We've received tons of feedback from folks who've successfully used our information during real police encounters. Here are a few of our favorites:

I have had two real life situations that flexyourrights.org has helped me get through, for you nonbelievers.

My first situation was on my way to school. I needed to get on the train and three officers told me to stop for a random search. I calmly said no officer I do not wish to be checked. The three officers made me put my back pack on the table as I nicely repeated I do not want to be searched, I know my rights. He got mad and said to me sarcastically "you think you know your rights get out." I left the train station because I noticed they tried to provoke me to respond in a bad manner.

My second situation happened in June 2008. I was walking down my block and as I got to the curb to cross the street to head to the store, undercover detectives pulled up on me and blocked my path. One of three the detectives didn't identify himself and just started to check my pockets and said what do you have here, I asked him "what did I do wrong officer?" He said it looked like I had a gun on me as I reached the curb. I told the officer I simply was looking for my phone
As I told him this, the other officer asked me if I was a criminal and the third officer took my ID. I just stayed calm didn't get fresh and later they let me go. This situation was very disturbing for me.

For you nonbelievers, if it wasn't for this website I would've been arrested both times because I'm a very bad tempered person. Thanks to Flex Your Rights' advice, I avoided two bad situations. Thank you.

Patrick D.
Brooklyn, NY


My friend and I were driving around and we got lost. He made an illegal U-Turn, which caused us to get pulled over. Luckily I had shown him Busted before this happened. The officer was suspicious from the get go to see two college students driving around in a red sports car. After checking his license and registration he said my friend looked high and asked if we had any drugs in the car. Both having seen "Busted," we knew this was the moment of judgment. I kept quiet and entrusted my friend -- who I knew had seen the film -- do the talking.

The officer asked if he had drugs in the car and my friend said no. Then he said, "Okay can I take a look?" My friend seemed pretty nervous when he told the officer that he could not look around. Once the officer asked again, I think we both knew we were in the clear. For a while it went back and forth as yes, no, yes, no and then he asked him to get out of the car. My friend kept telling him "Look, we're lost. Can you just give us directions?" At one point, the officer came down to the driver's side window and asked me "How many blunts have you smoked today?" to which I replied, "What's a blunt?"

Eventually he told my friend to get back into the car. He went to his car for a moment and then came back and said "Alright I'll give you directions to where you want to go." He didn't even give him a ticket for the U-Turn. Neither of us thought we even had anything in the car, we just wanted to be on our way, we were late, and didn't want cops holding us up.

Matt N.
Brooklyn, NY


I was driving from New York to D.C., and I was pulled over going through Baltimore. The officer asked if I knew why he pulled me over. Having recently seen Busted, I made it a point to say, "I don't know," instead of "speeding." He said he wasn't going to write me a ticket, but wanted to search the car because they "were seeing a lot of drugs going through the area." I told him I was in a hurry and really didn't feel it was necessary. He tried to get all buddy-buddy and make it seem like I should "just help him out." He said his boss really wanted them to be checking cars, so he'd "really appreciate it." At this point, I said I did not wish to consent to a search and asked if I was free to go. He said "yes" and I drove off.

Mason T.
Denver, CO


We had a Know Your Rights training (and showed Busted) for the American Indian Community at the IndianWorks community center. One woman who attended told us that her son and his friends were being harassed by a police officer assigned to his high school. The officer stopped them repeatedly when they hung out after school and constantly demanded to search their bags. Although her son was not at the training, she was eager to show him the information and she went home and ordered Busted off the website.

She called a month later to say that when the officer stopped her son and his friends as they walked home from school and demanded to search their backpacks, her son said, "Officer, am I being detained or am I free to go and I do not consent to a search" all in one sentence. The cop turned red in the face but returned to his squad car, sped off and has not bothered them since. With such great results, the mom has been showing Busted to all of the neighborhood youth.

