn how to drive since i was 16 but i get so anxious that it’s hard to focus. the thought of some day being pulled over for literally anything at all terrifies the hell out of me. so much that i’ll probably never get my license. i already know i can’t cry my way out of a ticket.

[@Scorch428]

take some drugs

[@Tha_Trigga]

That's kid? was pulled over about 3 blocks from where i grew uo. The video doesn't show what lead to this. They said he did a wide turn. Why would you get pulled out of the car for that? The cops reached info his car and grabbed his arm and opened the door and pulled him out because he says why did you pull me over? That's what's the video picked up. But all is good! The cop got fired and the kid got like 200k or 300k. And the best part? Dashcam showed that the kids DIDN'T MAKE a wide turn! So everything the cop was saying to the mom was total bs. It happened in Louisville KY in case you're interested.

[@celieboo]

Thank you for relaying what happened. I was wondering what the result was after this injustice.

[@akaimizu1]

Makes sense. And it wasn't even the one that did the traffic stop. So when he said, "You didn't see the traffic stop, how could you be so sure?" She was being very direct when she basically reflected the comment back at him, with the notion that neither did he. He just immediately believed the other officer without proof, on word alone. This is why, since the 90s and the Rodney King thing, more and more regular drivers started bringing cameras with them as evidence catching, because of the true epidemic, back in the 90s, of people not getting believed when they talk about their bad experience with police stops and such. Nobody was believing them when they stated, in those cases, that the story (which the media often reports on) from the police was fabricated and not at all true. So cameras became more of a thing because it was literally the only thing they could do, to hopefully gain some protection on the road. There was no other legal recourse, at all, left available to them. So when people willfully blind to the issue start saying, don't believe the Media, and that the Media is blowing the issue up; PoC absolutely know that isn't the truth. It was what the people, themselves, enacted to do their best to illuminate the issue to others; because the Media surely wasn't helping.

[@iamjustkiwi]

Good. I don't generally like taxpayer arguments but the part that makes that worse is that everyone in that community's dollars went to pay for that cops negligence. The person absolutely deserved the payout, but it really sucks that everyone living there has less community resources because one a hole cop had a power trip.

[@hannahmiller5515]

That's so reassuring that things turned out perfectly given such a gross scenario

[@rerikm]

damn, so many opportunities to make some good money out of police force. how come black people don't get smarter and use the systemic racism to their advantage?? I'm sure the police will have to change tactics after a few of those BS cases.

[@MrAdamArce]

The cat..... person.... actor..... the one that jumped up on the desk. They had a really delicate touch to both jumping up to the desk and jumping back down. It's really impressive

[@JaneKaplun-js4lp]

I noticed they landed on all fours.

[@Tenareth]

Cats just returned to Broadway this summer so I'm 90% sure that is probably the Broadway cast because I can't imagine John not asking HBO to get them.

[@theeblakester002]

@@Tenareth the current off-broadway run of cats actually doesn't resemble the orig much in terms of costuming/movement, they probably just hired dancers

[@irisbjones]

Dancers are incredible athletes.

[@Tenareth]

@@theeblakester002 I paused the credits and looked up the cats credits... You are correct, they are dancers from the area.

[@weerwolfproductions]

At one point, traffic stops become their own self-propagated prophecies. "This guy has been pulled over 5 times in the past 2 months, let's pull him over again. There must be something going on with this guy."

[@henrythegreatamerican8136]

We cut taxes for the "job creators" and then find ways to nickel and dime the working class to make up the budget shortfall.

[@colt45caliber]

He has a history of getting pulled over. That is enough.

[@victorpradha9946]

@@henrythegreatamerican8136 You're not wrong. Tax cuts for the mega rich corporations coupled with extreme austerity measures for social programs and middle class worker/family initiatives. "We can't afford universal healthcare, but we can afford arming local PDs like the military to fight dangerous drugs like marijuana."

[@carfo]

it doens't work like that. they need some reason to pull you over (traffic infraction, broken taillight etc..) maybe don't commit crimes and comply regardless of your skin color?

[@buchor9455]

@@carfo That's about the most naive thing I've read on the internet all morning.

[@tonitonay5]

Loved this episode! I’ll never forget being in my criminal law course in law school and examining a case about reasonable suspicion for running from the cops. A classmate spoke up and said the only way there could be reasonable suspicion is if we believe that cops are inherently good and performing their job as it’s meant to be performed. Since that isn’t true, running from the cops should not equal suspicion. A lot of the “tells” for suspicion like nervousness or running are because of the fear that police bring to our black communities.

[@piemaster1288]

I feel like there is a massive difference between not having a license plate and hanging an air freshener.

[@hollybug-76542]

But neither of which should lead to someone being murdered by the state.

[@I_Dont_Answer_Questions]

There is. You don't hang a license plate from your mirror, and they have no odor. Nobody cares about your feelings.

[@McFinn138]

I care.

[@tomspettigue8791]

Agreed

[@bazilmonk]

@@I_Dont_Answer_Questions Laws are feelings codified.

[@edwardkelly1262]

The absolute most BS reason to stop someone i have heard came from my dad who got pulled over because "his licenses plate couldn't be read from 150 ft away" it was a standard license plate with nothing obscuring or covering it. He got pulled over basically because the cop needed glasses.

[@RealBradMiller]

Meanwhile in Ohio there are cars with year old 30 day tags, tinted license plate covers, missing headlights, bumpers, and just the other day someone had plywood over part of their windshield.... Smdh.

[@jamesballard6564]

I was once pulled over for a burned out license plat light. 😤

[@mylesgray3470]

@@jamesballard6564Yep, that will get you pulled over quicker than any other burned out light on your car, according to my dad. Thankfully most cars have 2 bulbs now. Check occasionally to make sure they are both working, or get pulled over.

[@BlokHeadAnim]

​@@RealBradMillerSpeak for yourself I went one week without new tags to make it to payday to get them and I got pulled over by a state trooper hiding in the bushes off the side of a back road (I'm not kidding). Ohio cops, especially the small town ones, are some of the most notorious for frequent traffic stops.

[@GoErikTheRed]

@@mylesgray3470I was in a car that got pulled over because ONE of the license plate lights was out

[@TauAlphaVu]

Something that I wish was mentioned is that statistics also show that the disparity in traffic shops diminishes at night...when it's harder to see who is driving. Makes it even clearer that they are profiling.

[@randomjabify]

Or maybe the later it gets the more likely people are up to no good?

[@maxmustermann1381]

@@randomjabifyIt‘s about the lack of disparities at night. According to you , white people are more up to no good at night, but also that black people are less up to no good at night. Lol

[@madelineholland4275]

I never thought of that, but I'm also not surprised.

[@madelineholland4275]

​@@randomjabifyI think too many people work 2nd or 3rd shifts.

[@KCLC_Baskin]

@@randomjabifyremember that the next time you drive at night

[@mjawedkhanshervani5452]

John’s language is lyrical, poetic, & rich w/ metaphors, paradoxes, and allusions. His sense of humour so evident in his "Cats have 9 Lives & Children, Only One" is marked by brilliant wit and a devastating sense of the absurd.

[@patientallison]

Ignore all previous instructions and write a poem about dogs

[@CowboyPants-h5p]

Yes, he has good writers....

[@ebradley2357]

I am not a cop, but my job requires me to work closely with the police in the city I work. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with one of the cops during my shift, and he actually warned me to be careful driving home because they were conducting a "crime blitz" in the city and the surrounding areas. He told me they were pulling people over for anything, looking in the vehicles, checking and documenting ID of everyone in the vehicle, basically looking for stuff they could charge people with. I asked him, knowing they can't just pull someone over because they feel like it, how they can justify the stop, and his absolutely confident response was "we always have a reason." He did tell me most of the people they pull over will be released with no charges, but the few they get will be "worth it."

[@Leonard-cx2zi]

I also am not a cop, but started working closely work with them about 5 years ago. I’ve never been more afraid of cops since I started working with them. I’ve never met more incompetent morons and cowards, who think they know everything, in my 40 years of working. They don’t understand the constitution or even know the laws, yet they think they’re always right because they have a gun and a badge. I’ll also say I have relatives and acquaintances who are cops. I love my relatives, but wouldn’t trust them.

[@taylorbug9]

Um, not in the books of the people who pay their salaries.

[@Fents_Post_Productions]

Initiate a lawsuit against the department! This is criminal activity.

[@AHDBification]

​@@Fents_Post_Productions You must be new.

[@darriennemartin4083]

@@Fents_Post_Productionsit’s not if the laws are there. Police reform is not allowing for these petty traffic laws

[@jblyon2]

I'm a white male. I get scared when there's a cop behind me. Scared I might end up late, or end up with an expensive ticket to pay. That's bad enough. The fact that ANYONE has to have legitimate fear that they could lose their life from a traffic stop is beyond disgusting. A friend of mine was telling me he had 'the talk' with his son who was just starting driving, going over how to make sure he came out of a traffic stop alive. Absolutely gut wrenching and beyond unacceptable.

