Virginia Beach DUI Stops: The Police

After someone has been pulled over during a traffic stop in Virginia Beach, a police officer will approach their vehicle and ask some questions. The basic question will be for your license and registration. He may or may not address whatever it is you were pulled over for. Sometimes he’ll ask if you knew why he pulled you over or he’ll ask why you were driving that fast or things of that nature.

You don’t have to answer anything that’s related to the stop itself. If the officer is asking you if you knew you were speeding, then you’re not required to tell him whether you did know or not. These types of questions are going towards the evidence later on that’s going to be presented against you at trial. Keep that in mind and don’t provide the officer with any evidence that’s later going to be used to convict you. Learn more about interacting with police officers during a DUI stop by speaking to a Virginia Beach DUI lawyer.

After Providing Your License and Regristration

The best thing to say is just straight up to the officer that you don’t want to answer any questions regarding why you were pulled over, but you do wish to remain cooperative with him. You should never exit your vehicle to speak with the officer, unless a Virginia Beach police officer has specifically asked you to step out of your vehicle.

At this point the officer generally will take that information back to his cruiser and will run it through the system. You should stay in your vehicle and expect that the officer will return shortly. The best thing to do is just remain quiet and follow the officer’s lead. You don’t want to prolong the stop any more than it needs to be.

After Receiving a Ticket in Virginia Beach

There’s nothing that will be on the ticket that needs to urgently be looked at at that moment. Anything that may be wrong with it or that you have questions about is really better to address and worry about later. The main priority during the traffic stop at that point is just to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Unmarked Cars or Plain-Clothes Officers

Should you be pulled over by an unmarked vehicle or a plain-clothes police officer, you are allowed to ask the officer to see his badge if you have any concerns about him being a real officer. It’s not uncommon for people to not really know what a real police officer’s badge is supposed to look like. Rather than doing that, a better option is to call the nonemergency police number and ask dispatch if there is an officer that has pulled someone over in that particular spot.

If the officer is legitimate then dispatch will confirm it. If they’re not, then they’ll go ahead and send a real officer immediately.

Mistakes to Avoid During Virginia Beach DUI Traffic Stops

The biggest mistake that people make at a traffic stop is incriminating themselves. Virginia Beach police officers casually will ask if you know how fast you were going and often people will give an answer that admits readily in that moment that they know that they were going faster than the speed limit. Or officers will ask why you were driving that fast and drivers will give an excuse as to why, which is again an admission that not only do they know they were going that fast but they had a reason for breaking the law.

It’s really important to not provide any evidence to the officer that’s later going to be used against you. Call and schedule a consultation with a DUI lawyer in Virginia Beach to discuss your particular case.