Michelle G,
Communities United Against Police Brutality
Minneapolis, MN


I often drive rental trucks back and forth across the US. Believe me, these trucks get the attention of various law enforcement agencies. On one occasion, the Kansas State Patrol on I-70 stopped me because the officer thought I might be tired. Of course I was driving perfectly as he followed for a number of miles, as I have discovered they will use any excuse to get you over, even if it is contrived.

After some small talk he got down to the reason for the stop. Using his best authoritative command voice he said, "I am going to have to ask you to open the truck". It was stated as an order, but it was a request. I actually laughed and said in return, "I'm not opening the truck". That got him hot and soon there were two additional cars and dogs. I also asked him about probable cause and if I was free to go.

After a good sniff by the dogs and more harassment by the other officers I was allowed to leave. They never got in the truck despite their efforts. No ticket was issued. The lead officer asked me what I did for a living, probably wondering how I knew my rights. Just before departing I walked to the back of the truck where they were gathered talking, gave a good hard stare and shook the lock on the truck in defiance. It is good to know your rights and exercise them. Knowing your rights make a law enforcement encounter less stressful and turns the tables.

John L
Denver, CO


I have just watched your film (Busted) and viewed your web site. I found both very interesting, informative and useful. I am the Director of the Collin County Law Enforcement Academy located in McKinney, Texas. I have been a police officer for close to 29 years. I have been a police instructor for 22 of those years. Although, I would never call myself an expert, one of the areas of focus for my training has been and still is "Arrest, Search and Seizure". To make a long story short, I was NOT offended in any manner by your film "Busted" and in fact I plan to order a copy of it to have available for our training programs here at the academy. I support your efforts on informing the public of their constructional rights. I also I believe the film can also be used to teach officers the power of the constitution and possibly how to better enforce the law without violating the rights of an individual.

Ron Spears, Director
Collin County Law Enforcement Academy
McKinney, TX


I was sharing a townhouse with a co-worker, who owned the home. One evening I noticed police activity outside, so I went out to see what was going on. I stayed a respectful distance from the event, which appeared to be a traffic stop. While I was watching the events, a cruiser pulled up to my house, and two officers got out and approached the door.

I followed them up to the door, and asked how I could help. They asked if I was the owner of the home, and if I was the owner of the car in the driveway. I wasn't, and told them so. They asked if he was home. I told them that I didn't know, but that I'd check. As
I went inside, the officers began to follow. I stopped and turned, now inside, with them outside. One asked if they could come in. I said, "No, sir." The officer responded with threats of imprisonment for obstructing justice. I was incredulous, and asked to see his warrant. He stated that they just wanted to ask him some questions. I stated again that I would look for him, and began to close the door. The officer said, "Leave the door open." I said, "No, sir." He said, "If you're not hiding anything, why won't you leave the door open?" I replied that I did not consent to any searches of my person or property.

The officer said that they could go get a warrant. I advised them that perhaps they should. In the meantime, I would go see if the owner was home. When I returned and told them that he wasn't home, they asked where he worked, what his phone number was, etc. I stated that they would need to ask him directly for that information, that I was not willing to divulge his private information. They again threatened me with obstruction of justice, and said that they would go to his office and arrest him. I advised them that that would be their best course of action.

End result: They were fishing for a confession from my co-worker about racing. They didn't have enough to get a warrant, and nothing more ever happened. I firmly believe that had I not been aware of my rights, the evening would have gone much differently.

Skip S.
Herndon, VA


I was pulled over in the City of New York one evening. I drove a Chevy Impala with tinted windows. I was pulled over by an unmarked cruiser. They asked for my papers and I took my time looking for them. Then they pulled out a device to check the tint. Of course, it was too dark.

Then they asked whose car it was, so I indicated just like the papers stated, I said the name on the registration. They started their line of questions about speeding. I said the dash lights were low, so I didn't notice. They asked to open the doors and I said no. They insisted that if I don't they will impound the car for impersonating an official because of the way I drive. So I pointed out that the car they have was designed to look like a civilian car. They said don't get smart and get out of the vehicle. So I said fine, but when I got out of the car, I locked the car door, and put the keys in my pocket.