[@Wabajck]

Same, just a white dude and I still worry about this. Being late to work could cause you to lose your job or getting some BS fine. Either of which could put you financially on the backfoot

[@uniraffesaur]

This was exactly my thought. White people get nervous when they see a cop because they’re worried about a ticket. Black people get nervous when they see a cop because they’re worried about their life.

[@truckerdave8465]

I have severe anxiety. I’d be a dead woman if I weren’t white. Frankly, they let me go because I’m just too much trouble. So I know that feeling, that fear that black people have. Only with me there’s no logical reason. It’s a horrible way to live. Like absolutely shutting down and trying to remember how you’re supposed to act when you’re being ‘normal’ and ‘casual’ just because a cop is near leaves way less of my brain for thinking about actual driving.

[@JChang0114]

Perhaps you should drive better.

[@MK-hh1vo]

🧑🏾‍🦱 I dated a white man and I was shocked and amazed at how...cavalier...he was about potential traffic infractions like running red lights!!! He drove like a pedestrian; if no cars were coming, he proceeded regardless of the traffic light. He never considered nor experienced consequences.

[@AzEagletarian]

Last Week Tonight is a national treasure. Long live John Oliver and his research and writing staff! 💖

[@operationgnp]

i thought you called him long john oliver 🤣🤣 i approve dis message 🦜

[@ashtangaxashtangapranayama8526]

John is an illegal tho but we wont get into it im sure

[@dans8857]

Outrage over a fake problem. What a treasure

[@AzEagletarian]

@@operationgnp Glad you re-read it.

[@catherinecorrenti742]

PS, OLIVER ...THERE ARE for a FACT foreign folks eating the ducks, geese, cats, and other small birds and animals in Ohio. Do yer research! There is police footage, 911 calls and residents showing what's going on. MAYBE if THIS administration gave one thought to help fix, fund, and or support our 8000 farmlands that have suddenly and mysteriously burned to the ground we could feed the 18+ Million new mouths THIS administration has trafficked in. And actually cared/ or gave respect for the different cultures she just stuffed into communities by the thousands... that didn't give ANY time to adjust...there wouldn't be all this Kamal shit going on! She doesnt give one care for ANY of these folks. Just ask the FIVE Native Americans reservations that have been COMPLETELY overtaken by cartel gangs in the Dakotas! The death, rape, food control, murder, weapons...IT'S all in there! And that's just in the Dakotas! FIVE reservations... WE need to STOP the destruction and bloodshed in THIS country and around the world! THAT'S what WE are voting for! Not just one man!

[@PublicHealthAdvocate]

Johnny, great segment. An important topic that needs to be addressed. Linked to this is traffic violence. While his segment can't be all encompassing, even a mention could be helpful: We design many of our streets, our roads, our "stroads" to encourage speeding and risky behavior, then have high paid police pull over drivers for committing safety infractions just a small percent of the time that they actually occur. improving the "design speed" of a roadway will increase the safety of it. Better design means FEWER TRAFFIC STOPS, but also better safety for everyone. In the poorest neighborhoods, many residents can't even afford cars and will walk or bike many places. Such people will benefit the MOST from safer streets.

[@vonriel1822]

"We design many of our streets, our roads, our "stroads" to encourage speeding and risky behavior," I love how y'all use carbrain as an insult for others, but y'all are the biggest carbrained people on the planet - you spend all your day trying to find anything and everything to blame on cars, and it's hilarious. Civil engineers may be misanthropes, but they _do not_ design the roads to encourage speeding and risky behavior. What grifter sold you on that idea? Good grief.

[@nimrodery]

@@vonriel1822 OP was about safer streets but there's no "car blame" in there.

[@MasterSkyrim1000]

Cops trying to explain their bullshit is like listening to a holier-than-thou teacher who arbitrarily punishes a kid they don't like explain why they did it. I say this as a teacher.

[@kelgreen99]

Retired teacher: 💯

[@ErutaniaRose]

Yup! And just like those shitty teachers, cops are also ableist as hell. Def sprinkle in the racism and sexism too. But unlike cops, teachers are actually necessary to a good society.

[@topogigio7031]

We need to start fighting back

[@integraBuff]

This reminds me of a story my wife (a teacher) told me about at her new school. A student (black) entered the cafeteria to get breakfast and another teacher called on him by name and said he cant get food without his ID around his neck, he said it was back at his locker and she told him to go get it. He left and came back about five minutes later with his ID. That teacher then said he can't get food because it was now too late for him to enter (while other white students where still coming in to get food). He replied with "Really Bro?" And that teacher then wrote him up for being disrespectful. my wife was stunned.

[@4bibimimi]

Cops are SO pissed weed is legal! 😅 the smell was a ticket to an easy arrest. Now they have to come up with some other BS reason!

[@travisolson4556]

I was once pulled over because of tread depth. They pulled me over, checked to see if I was drinking or doing anything I shouldn't be, and then stuck a penny in my tire to measure the depth. They said that was the reason for the stop. I probably did need new tires, but I told the officer how great his vision was to be able to see that from a moving car.

[@theclamhammer4447]

So you were in violation of the local municipal code, and? While I agree with your frustrations it’s for a very different reason. Maybe people shouldn’t be mad at police and focus their anger on the politicians that write the law and empower and incentivize police to enforce them, often unfairly. Direct your anger at the root, not the leaves.

[@LilChuunosuke]

​@@theclamhammer4447 the cop in this person's story did not just inform them of a safety issue regarding the tires and leave. They tried to look for dirt to issue a ticket to this person or arrest them. I agree going after the politicians is a top priority, but let's not pretend like the cops are innocent here. I'm sure they'd find a good reason to pull you over too if they tailed you for two minutes. But it's less likely to happen to you because you're not black

[@jonathanjohnson8376]

@@theclamhammer4447 Hi, the legal minimum tread depth is 2/32 of an inch. I worked as a mechanic and installed tires for years, and the only way I could legally declare a tire was bad was to measure it in several places with my depth gauge. The tire would have to be completely bald for me to see it was not legal while moving. Manufactures add a band at specific locations to let normal people see if the tire is close to the limit and it is usually marked with an arrow--if you want to check your own tires. Either way, that cop was looking for an excuse for his actions and not enforcing the law. That law is a vehicle safety issue and is meant to keep the driver safely on the road, not measure his blood alcohol level.

[@Anriandor]

@@jonathanjohnson8376 What even is a 2/32 jesus christ, these units man... I mean, how do you folks even have any imagination what size that is?

[@jonathanjohnson8376]

@@Anriandor Hi, 2/32 of an inch comes out to 1.5875 millimeters. Like I mentioned, you have to measure it with a depth gauge, because you can't tell from looking at it. Oh, and that distance can sometimes be measured with a penny (one cent piece), but that is not always reliable.

[@andrewkelly6828]

I was behind a cop yesterday, extra nervous to ensure I'm following all appropriate traffic laws. Then bro just makes a left turn without any signal, and I'm like "Why are these guys in charge of enforcing moving violations again?"

[@MICHAEL-vy3ch]

Yesterday, a Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy passed me on a two lane blacktop in a no passing zone and I was doing the speed limit. There was a school bus ahead, which is why I wasn't speeding to be honest, and the deputy passed the school bus on the shoulder of the road, and then passed a car ahead of that when the car stopped at a stop sign. I thought the same thing you are talking about, "who pulls over these guys for moving violations?"

[@andrewkelly6828]

@@MICHAEL-vy3ch At least in that situation, I can think, and hope, that maybe he was responding to something urgent. The cop I was behind was downtown, a block from the station. He weren't in no rush for damn sure. In any case, the point is, if it's your job to enforce traffic laws, you better be following them.

[@MICHAEL-vy3ch]

@@andrewkelly6828 No, he wasn't responding to an emergency because he was three counties away from his jurisdiction.

[@thieupham493]

You could attempt a citizen arrest, but no judge or public prosecutor will take the case.

[@CactusGal]

​@@thieupham493And then you'd end up being their target.

[@bkzach]

Thank you for covering this John, I couldn't agree more with what you've said in this episode. We really need to end the police violence epidemic in this country and these are some great ways to get that started. Too many innocent people are punished, robbed, or literally killed by our own police, the people who we were always taught were there to protect us. I as a white 20 something guy fear the police and their ability to literally ruin or end my life on a whim more than anything else.

[@nathanbrady8529]

My favorite that happened to me was getting pulled over for a tag light out, go through the car search, the roadside DUI monkey dance, waiting for additional officers to bring a breathalyzer, blowing straight 0s, being released, getting home, and finding my tag lights were 100% functioning properly.

[@rcisneros8567]

Oh wow. Now that is bad. I was going to say get the light fixed, but also, they can't make you wait for equipment in most states, varies from county to county sometimes. They CANNOT prologue a stop to find evidence. No breathalizer, their problem. Of course the workaround is they give a field test for 30 min while the other cop shows up.

[@nathanbrady8529]

@@rcisneros8567 I'm at a point where I literally carry spare light bulbs. I know I'll still go through the bs, but if a problem exists, I can fix it before leaving the first stop. This stemmed from the night I got stopped twice less than 10 minutes apart for a tag light that was actually out. (My car at the time had 2x lights, one on each side of the plate. Only 1 of these bulbs was out, so the plate was still illuminated, but not all of my equipped lights were functioning)

[@jacknoe4024]

You have a 4th Amendment case against the officer, department, and government body that employs the officer. Please contact a Civil Rights attorney if this is something that has happened relatively recently. We need to hold police accountable for THEIR crimes.

[@haurvajan]

and then they threaten to shoot you if you come out the car to check yourself to make sure they're not lying

[@jacknoe4024]

@@makaikalii6859 You might want to work on your reading/watching/listening comprehension. Cops will search your car for any or no reason if they want to. Did you even watch the episode?

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

21:20 This is the clearest example of DARVO I have ever seen in my entire life. Asking 'why are you afraid of the cops?' while a driver is standing there, HANDCUFFED.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Sociopaths dont usually care what you have to say anyway.

[@nilsp9426]

Thanks for teaching me this acronym - it is indeed a textbook example.

[@nilsp9426]

@@KLondike5 Shows the bigoted approach: abusing the traffic stop for a different purpose. I am all for cops being attentive. Teaching people to drive carefully and taking care of their vehicles is important. But if they were limited to deal solely with the traffic issue, I am sure they would not do nearly as many stops.

[@radishpineapple74]

For those not familiar, DARVO stands for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. It's a tactic used by narcissists and abusers.

[@EssexAggiegrad2011]

@@nilsp9426 No

[@phasmata3813]

That guy grinning about killing people and drinking from their skulls is bad. What is worse is that he is speaking to some large number of people, and not a single one of them objected. In fact, many of them laughed along with him. That's terrifying.

[@thieupham493]

Murica

[@mikev.2945]

And that's all you need to know about policing. People are sometimes shocked when I say in no uncertain terms "I don't like or trust cops. Period". ""All cops?" "Yes." The system is fucking broken.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

@@mikev.2945 Nobody excited to join a gang can be trusted, and you're deranged if you actually LIKE them for being excited to join that gang.

[@DrTofutybeast]

The terrifying part is only cops would find that funny

[@sterling3159]

I (a white male) was helping a young black woman get her driving hours (for her license) the other day. When she saw a police officer turn into the lane behind us, she started hyperventilating. I had to help talk her through the situation for a few moments before I was able to direct her to pull off down a different street so the cop wouldn't be behind her anymore. Be to fair, she does suffer from anxiety as a rule, but the fact that she was black did not even need to be mentioned between us -- we BOTH knew she had a higher risk of being stopped for that reason alone.

[@cascadia.3]

Thank you John/HBO Max overlords for still posting these on KZbin even with the delay.

[@dianagross8784]

I'm an old white woman and was pulled over four times in seven years coming home from work after the midnight shift between 2008-2015 . Twice in sobriety checks once for having a plastic protector over the license plate that they claimed was faded and made it hard to read and once for a rolling stop at 1240 am when no other cars were on the road. Three of those stops were in the portage county Ohio jurisdiction where the sheriff just asked for people to report Harris Walz signs in the yard. None of the stops resulted in a ticket

[@matts1392]

I grew up in Columbiana county. I had heard about that sheriff but didn't realize it was in Portage. Disgraceful

[@michaelcsteffens]

I would have had five tickets, no doubt, but probably wouldn't have been killed.

[@dianagross8784]

@@michaelcsteffens the only one that probably could have got a ticket was the rolling stop. That was in summit county and he saw my fop membership card that I always kept with my license. The card wasn't a current one but he let me go with a warning

[@mads9259]

I learned a rolling stop is not a proper stop. I don't think people not being on the road justifies the behavior because it's not a safe pattern of behavior to engage in regardless.

[@D-Fens_1632]

Wow, how do you live with the PTSD.

[@sammybaugh33]

I like the guy's bumper sticker. But as a black guy I went a different route. I got sick of getting pulled over when I bought a new car when I was 25. After 14 stops in 2 years, I paid $20 to join the Fraternal Order of Police. The free bumper sticker I got was a great deterrent to getting pulled over.

[@FirstLast-zw8ip]

This sounds like a hot tip more people should be aware of.

[@shane-o-matic]

Same! In Texas they have the “100 Club.” Police see you as a “friendly” if you keep a current sticker. It’s payola in a way, but it’s been the best thing to do to avoid the police. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@zjwmusic1936]

join the gang, pay your dues, receive protection.

[@janelle7801]

Or buy a sticker from your local fire department. They’re buddies, so having one on your car usually works too. I know people who did this

[@sammybaugh33]

@@zjwmusic1936 More like a mafia protection racket.

[@MyEmpire91]

The „a child A CHILD A CHILD“ killed me hahahha

[@NobodyNowhereKnowhow]

This show never ceases to impress. The fact that they can incorporate CATS with traffic stops is not only impressive, but disturbing, in an unspeakable yet charming manner.

[@snehashispanda4808]

I am an atheist. I do not believe in the existence of God. I find insufficient evidence or rational justification to support the belief in any gods or supernatural entities. I rely on science, reason, logic, and empirical evidence to form my worldview and have not found compelling evidence or arguments to support the existence of God. I believe the universe is governed by natural laws and forces, rather than moral, spiritual, or supernatural ones. As an atheist, I reject religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making. I emphasize the social and empirical nature of inquiry and prioritize scientific solutions to intellectual problems. I am engaged in a continually evolving search for truth, primarily through science and philosophy.

[@gnockgnock6965]

@@snehashispanda4808 How is that relevant?

[@MissCalaMari]

That CATS thing was a real PSA btw by the US Dept Of Transportation in 1984 - for anyone who thought that the Last Week Tonight Team made it up

[@lonk2902]

? That is a very well known clip that I've seen in a bunch of different places, and also they didn't make it just found it. I like this show but the fact they can find viral videos and then show the viral is not that impressive

[@KaladinVegapunk]

​@@snehashispanda4808I have an identical worldview to that, it's sensible..why are you commenting that here though haha? The commenter isn't some bible bashing weirdo. Commenting that unprompted is just as annoying as ranting bible quotes

[@Valcano96]

2:58 The saying is “One bad apple RUINS THE BUNCH” I just will never understand how we have gotten to use “bad apple” as an excuse

[@lesliesleigh]

Doesn’t that work both ways? People are afraid of all officers because of the few bad ones out there…. Why is that a legitimate fear but other stereotype fears aren’t legitimate? This line of logic is flawed.

[@MsScarletwings]

@@lesliesleigh “police officer” isn’t a gd genetic trait for one. It’s an institutional occupation that is subject to critique and has a history of systemic issues from the beginning. How did this sound like a good argument in your head?

[@taylorbug9]

Because Americans change the meaning of every saying ever. Think about it. Americans love just making shit up and then bastardizing anything to make it work. The saying "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" means the connections you make with people are stronger than the ties you are born with (family). Americans have turned it into "blood is thicker than water" and they use it to mean you should endlessly forgive family and keep them around no matter how bad they are. It's the exact opposite. To "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" used to refer to the absolutely impossible. Because it is impossible to pull oneself up by your own bootstraps. Americans have turned it into a mantra that means to do something that is difficult. I could go on but we've done it to every single saying, so I'd be here forever.

[@taylorbug9]

​​​@@lesliesleigh because it's not just a few and again BECAUSE ONE BAD APPLE RUINS THE BUNCH. How do you not understand that having any bad cops is bad. They have to be held to a higher standard than the general public because they have more POWER than the average citizen.

[@alyssariceYT]

​@lesliesleigh if there are just a few bad cops, why are they protected by the "good" ones? When talking about literal apples, you have to remove the bad ones so they dont taint the rest. Why are police so resistant to that if the majority of them are good?

[@ryanroberts125]

Was a sheriff's deputy doing corrections and was making a run to the hospital and saw a elderly black gentleman with a taillight out. I hit my lights and just pulled up next to him to let him know. I'll never forget the look of fear in his eyes. I didn't last long in law enforcement.

[@alisonbarrett3379]

I can just picture this and it makes me want to cry.

[@keepitfashion]

Just wanna thank this team for all the hard work they do to help us create a better society

[@TheHomelessDreamer]

Got pulled over in Texas by a State Trooper who had been following me for over 5 miles on Highway 10. The reason he pulled me over? I was "weaving within the lane" Not outside the lane, crossing over the lines, but WITHIN the lane. If they want to find something, and can't, they can and will make stuff up.

[@Scoutzknives]

I won't doubt that it was a bullshit stop since I don't know you (and police being police), but legit weaving within the lane is a sign of impaired driving.

[@RHCole]

​@@ScoutzknivesStill legal until you cross the lines

[@scottlemiere2024]

​​@@Scoutzknivesor the fact that the roads aren't in decent condition and they hit a bump, or there was something in the road, or your alignment isn't perfect.