They said if I don't let them search the car, they would impound it. So I stated more firmly, if you plan on writing the summons for the tint or the alleged speeding then do so, and you do not have permission to search my person or my vehicle. They got aggressive and further insisted if I don't they will call the tow truck. So I said that's fine, tow it, and I will file a harassment suit and a personal lawsuit against them and the department. Am I free to go, or I'll call my attorney and wake him up.

That's when they backed down, wrote my name in a book and let me go. Just as I opened the door, one of them asked me if they could ask me another question. I repeated, "Did you say I was free to go?" he said yes, then I said good night got in my car and left.

I was not going to answer any questions after they released me.

Thanks for your web site. I sent it to all my friends and family.

WB of NYC


I had a police encounter a couple of years ago that I want to share with you. I was driving home at three in the morning. I stopped at a stop sign, lit a cigarette, and continued on my way. Moments after, a police officer pulled me over. He told me that he had seen me light a joint and he wanted to search my car. I asked him if I had to, and he repeated his request to search my car.

I was scared and not sure exactly what to do, so I repeated my question to him and got the same reply but with a much sterner inflection. This went on for what felt like forever, until finally I said that I lived around the corner, it was late, and he had seen me light a cigarette which he could see I was holding in my hand.

I asked him if I could please go home. Reluctantly, he said yes, and I went on my way and got home safely. I was absolutely terrified that he had a right to search my car, and admittedly, I didn't know exactly what my rights were. Luckily it worked out.

Mike C.
Washington, D.C.


Two friends and I were recently driving to Annapolis, Maryland when we were pulled over by the local police. This is a frequent inconvenience to which I've been growing accustomed since moving to our nation's capital.

In the past I've had some issues with the police searching my car when pulled over, so my roommate suggested I watch Busted. It has truly made a difference in my understanding of my rights and how to best handle encounters with law enforcement.

As the police lights came on, I quickly instructed my companions to refuse any unwarranted searches of the car or personal property, as demonstrated in the film.

Once pulled over (for improper lane usage!), we were all asked for ID and ordered out of the car individually, and separated. The police asked each of us whether we'd been drinking, if there was anything in the car they should know about, and whether we would mind if they took a look.

In the meantime, another police car arrived. This situation was intimidating, however we all responded that we had not been drinking and that we did not consent to any searches. (In other words, they could NOT "take a look".)

The police were so smug (along the lines of "Uh huh, okay" in response), but it was incredibly fulfilling to see them circling and shining their flashlights through the windows, finding no probable cause to search the car without our consent.

Eventually they gave us our ID's back and sent us on our way with a ticket for not pulling over quickly enough after they started flashing their lights. While the entire situation was frustrating, we all celebrated a little victory for not making it easy on the police to turn us into routine victims of police abuse.

Busted provided us with an invaluable sense of empowerment and basic knowledge of our rights that will enable us to "fight back" in a variety of future situations!

Tara G.
Washington, D.C.


I've refused consent repeatedly; police requested to search my car on two occasions and my house on another. One was in Colorado, one was in Nevada and the other was in Indiana. It worked like a charm ALL three times.

In one instance they did the good cop bad cop routine to get me to consent and I continued to refuse. They even said that they didn't care about pot, that they just wanted to make sure everyone was OK. Eventually they backed down.

In the other, they separated me from the driver who I gave a crash course in refusing consent in the minute or two before the officer got to the vehicle. They pulled the "divide and conquer move" and used a lot of clever sounding questions to trick us into consenting, but when my nervous female friend sheepishly responded by saying, "I don't have anything to hide, but that doesn't mean I am consenting to a search" they gave us a warning and drove off.