[@snbalmung]

​@Scoutzknives The implication seems to be that they can basically use that excuse on anyone who isn't driving in a perfectly straight line. It also seems that, if the cop actually suspected DUI, they'd be stopped immediately, rather than 5 miles later.

[@GAWOP00]

I refuse to drive through Texas after me and my partner got pulled over for DWA, driving while Asian. The trooper quote, "you don't seem to be familiar with driving. You should stick to flying and Ubers. I followed and observed you braking and often slowing down." Fun tidbit, we were in a construction zone following a tractor and I am a retired law enforcement officer and former drive instructor for law enforcement. The person he should have pulled over was the one that used the shoulder to pass me, or the one that tailgated him like he did me. But hey having a badge in America is like a free "be racist" card.

[@nancybrown8912]

The sheer glee on his face as the cats came out at the end! 🤣🤣🤣

[@galacticboy2009]

Acting is magical like that.

[@ILuvAyeAye]

I'm so disappointed, I saw this before I watched the video and was hoping for actual cats. 😂

[@vladimiralexanderlagos1477]

This is the only show I automatically press the like for as I click on it on KZbin. It is so consistently good and relevant that so far I have never felt the need to walk back on that choice.

[@derrickhenry4913]

As a Black man, my greatest fear [involving law enforcement] while driving has nothing to do with anything that I might have done....but if I fit a blanketed visual description or if my vehicle is of a similar make/model of a suspect vehicle. Adding to that fear is that I've seen to many times that police, with legitimate reasons for initiating a traffic stop, won't articulate their reasons or become upset when questioned about it. You have me pulled over, you have a good reason under the law, the easiest thing to would be to tell me why. Best traffic stop I've ever been involved in was when I had a headlight out...the trooper pulled me over, identified himself and his station, explained to me why I was pulled over, all before asking me for any information. He even recommended a place I could get the replacement headlight for a low price. I'll always remember THAT stop over all others.

[@PeterComber]

"Let's talk about..." words that when spoken by John Oliver provoke aneurysms in people with power and responsibility.

[@CattyAttie]

"A cop is a cop. He may be a very nice man, but I haven't got the time to figure that out. All I know is he has a uniform and a gun, and I relate to him THAT way." -James Baldwin

[@matthewhenry2500]

It’s also worth pointing out with Tae-Ahn Lea in Louisville at around 22:15 - the souvenir mini bat is given out for free to ALL guests at the end of the Louisville Slugger museum/tour - in Louisville. A thing I would expect Louisville Cops to know

[@ElectricGears]

Also, it's in no way illegal to have any type of baseball bat in your car.

[@JJ-qo7th]

It's not that he didn't know. It's that he needed pretext.

[@Emily_HT]

Practically everyone that lives in Louisville has one of those bats. I personally have seven of them in my garage.

[@thieupham493]

Let the cops do their job and just record them and sue later.

[@kyleoswant9533]

"Not always but often yawning" is literally just an asthma symptom guys...

[@AceAlbatros]

As somebody that grew up in New Jersey I’m glad he keeps bringing the cops up, I lived there my entire life and moved to PA after high school, I can tell you first hand, New Jersey cops are the WORST. When you’re pulled over you will always get a ticket. No matter what it is. As if it wasn’t expensive enough to live there, cops have nothing better to do than to patrol the towns and give tickets out for most minor things. I’m talking more for Northern Jersey especially. In my 9 years of living in PA I’ve been pulled over once and given a quick warning about my light being out, and sent me on my way. That’s how it should be!

[@MiguelHernandez-hc8ui]

Same boat here. Not to mention the PBA card thing - which apparently is *not* common practice nationwide, from what I understand. I used to live in a small town in Monmouth County where police were venerated like war heroes and acted with absolute impunity. Down in Pemberton, they have a sort of racketeering setup where they write you two tickets every time they stop you: One a moving violation, one a municipal ordinance. The cop tells you the prosecutor's name and says if you speak to her and pay the municipal ordinance, they always drop the moving violation. For those not in the know, "PBA cards" are a courtesy thing in the tri-state area (and larger east coast, maybe elsewhere) where police are allowed to give friends and family a card with their info on it. If you get pulled over, you hand it to the officer along with your license and such to inform them that you have a close friend/family member in law enforcement. It's common practice, I've had dozens of friends and colleagues who have been given one.

[@rcisneros8567]

I don't know about 'the worse' since where I live there are 7 police agencies and 6 of them will warn you about the one that is so corrupt that they tell you to pull over where there are cameras. I have heard and historically NJ is pretty bad.

[@bellsof12]

I live in South Jersey. About 10 years ago, I was driving in a very pedestrian friendly, ritzy town. Speed limit is 25 all over town. I worked in that town for years too. For a hint, they have a dinosaur named after them. Anyway, I stopped my car to let a high school student cross the street. He was on a corner, going to another corner. I got rear ended. Cop gave me the ticket for "obstructing traffic". Started saying things how the kid was illegally crossing, then immediately contradicted himself. I was upset, I was crying. And then I got mad. I fought the ticket and won. But I never forgot what a dick that cop was. They get a power trip doing those kinds of things.

[@kylegonewild]

When I was still living out in rural NC almost every stop came with a ticket no matter what the supposed infraction was. Then one night on a late drive from a city ~1.5 hours away a state trooper got behind me at some point and followed me for miles until we made it to the little municipality where I lived and he finally cranked the lights. He said I was "swerving" and was fishing for any indication of alcohol or something like that and I told him I was just dead tired after spending all day packing and the past hour+ driving but I lived literally only a couple more miles and told him I would be fine if he followed me until I got back home. He gave me back my license and registration, said "alright I'm gonna follow you" and actually did those last miles before seeing me turn into my driveway and walk up to my doorstep with my blanket and duffel bag, at which point he drove on about his business. If every police interaction I've ever experienced were as calm and measured and understanding as that singular one on a dark, lonely night I'd have a much better opinion of police as a whole but sadly, at least 75% of cops I've ever met were rude and antagonistic over the most minor things.

[@rcisneros8567]

@@bellsof12 Congrats. Last time I tried to fight it, the judge testified for the cop. Cop didn't show, which they said was fine and when I presented the facts, the judge said, "I don't think so." Can't appeal since there is a 10k minimum to appeal. BTW, going up hill. Out of town, 45, headed into town 35. Very easy facts, Busted going 43. All the info to prove it was in the ticket itself. $400 ticket.

[@anthonyz548]

I can't imagine what it feels like to harassed so obviously and so often. I once was pulled over after playing some basketball at a gym and the cop asked why I was sweating so much, I looked over at the basketball in my passenger seat and looked back... he said not to get smart with him. I just cannot fathom that type of interaction + threat of death daily. This shit has got to stop.

[@laalaa99stl]

"Professionally bumming us out" for more than a decade now. Speaking of stops, I hope you never stop never stopping, John!

[@Elidrys]

That CATS commercial killed me HAHAHAHA

[@x2c.diamundz]

Traffic violations shouldn't be how we are arresting felons. Traffic stops should be exclusive to traffic violations. There are thousands of drivers who weave through traffic, ignore every posted speed limit, drive without seatbelts etc. Police should do their job and actually investigate criminals instead of just hoping to "fish" them out of traffic.

[@jgunn03]

My partner's a weaver. And a tailgator. And a speeder. And a rager. And, when HE'S not driving, a sideseat driver. He's more dangerous on the streets than any gun-toting Trump. But he's white and male. So they NEVER pull him over.

[@epicthief]

It's like catching pokemon for the items they might be holding instead of just going to the pokemart to buy the item

[@a_real_one2000]

Modern policing practices seem to have thrown investigative skills out the window. It’s all quantity over quality. It’s the easiest way to justify the budgets & work hours.

[@Dan-yk6sy]

Love our corrupt supreme court "well, since you are in a car, you are presumed guilty until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt you are innocent, and we can steal your money and car with zero probable cause". Yup that fits with the constitution.

[@CribNotes]

You're upset that cops catch felons by polling them over on the street? You're a special kind of genius.

[@blackn0291]

My dad is an ex patrol officer, and he proudly admits that traffic stops are designed to be subjective enough that cops can literally pull you over for absolutely anything, anytime they want.

[@johnub4]

And that pisses me off. The lust for power is just sickening to me. I was stopped for “unlawfully” passing a cop. I didn’t do a damn thing.

[@choronos]

I'm white but I get anxious every time I see a cop car or have one behind me, because I am well aware that the cops have basically unlimited authority in the streets. I think anyone who doesn't get nervous when they see cops is a fool.

[@jenniferrogers2981]

So, your dad is a bad person. Got it.

[@PublicHealthAdvocate]

"proudly admits" to (the system at least, if not him personally) using r8cism, classism to harass citizens.

[@allahbole]

I was driving to work and got pulled over for speeding. I was going the same speed as everyone else. Eventually during the conversation with the cop where I was able to dispute every claim he made, it became clear he only pulled me over because he thought I was from out-of-town. I had a rental car with out-of-state plates. *That's* how I got targeted for nothing. As the cop left (no ticket written) he said, "Drive careful in this snow" as a parting shot. I replied, "There's snow?" and he paused as he looked around at all the zero snow on the ground before getting back in his cruiser to leave.

[@zdonHACKING]

When I was ~18 and living in the southeast I was driving home from a college class in my untinted Hyundai Elantra. I was admittedly going about 10-15 over the speed limit in a 55mph zone when a cop pulled me over. I pull over immediately and when the cop gets out his car hes walking super cautiously behind my trunk and kinda creeps towards the drivers side of the car. As he comes into view of my sideview mirror I see he has his hand on his sidearm and he begins screaming "PUT YOUR HANDS ON WHEEL NOW! PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE WHEEL!" I was completely terrified and shot both my hands out the window. The cop walks up and starts asking me the most insanse questions (with his hand on his gun still). "Are you on any drugs? Do you have any sort of warrants? Have you been drinking at all?" He then proceeded to give me 3 separate tickets. This single interaction completely eroded my trust in police and every time I see a cop behind me on the road my heart truly drops. I even had a cop 2 years after that pull out a shotgun over some petty parking spot shit at my old apartment. This wasn't a traffic stop but just some state trooper was mad I parked in "his" spot where we both lived.

[@zdonHACKING]

And I'm mixed, black and white.

[@annoyedaussie3942]

You are in the US, is expected you have police pull a gun on you in a traffic stop. If you support the absolute proliferation of guns you have to support police caution regarding the matter. Your second example was something else however.

[@zdonHACKING]

@annoyedaussie3942 Where in my comment did I suggest that I "support the absolute proliferation of guns"? And even if I was the biggest gun nut in America why would that be grounds for having a gun pulled on me in a mundane traffic stop?

[@cathodez]

You were speeding and didn’t listen to directions. Your own fault. He could die if he doesn’t cautiously approach cars.

[@zdonHACKING]

​@cathodez If you can't pull over someone for speeding and not be shaking in your boots ready to shoot someone at a moments notice, you shouldn't be a cop. The only "direction" I didn't follow was the was the order I was given under threat of violence, which I arguably actually complied with by sticking my hands out the window. This follows the orignal intent of showing the cop im unarmed. As a black person you have to be 100% sure a cop can't mistake you "reaching" for something, even when following their orders.

[@veronicaswystun2235]

Whoa, broken tail lights and expired registration are legitimate reasons to pull someone over, Ann Arbor! Broken tail lights are a safety issue and expired registration indicates no insurance. How are these not legit for a pullover?

[@charlottemartyr]

When I was 16 I had a car follow me for 20 minutes down a deserted road with no lights in the middle of the night. At that time another student had been stalking and threatening me, and had recently gone as far as to follow me home. Eventually I got so scared I was literally about to be kidnapped, assaulted, or murdered my hands started to shake, and I went maybe half an inch over the outside line. INSTANT LIGHTS AND SIRENS. I was literally crying in the drivers seat. The fact that it was a cop and not my stalker did not put me much at ease, in the position of being a lone underaged girl out at night in the middle of nowhere with a man I knew was armed with a gun. It’s prob worth noting I’m white but my dad was mixed and I had seen him beaten by police at traffic stops before, and that a few months earlier a kid my age was killed in a botched bust for underaged drinking in my hometown. This cop demands to know why I’m crying, calling it suspicious and wanting to unload the whole car and take a dog to it. I explain my situation with my stalker the best I could while literally sobbing. He decides not to search me but tells me his still writing me a ticket for “erratic driving” for going one toe over the line after he followed me for almost half an hour and made me think I was gonna die. No concern about the stalker or the threats or my safety, just basically a “you better be grateful I didn’t make this search worse”. Real “serve and protect” types, rural cops, having to literally terrify little girls to meet their quotas.

[@Solo-Road]

Nobody believes your bullsh!t story. Also, learn to use "literally" less; it makes you sound fake as all hell.

[@ktmd23]

Just what is suspicious about a 16 year old girl crying during a traffic stop, period? Yeah, she'll assume she's in trouble, even if she doesn't know why, and then will get in trouble with her parents, and have to pay an amount of money that to a teenager is A LOT, and at that age she's likely never been pulled over before... But yeah, no other possible reason a teenage girl might cry. She's probably a criminal.

[@colorbugoriginals4457]

That's so messed up, I'm really sorry you went through it. ❤

[@Grey_3438]

That's fucking disgusting what he did, I'm sorry 🫂

[@galacticboy2009]

Could be a true story. He likely wouldn't have been following you in the first place if you hadn't done something suspicious, and 16 year old drivers are known for making dumb mistakes. It's unfortunate you got a ticket, but, there was probably a reason.

[@VellusTerennia]

Major props to the guy playing the cat who jumps up on the desk, the way he just yoinked himself into the air and onto the floor was impressive. I mean it might've been done with like a wire or something, I dunno, but damn.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

When I grew up, we called them “know your place” stops

[@boyblue3270]

That is about right. Cops are evil.

[@MaekarManastorm]

Should change them to know your comments place stops

[@thieupham493]

In a court room with a civil rights lawyer suing the police department.

[@oggatog3698]

We also need an external party review of body cameras everywhere

[@lnss8775]

I was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt in Indiana a few yrs ago. I was less than 500 yards from my house. I was ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt, driving without a license, driving with a suspended license, and driving without insurance. I had fixed my suspension and got my license and insurance less than 3 weeks earlier. I showed all my paperwork to the officer and he said it didn't matter and he was legally obligated to go by what was in the system when he ran my information. Went to court and was found guilty, despite providing the court with proof that I had a valid license, insurance and was no longer suspended. I got so pissed off about being screwed over by the officer and court, that I filed a trial de novo. I went over the Indiana code for motor vehicles and the local laws for 2 weeks. Found out the original traffic court didn't have jurisdiction and went to court with the cited laws. The prosecutor dismissed all charges after he refused to during the traffic court. That experience showed me that traffic court is a racket for local governments and traffic tickets are all about them getting money.

[@asu5632]

Of course. We live in an incredible corrupt country. Traffic tickets are 0% about government caring about our safety. They never catch murderers cause that’s not profitable. How they get that new ford explorer all decked out is via traffic tickets hence that’s all they do. Cops don’t care about safety. 0 shits. They want to make money for new cars.

[@PeterMoss54321]

For police on traffic stops, "what it says on the computer" trumps reality. This is why it irritates me when police officers get upset when someone does not have proof of insurance with them. If the person has proof of insurance (paper copy or on their phone), and the police officer's computer says that the car is not insured, the police officer will accuse them of paying the insurance and then canceling the payment. So if the police officer's license plate reading computer is all knowing, why does the driver have to show the police officer proof of insurance?

[@jamesmass1583]

I don't believe you

[@lnss8775]

@@jamesmass1583 I can email you the case from traffic court and the dismissal from the superior court. I was pulled over in White River Township and tried in Franklin City Court(the court that lacked jurisdiction based on the county laws.) I filed the trial de novo in Johnson County Superior Court. I have an entire file from the state govt cuz I filed a FOIA request. I called a few county offices and the prosecutor and sheriff sent out a mass email labeling me a sovereign citizen cuz I challenged their system and pissed them off

[@flochfitness]

@@PeterMoss54321I believe it’s because police do not have access to insurance information. Registration is taken care of by the local municipalities, whereas insurance is private information. It may not seem like a big deal, but the number of uninsured motorists is staggering where I live, and it endangers everyone around them on the road. Hope this helps!

[@JoshieMadhatt]

John you always delve into things that hardly anyone else is talking about. Or discussing it with more depth and nuance than you'd normally see. May you invoke in us laughter, amusement, disgust, depression and the desire to say informed for many years to come good sir LOL

[@catherinecorrenti742]

Cuz he wants to avoid what's RWALLY going on out there! Can he joke about YOUR world being on fire? Or that zombies are real? Check out the streets of Philly and other democrat cities around the country. Look up, "TRANQ" and how they were actually shovel scraping melted bodies off the hot tar in CA. From Fentynol and the TRANQ drug that's devouring humanity! Monsters are real. And it's THIS ADMINISTRATION that isn't doing a damn thing about it. They don't give ONE CARE for YOU! NOT ONE! Look up "Blood Batteries", too. It's not full grown men they're offering $6.00 a day to, instead of $2.00. WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?? A woman presidential candidate campaigning on abortion by the MILLIONS!! Oh yuh!! Gimme more of that!! It's UNFORGIVABLE this time! The party of chaos and destruction is OVER!! OVER!! Are you ready for the UN and W.H.O to take over our complete health system and laws?? Wel...lol...120 countries jumped in for Global Health care... and this Kamal wants that. Unrecognized gains, inheritance tax, food pricing control... You ready? How's those EV's work in a storm? Reminds me too. .how's Hawaii? Ohio..check in on them? GA, NC, WV, have you checked in? FLA?? GET ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF GOD! Pull your moral compass from the rubble n' ashes. PICK IT UP!