In another instance, the cop claimed he was part of a new "Safe Streets initiative" that required him to "take a look" in vehicles for explosives. Then he said, "You don't mind if I take a look, do you?" "I don't consent to any searches" were the last words I said to the officer. His last words were, "OK. Have a good day."

In all three cases I was clearly in violation of a law. In one case I was cited for that and in the other two I was not. In both cases I am positive that only bad things could have come from consenting. I was skeptical about refusing consent until I tried it and it worked EVERY time. And had it not worked on the street, I know I would still be giving my lawyer an excellent leg to stand on in court.

If it weren't for my repeated viewings of Busted, I would have likely not been prepared for those encounters and wound up being intimidated into consenting. It is also likely that I would be rationalizing why consenting was the best option. No one wants to admit, even to one’s self, that they were too weak to refuse.

Did they have a reasonable suspicion? Maybe, but my hunch is that they didn't want to be in the position of defending that suspicion in court when the next couple dozen people will simply consent and they won't have to defend their search.

Believing that the police have or will manufacture probable cause is not a good reason to consent to a search. Not consenting is not only the best strategy from a legal standpoint, but it is also an opportunity to flex the remaining rights we have left and to leave the scene with your dignity intact.

Troy D.
Oakland, CA


Last weekend my friend was stopped by the police for a broken taillight. The officer asked if he had been drinking and he said that he had 2 beers. He passed the field test and he was told that he was free to go. Then the officer said, "Hold on, I want to ask you a couple more questions." He asked if he could search him (his person) and he agreed. The officer did not find anything. Then the officer asked if he had any illegal drugs or weapons in the car, and my friend told him that he did not. The officer asked to search the vehicle and my friend told him, no, because it had already been 45 minutes since he first stopped him. The officer told him that he had the right to let the dog go around the outside of the vehicle. The dog circled the vehicle 3 times. It was after that when the officer let him leave.

This occurred in NE. I tell everyone I know NEVER consent to a search! I tell them that because I found and read your website. I have this website saved in my favorites list on my computer so I can let my friends read it. Because of your website, many people have avoided arrests from illegal searches! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stephanie H.
Nebraska


I drive a psychedelic van in a conservative area of the country, and your web site information has been extremely helpful. I've asserted my rights numerous times and driven away without being searched. One exception was a recent occurrence in Connersville, Indiana. A city policeman pulled me over for having a poorly lit license plate, then detained me while he called in drug sniffing dogs. When I asked him why he called in dogs, he said he didn't have to have a reason. He didn't ask for my consent to have them sniff the outside of my van (is that legal?) [Editor's note: Yes, but the detention was not, so it doesn’t matter], but reported that a dog "alerted" on my driver's side door. While that was happening, I called in the Indiana state police and requested they come there because I felt my rights were being violated. They were extremely helpful. I showed them that the city police officer was giving a hand signal to get the dog to "alert". I asked the State Police officer to write that in his report, and he said he would. After seeing that, he called in the Indiana drug dogs. Their handlers arrived, and after finding out that there wasn't any probable cause to search me, refused to conduct their own search.

The city police proceeded to conduct a search and found nothing (as I knew they wouldn't). At that point, the state police told the city police that anything from there would be considered in court an illegal search, and they apologized and left.

Thanks for your helpful website.

Kevin S.


As young drivers (1988) my friends and I had consented to many, many searches of our cars. Mostly due to the fact that we did not learn about our rights in school and we were afraid of the police.

About 10 years later my friend Phil learned about his rights and related this story to me.

He liked to drive around on the highways here in Jersey for fun and one day on route 78 he was pulled over. While on the way to the window to get Phil's documents, the officer was able to observe a Grateful Dead sticker in the back window. He took Phil's paperwork and said that he pulled him over for speeding. Then he asked Phil to step out of the car. Phil proceeded to get out and quickly shut the door behind him and hit the lock button on his remote. The officer asked him why he shut the door and locked it and Phil replied that it was just habit. The officer then asked to search the car to which Phil replied, "No I do not consent to any searches". The officer then asked him "what if I search your car anyway". At this point Phil armed his car alarm and said, "If you do then I will phone the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering". The officer turned beet red and shoved Phil's papers back at him turned and left in a hurry.