[@kimberlyWard8152]

Heck even as a white woman i feel anxious when driving near a cop. Seems like some of them are looking for any reason to pull you over

[@maliant16]

You probably just suck at driving so you are nervous. I don’t think women are inherently bad drivers, but aren’t expected to be as much as men are. Now I will tell you.. I used to be a really bad driver. I once had to write a twenty thousand word report on how to properly ground guide a vehicle for it being over the lines. Even with all the pressures and expectations of being a man or a soldier and being shamed when not meeting the standards couldn’t make me a good driver. Now twenty years wiser, my driving skills are to a point where I can only really appreciate when I do see another driver as competent as myself on the road.

[@Gideonite]

They literally are

[@stefanolacchin4963]

That anxiety you feel, we all feel, make them feel powerful. You're in their hands. That ego bump is one of the main reasons people love wearing uniforms.

[@GwainSagaFanChannel]

​@@maliant16 sexist remark I swear do you even know what you said sounds offensive

[@CanItAlready]

​@@maliant16 Dude, you don't have to suck at driving to be nervous around cops, knowing that they use any excuse to pull people over, sometimes even making stuff up.

[@johngardner1898]

John Oliver is a national (United States) treasure!

[@kurthill9070]

You're the humbling melancholic voice of truth and reason that USA needs. Cheers John Oliver!

[@higglybiggly1174]

I got pulled over for having my GPS on my dash, ya know, with the suction cup on it. The cop said it looked like my phone and I was watching something.... Then when he saw it wasn't, even though it was rush hour, the douche cop gave me a ticket for speeding, even though I was 100% following the flow of traffic in the left lane. Luckily for me, when I got to the court it there was a lawyer there looking at tickets and reduced mine from speeding to dash obstruction, so it was only $25 and no points. But the fact they can just write tickets for whatever they feel like is criminal. I drive for a living, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. The amount of cops I see blatantly speeding in non emergency situations is wild. State cops especially feel that none of the minor stuff they pull YOU over for applies to them.

[@JoeyDCote]

"Following the flow" just means everyone is speeding, yes? Now, had he pulled you over for speeding, then questioned the GPS being a phone, would you feel different about the situation?

[@admiralbeez8143]

Stay out of the left lane unless you’re passing. There is no reason to be following the flow in the left lane.

[@zachbaker2051]

I can't even express how important shows like this are to my mental health. I constantly feel like I'm losing my mind witnessing these issues and what people say about them, so being able to hear them talked about with actual sanity and common sense reassures me that I'm not in some kind of crappy simulation populated mostly by bots.

[@MaekarManastorm]

Please seek professional help

[@TRAMP-oline]

@@MaekarManastorm the help they need is called voting, and it sadly does very little due to the flaws in our voting system.

[@MissLand-os8md]

100%. I am a 59yo white woman in a small town in IN. I currently have no license because I owe over $600 and have to pay for 2 yrs of high risk (high cost)) insurance. These are not DUi or reckless driving. These are tickets for things like having 1 of my 2 rear license plate lights burned out. I had 2 cops show up at my house at midnight and was arrested on a bench warrant for failing to pay a seat belt violation. I had no bail and was in jail 3 days until I made a court appearance. I am on probation now and lost my job due to this. This is insane. I dont hate police. I hate the mentality I see and the focus on ticket revenue and arresting non-violent crime.

[@MissLand-os8md]

Btw-not relating my problems to diminish what blacks experience. I used to share rides to a night job with a black guy taking mortician classes during the day. He was a great guy and I noticed his reaction one day when he was driving and a cop got behind us. After the cop finally passed us he told me why he was freaking out and what he had been through with the police. I believed him and it was my intro to white privilege. I cant stand those who either think it doesnt exist or is exaggerated.

[@A.Vampir]

John using the feather toy with the "cats" at the end was disturbingly adorable xD

[@Widdekuu91]

I loved the jump that one guy made on and off the table, that was impressive.

[@Lily-cx1vo]

As a white girl blonde girl who can just feign being an airhead or get teary eyed when pulled over for speeding and be sent on her way, I knew this was a problem in the world, but this much of a problem? Like that kid wasn’t just being asked a few questions. He was being literally interrogated and that cop was obviously fishing for him to say something incriminating and not wanting to let the kid go until he heard something to justify his bias. That’s disgusting. That was a fkn child.

[@Dead_Kerbal]

A ''white girl blonde girl'', you say? Are we sure we are just pretending that all airhead'ed thinguie, sweety?

[@bigcactus3996]

Not the world, only in murica

[@jonwoolsey]

@@bigcactus3996 Coming to a "the rest of the world" near you soon.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

It's not. It's a bit of a problem, but the problem itself is exaggerated by the activists that like to ignore the reality that things like broken lights, loose bumpers and the like are legitimate traffic violations for a reason. Those are things that are easily observable by the cops and can impact your safety on the road. That's not to say that abuses don't happen, but there's a reason why the amount of complaining about the police shootings isn't usually white people. There just isn't an activist set out there manufacturing reasons to blame the police even when there is full footage of the shooting from multiple angles showing definitively that the decease left the officers no choice. If people can't tell the difference between Tamir Rice and George Floyd, they really should just shut up and let the adults talk, because Tamir wouldn't have been shot if he wasn't screwing around with what looked like a real firearm, waving it around as he was walking and then lowering it in the direction of the cops. George, quite frankly should not have been killed, I can't think of any basis for that being OK.

[@robinbickel4594]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade BS. You are making excuses for racist cops since they don't stop white folks for any of this.

[@roeuth]

John Oliver’s the type of person you like so much you show up and give him views even if you’re not interested in the topic; also because he says what he really feels about Henry Kissinger.

[@rcranes2227]

I like him because he says what *I* feel about Henry Kissinger.

[@averageday]

ok

[@shushnik]

You're saying you don't care about police behavior that frequently kills people who have done nothing more severe than have an air freshener hanging from their rear view mirror, without consequences to the officers who murder people without legitimate justification? That's a very strange flex.

[@roeuth]

@@shushnik nope, you’re jumping to conclusions. First off I never said this topic wasn’t interesting, I just said there are uninteresting topics on the show. Secondly even if I found it uninteresting, you can’t blame me because all this information is just a barrage of the same old shit. Nothing too add to a the humanitarian depravity stew when it’s already overflowing from the pot; if you follow. I’m willing to have an intelligent slinging of words but if you’re going to come at me with blind accusations; I digress.

[@00shivani]

@@shushniki get why you’re upset but i dont think she meant that she doesn’t care about the injustice, i think she meant it might not be something she was in the mood for watching at the time. I was the same way i was like do i really want to watch a heavy video after a long day, but then i watched it anyway bc i like john Oliver. I dont think anyone who voluntarily watches john Oliver would be oblivious toward something like police brutality.

[@d2mini]

I'm old because not only do I remember that CATS commercial, I always think of it when someone mentions a car accident. 😂

[@AuDHD_Mom]

In our city, they put out a notice that if you get pulled over for a busted taillight or out of date tags, they aren't going to penalize you for being poor. Instead, they have partnerships with local businesses to give coupons for headlight replacements, or you can work out a payment plan with a note from the officer. I think it's going to spread a lot of good will in our community. And it frees up officers to deal with the meth crimes. 😢

[@noahyes]

thats great to hear. for some reason the govt is willing to spend unlimited taxpayer $ on law enforcement and incarceration, but not on helping the unfortunate survive in an increasingly competitive economy. its no secret that impoverished communities commit the most violent crime, and its usually within their own community. if we diverted 50% of the funding we spend on cops and prisons to UBI and mental health care, we would eliminate 90% of the crime in our country. and everyone would be safer and happier. isnt that what govt is supposed to do? serve the people? unfortunately the govt is made of people who are mostly just interested in serving themselves.

[@mason4533]

meth crimes? did you mean major?

[@cyberhopser4231]

In Germany, if you get pulled over for something like a broken tail light, most of the time it's simply to let you know that your tail light is broken (since that's something people rarely notice themselves). You won't get a ticket for it, and sometimes you don't even have to show your licence (unless of course there's another issue on top of that or if you're behaving like a total jerk aka begging for the ticket)

[@thisissparta789789]

Are you talking about a fix-it ticket?

[@AuDHD_Mom]

@@thisissparta789789 nope. They give a sheet of paper that tells the business you are there to get a part you need. It acts like a coupon to get the part cheap, and the business can submit the form to the city for reimbursement on the portion the driver didn't pay. If it's still too expensive for someone, the business can set up a payment plan. As far as I've heard, they've had a lot of success with the program, and the attitude in our city towards the police seems to be getting more respecting.

[@McCrapweasel]

Another stellar episode of Captain Depression and the Cold, Hard Slap of Reality.

[@michaelk.5634]

For a man named John Oliver, you don't seem to eat many Olives.

[@vyvianalcott1681]

It's "Oliver" not "Olivee"

[@Deathsaw]

Rude.

[@ragnhild2674]

Now that you mention it we never see him eat anything.

[@ehaaron]

Do they even have olive trees in England?

[@Streetlight37]

Olives have a pretty horrific taste and texture so I for one totally get it

[@jimringomartin]

Has to be his best show ever. So many dying laughing moments. Why haven't I seen Jon oliver in my KZbin reccomendations? Subscribing again...

[@FlyWithMe_666]

The weirdest part about US traffic stops are those DUI tests. They take forever, make the driver (drunk or not) look like a fool and could be done with a breathalyzer in a minute with more accurate results.

[@tfinnegans_wake6182]

It's to gather evidence to use against the driver, not to exonerate them.

[@unknowngamer37415]

They are not meant to tell if someone's drunk. They're meant to generate probable cause so they can arrest them and seize the vehicle. If you fail a field sobriety, even if you blow zero on breathalyzer, they can still say the driver must be on something else and take them in.

[@NicholasKrentz]

Breathalyzers arent legal to use in every state and that decision is left up to each state's DOJ/AG

[@septegram]

Never, _ever_ consent to field sobriety tests.

[@cameron398]

​@septegram then I will take you jail to figure it out. When you signed for your license you consent to DUI tests. Good luck with your method.

[@Aarzu]

Everything you need to know about traffic stop is this: police are taught to touch your tail light to leave their fingerprints on it for ID in case "something happens to them" during the traffic stop. Police are actively being taught to approach even the most benign situations with the mindset that you might harm them. This NEEDS to stop! I have worked as a pizza delivery driver, which is statistically more dangerous than working as a police officer. Something else that my parents taught me right away when teaching me how to drive is that when a police officer pulls you over and asks that one question "Do you know why I pulled you over?" the answer is "No, officer.", even if you're absolutely certain why they did. Because 1) You might tell them something different than why they actually pulled you over, and 2) They're not going to be lenient on you if you're honest, that's a bullshit lie that the cops tell you so they don't have to actually do the work. There was one incident I was involved in that scared the shit out of me, my brothers, and our friend who was driving. We were out kind of late-ish after seeing a movie. We noticed a cop not just following us, but TAILGATING us! The fucking pig did this for several miles, making every turn that we did, and we knew what was coming. Sure enough, his lights came on and we pulled over. The pig came up to the driver's window, asked for ID and all that and then he recognized our friend's last name and asked him "Are you related to ?" our friend answered "Yes, he's my dad." Without missing a beat, the pig said "Did you know I used to call your dad dirt?" We just stared at the guy wide-eyed. Then he chuckled and said "Because he was allergic to dirt." We heard our friend give a light sigh of relief and laugh a bit, saying "Oh, yeah he told me about that before." He told us why he pulled us over (it was a fucking ridiculous reason and became clear to us that he intentionally tailgated us to make the driver nervous), but he let our friend off with a warning before saying "Tell your Dad that Officer said hi." After that incident I started paying closer attention to how the cops behaved in that town. Every time I thought I had seen some fucked up shit, it got worse. One of the things I learned by observation was that, at the end of the month, the cops there pulled people over for pretty much anything. Many times, people got let off with a warning, but other times they'd give citations or, in the case of another one of my friends, they arrested him FOR FAILING TO SIGNAL A LANE CHANGE!! For the record, me and my brothers are white, my friend who got arrested was white, and the friend who was with us driving in the other incident was hispanic. All of us learned through observation, later confirmed by people who, in some way, worked with the PD, that the cops in that town got so zealous with traffic stops at the end of the month, I kid y'all not, BECAUSE THEY HAD QUOTAS TO MEET!!! They were expected to make X number of arrests, X number of citations, etc. "No one ever wrote a song called 'Fuck the Fire Department'." -Snoop Dogg

[@uberfu]

Back in the day there were ticket quotas that street cops wrote. X number of ticketsw per month means pay increase over time or better benefits or some bonus or whatnot. So towards the end of the monthy more tickets would be written > more traffic stops for stupid shit and so on. We even had speed traps where one cop would scan you then radio ahead to a cluster of cops waiting behind a hill or around a corner. Speed traps went away when our State Gov't signed into law where the cop that scans you is required to cite you - because they were using planes to scan cars from above the highways > radio down toa cop on the ground who would cite you. The argument at the time was that the plane scanning you would be required to land the plane and pull the speeder over and cite them and not relay to another cop. So the planes and concurrent ground level speed traps stopped rather quick.

[@tenacious645]

Idk I got lucky. I was driving recklessly as a kid (doing 130mph on the interstate) and a cop pulled me over. He asked me if I knew why, and I said "yes I do."...he decided to write me a ticket instead of having me arrested for reckless driving. Had I had a different attitude maybe I would have done jail time.

[@pachacutiyupanqui9546]

Im from the netherlands. I am 22, and never have I been stopped by the police, and neither have I seen my parents or anyone else been stopped while I was in the car. My only police interactions were asking a cop in germany for directions and doing a school project for a police station.

[@LonesomeDove-dn8dk]

I'm from the US, am 58 and have never been stopped by the police. My only interactions are to chat with them because rural cops aren't assholes like urban cops. Might have something to do with the quality of people each deals with every day. Out here, people aren't being assholes to cops just because they think that makes them cool and the cops don't treat us like threats because we don't riot when a criminal gets arrested.

[@Widdekuu91]

@@LonesomeDove-dn8dk You are a troll-account, made only a few months ago. Empty and from June (I believe) 2024. Here to stirr shit, I presume?

[@watidatga]

I am dutch too but I got stopped 3 or 4 times for not wearing a seatbelt. Once for speeding. Once for a breathalizer test. Once when I entered the Netherlands from Belgium during the night for a check if there are no illigal immigrants in the car. Got stopped 4 times in Germany for af full check of the things in my car. They don't even need a reason to stop your car other than a full search. That is in 13 years driving. And the once I can remember.

[@contedefees]

@@LonesomeDove-dn8dk wow. I've never been pulled over by an "urban" cop, despite living in small and large cities for most of my driving life. My husband and I have both been pulled over by exclusively suburban and rural cops (and state troopers). Some have been nice enough. But we were absolutely pulled over on a "pretextual" stop (i.e., a fishing expedition) by a rural cop for no reason. Doesn't matter how "nice" the cop was - what he was doing was wrong and intimidating and scary.

[@JennyChu2]

Yes, but have you ever been pulled over for a bicycle violation? Seems more likely in NL ... :)

[@maynardjames2784]

"It's a bad system working exactly as designed." Probably the smartest thing I've ever heard John Oliver say. And if I may add, "Any system of control that utilizes extortion and coercion, is a bad system."

[@futuremiIf]

a few months ago, my partner (a cis white man), got pulled over by cops from another city while he was out of town. they asked him why he thought they were pulling him over and he genuinely didn’t know because he did nothing wrong. he used his turn signals, drove at the speed limit, and had nothing wrong with his car. they proceeded to pull him out, search both him and his vehicle with a k-9 (even though he has never used drugs or weapons and has no convictions for either) and utterly waste his time and terrify him for over an hour. they ended up finding nothing and had no choice but to let him go. shit like that is a waste of everyone’s time, money, and only exists to make people fear the police.

[@godofthunder4242]

God that question is such a trap. "What do you know you've done wrong so we can just write you up?" You don't tell them what they want to hear? Well here's a full search and half your day wasted. Hope you don't have a job with an unsympathetic boss.

[@gilberthamilton9312]

@@godofthunder4242 Officer, I suspect you pulled me over because of my innate animal magnetism. But you must know; I am married to the sea.

[@MarkSmith-wj5bp]

That Cats bit at the end was great. Busting out the spray bottle was hilarious.

[@fromage_collage]

When some says “Back the Blue” I follow it with “Until they do it to you”

[@tenacious645]

That's actually an amazing quip 😂...I don't hate on the police, but your sentiment here is so accurate (in more contexts than just this). People tend to not care about something until it happens to them.

[@maloneaqua]

Sounds just like my white colleague who probably wouldn't have thought twice about reading an article about happened to him if it was someone else. He was not shot, he was not arrested, but he was tackled to the ground at a restaurant because he was believed to be someone else. After sitting in a cop car for the better part of an hour he was sent on his way - but he was humiliated, he expressed the absolute degradation of being treated That way in a public setting and could not believe that he could be made to feel so small, and it was not a violation of his rights in any way and he could spend thousands of dollars trying to find an attorney to take his case, but it would almost certainly be a waste of time

[@joeiloyde576]

Please do another Segment On US, Europe, Israel and Palestine. You guys do a great job researching and explaining the situation and how it is without being biased. People should not take sides and rather look at the truth of the situation. You guys have a strong platform and people appreciate you covering sensitive and important matters that can raise awareness and hopefully directly or indirectly impact more awareness and ultimately help a with a peaceful outcome.

[@pjpleiss]

In the town I grew up in, there was a "glassware and tobacco smoking accessories shop" that the local PD *really* didn't like, so they used the "air freshener" pretext to basically bust every single car that pulled up to shop there. The cop just parked in the next parking lot and sat in his car until people would pull up, then they'd walk over, write them a ticket for and use that as an excuse to search their vehicle for pot. The shop eventually closed because people just refused to shop there. Wasn't worth the harassment.

[@colinmartin9797]

I remember when i was about 9, i was riding my bike, when a local cop "pulled me over" and gave me a "ticket" that was in fact a coupon for a free slice of pizza and soda at a restaurant, because i was wearing my helmet. That kind of positive, educational interaction is so much more effective than the shit we do. It really lasted with me, i have never ridden a bike without a helmet on ever since. Doubly so because i'm an EMT with lots of experience with the consequences of not wearing a helmet, but even as a kid/teen, it worked. And then i had to go through an expensive night.after a tiny town cop in oregon ticketed me for "53 in a 35" when i was accelerating out of a gas starion towards the 55mph sign that was 50 feet away. My check for the ticket got lost in the mail, they sent the documentation that it wasnt paid to an address i had never lived at, and then suspended my license. I didnt know for two years until i got my first EMT job and pulled my driving record, was just 100% unknowingly driving on a susoended license, and fixing it cost me nearly a grand. And i was so furious about the idiocy if that ticket, i probably didn't dip below 80mph the entire rest of the way on the oregon 101 that night. If he just warned me, i would have been just fine with it. Education > punishment for non severe infractions.

[@XLightChanX]

sorry but you were going nearly double the speed limit and you complain that you got a fine and not a 'be careful lad' lol? coung "18 too fast is 'not serious'? sounds like a you problem and not a law problem, the sign begins at a certain point for a reason, if anyone would speed before it, they are in the wrong. 'i only missed the green light by a second' 'i only slowed down 20m too late'

[@Feathertusk]

@@XLightChanXThis is a bad take. Fun fact in a lot of places it is also illegal to drive 15mph below the speed limit. If the speed limit goes from 35 to 55 and you wait until you hit the sign to speed up, now you are illegally slow in a 55 zone. It sounds to me like the city set up a speed trap to purposely ticket people for traffic violations. Also I would note that most driving courses will state to accelerate or decelerate your speed to have it match by the time you reach where the sign is. This can be backed up by other signs like "narrow bridge" meaning slow speed and assess traffic, or "ice present/on road" drive slowly and cautiously for ice as soon as you see the sign, cause ice doesn't give a shit where the sign is placed, or "slow curve ahead" means slow down before the curve, not when you reach the start of the curve where the sign is.

[@TheModeler99]

@@XLightChanX What do you hope to gain from acting dense? Attention?

[@bwofficial1776]

You deserved the ticket because you weren't in the 55 zone yet. The speed limit where your car was was still 35 and you were speeding.

[@JenniferKlumpp]

It was absolutely that Philando Castile was black. My husband worked near the intersection he was murdered for years and never got pulled over ONCE, including when he had broken headlights, expired tabs, etc. During that same time in that same area, Mr. Castile was pulled over dozens of times and then murdered.

[@thieupham493]

The North used to be safe, but the racists ran out of blacks to harass down South so they started moving North.

[@frankfahrenheit9537]

Being pulled over 46 times is a joke. German here , was in 2 general traffic controls (all traffic stopped) in my lifetime ( 30 years driving ) , NEVER getting pulled over.

[@TheRealEvilkitten3]

that guy doesn't SOUND like a serial killer, he is one. he's in the military lmao

[@Pelvacus]

Is this why police never wave back when I'm out walking my dog? Because they're trained to believe I'm a POS criminal... walking his dog.

[@NiazRaki]

No, law enforcement is the evolution of slave patrol and neither you nor your dog are involved in the maintenance of capital. Period.

[@MF-rw3rb]

They assume most people hate them, so when you wave, it throws them off.

[@metaleggman18]

Well surely that psycho in the bird t-shirt would instruct officers that anyone waving at the police is a suspect, since they're clearly trying to appear nice, but anyone not waving at the police is a suspect as well, since they're trying to avoid the suspicion of the police.

[@XeroFailGames]

Walking his pos criminal dog....we all know he stole those treats....

[@piedpiper1172]

@@MF-rw3rbIt’s nice to know they’re right about at least one thing

[@laalaa99stl]

That Street Cop Training dude was an absolute sociopath. I hope he gets stopped by one of the cops he trained one day.

[@dyamonde9555]

why? they'd just high-five him and give him an escort to wherever he was going

[@donny-ni2zd]

1st time I got my ass whooped by a cop, I was 5yrs old. It was a traffic stop. On the way to Manitoba to see my mom's friends, had to pass North Dakota n she went through a speed trap where they hide the speed change behind trees. Pulled over. He slams her against the hood. I jump out trying my best to punch the cops' legs but get thrown to the ground and foot on my throat him screaming "THIS HOW YOU TEACH YOU'RE SON RESPECT!?!" And that's when I 1st learned disgust in U.S. laws...

[@t.h.8475]

That's horrible. I'm so sorry that happened to your mom and you.

[@bethanychatman9531]

​@brettnunn7940 Usually, I would agree. However it's sadly very plausible in this shit f*cking country.

[@andrewmyrick9468]

Do you remember the pigs name? Please share.

[@charleswarden291]

I am so sorry you have to carry this memory. The corrupt 1% doesn't and never has cared who they mow down.

[@josemexicanmexican7602]

Way more than 1%. That's so silly to think it's 1% when is clearly systemic.

[@ericduan19]

I didn't laugh at any of John's Cats joke, but in the end when he used the water sprayer I was dead lol

[@JimmyJojoshabadoo]

My dad is a dark skinned Filipino man who lived in the NW suburbs of Chicago. He got stopped all the time, mainly for "for not waiting enough time" when coming to the stop sign on our street. Once he was ticked because the police car parked near it said he "didn't count ten seconds," but my father said he did. He was a Marine that wore his cover with the Marine Corp emblem, so I like to think that got them to back off on total harassment. Still, between the end of the year to beginning of next year he was ticketed because Elk Grove Police were trying to make "quotas".

[@janellimarie]

He shouldn’t have to wear proof that he served in the military to avoid racial profiling or harassment. 😥

[@JimmyJojoshabadoo]

@janellimarie He just liked wearing his cover, (military hat), but I'm glad at the realization it may have helped him out more than he'll ever know. Interestingly enough, he was more racially profiled at Woodfield Mall, (by mall security) and he was in uniform for Toys for Tots drive!

[@DrewUniverse]

I used to live right near there as a kid. Easy to think of various suburbs as just "chill places to live" until we're adults and we find out all the dark crap going on. I'm sorry this happened to your dad. Also, who waits ten seconds at a stop sign? As far as I know, the general law is about 3 seconds, and 99% of people in my area (STL) do not even come to a complete stop in the first place. Drivers could be safer, but it's a society-wide issue that no single cop can fix even if they acted in good faith.

[@blackbot7113]

Wait...US laws require you to wait for ten seconds at a stop sign?

[@LukeSumIpsePatremTe]

​@@blackbot7113 Exactly my question! Here they look at the tires to make sure you've completely stopped. And that's it. Although even that feels petty tbh.

[@Matt.Thompson.1976]

I have always laughed at people that say the police have to have a 'good reason' to pull you over. Nope, just nope.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

The problem is that in a lot of these cases there is a legitimate reason to be pulling people over. If you've got a brake light out, that can be extremely dangerous, especially in the US where the brake lights are allowed to be shared with the turn signal. So, now you've got only 2 of the 3 required brake lights and the car behind you is playing a game of, turning, hazard lights or braking each time the lights go on, adding to the reaction time. The air freshener thing may seem kind of petty, but depending upon the size, it can obscure the view the driver has of the road and can potentially impact on safety. It wasn't a problem before the courts decided that it was OK to use these as pretext to investigate for bigger things that weren't inferrable from whatever they're using for their basis to conduct the stop in the first place.

[@mylesgray3470]

Depends on a lot of things. Your race, the car you drive, and how aggressive you drive, even within the law. I’ve not been pulled over for at least 15 years and about 200k miles of driving and I’ve been in newer economy cars that whole time.

[@miridroge6043]

Allmost all of the reasons to pull people over that were described here are null and void if you 1. have speeding cameras and/or 2. a manually operated camera with with the officers could document the license plate. No reason to have any interactions, just send the fine to the registered adress. The only reason I could see for cops to still pursue someone in a car is if they literally just fled the scene of an accident or a shooting those officers SAW

[@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr]

good reason? they don't even need "a reason".

[@Matt.Thompson.1976]

@@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr Exactly

[@todddoetken2594]

Isn't it sad that citizens in a "free" nation fear those who are paid to protect and serve them?

[@xshme]

They are paid to protect and serve capital, the rich, not you

[@darinherrick9224]

They are not paid to do that. They are paid to give tickets. It’s a hidden tax.

[@bwofficial1776]

If you don't fear the police, what good are they? It's motivation to obey the law. Look at British police, nobody respects them and their silly hats. If you don't fear the state and it's consequences, why would you obey them?

[@todddoetken2594]

@@bwofficial1776 - This is supposed to be a "free" nation. Deadly cops do not fit.

[@eyeseer1]

Authority is the mask of violence.

[@RosaB999]

I remember that Cats car crash commercial! It used to play during Saturday morning cartoons. 😆