To be honest, after all the times that he and I had given consent, when he stood up for his rights, it really empowered us through his recount of the events that had just happened.

He did remove the Grateful Dead sticker from his back window and noticed that he did not get pulled over very much after that.

Since I stopped dressing like a stereotype (burnout), I do not get pulled over any more so I have not yet had the opportunity to Flex My Rights, but I welcome the day when I might.

Rob
freestateproject.org


Hi there. I thank you for your site -- it has been a GREAT help to my wife -- reinforcing what I have been telling her for YEARS -- and that is NOT to talk to the police. Anyway, I am a heroin addict who has been clean for 3.5 years thanks, in part, to the lifesaving drug known as methadone. A few police officers in Cocoa Florida have taken it upon themselves to hang out in front of the methadone clinic (the same one I attend) to 'fish' for probation violators, those with outstanding warrants or expired tags on their vehicles. I have been hassled on three separate occasions -- each time I was asked to consent to a search of my vehicle (and each time I respectfully refused).

I have, in each instance, been extremely polite and respectful -- did as I was told and asked NO questions -- I am 100% legal now (despite my extensive criminal record) and I honestly feel that these cops have a hard-on for addicts in general -- whether in recovery or not. Bottom line ---- it would be easy to consent to a search perhaps --- they wouldn't find a thing and I would be 'free to go', BUT it is the principle here…

Mark Q.


I live in a two-person dorm room. One night at around 12:30 A.M., I hear a knock at the door. I look in the peephole and it's the "UConn's finest" standing on the other side of the door. I open the door about 8 inches and one of the cops puts his foot in the door. (I had not given him consent to enter.)

He lets me know that it smells "a little strange out here (in the hallway)" and asks me if I had smoked. I say that I haven't. He asks to "come in, have a look around, make sure everything is OK." I ask the officer if he has a search warrant. He responds, "No, but if you have nothing to hide, then there shouldn't be a problem, right?" I tell him that there is no problem, but I would not let him into the room if I don't legally have to. He tells that I'm hiding something. I tell him that I have really embarrassing materials that I don't want others to see. He asks me for my driver's license; I give it to him. He runs my license number over his radio and returns it to me.

The CA ended up documenting the incident, and a report was forwarded to my hall director. A couple of weeks later she had a meeting with me regarding "suspicion of marijuana use" She asked me what the "embarrassing materials" were. I told her it's nothing illegal or against the contract, but I had some stuff that people would consider "sexually deviant" materials. The matter was closed and my name was removed from the campuswide criminal report database, JudicialAction.

Dmitriy T.
Storrs, CT


The morning after a huge party in Washington, DC, I realized my girlfriend had stolen a purse from the party. I tried to convince her to return the purse, but she refused. I finally convinced her to at least let me return purse's contents - a driver's license, student ID, health insurance card, credit cards, photos, and some personal items that had value only to their owner. We didn't know the person, so the only way for us to return the items was to bring them to the local police. I knew that, if my girlfriend wouldn't turn in the purse, then the right thing to do would be to at least turn in the purse's contents. But by turning in the contents, I was also knowingly in possession of stolen property - a crime in itself.

I went to the police station alone, placed the items on the desk, and told the officer at the front desk "I'd like to turn these things in." Predictably, the officer started asking probing questions about to whom the items belonged, when/where/how I had come to possess them, and demanded that I fill out a form explaining it all. Pointing to the driver's license and student ID card, I calmly stated, "You should have no trouble finding out to whom these items belong. I'm simply turning them in. I appreciate that police procedure requires you to find out more information, but I do not want to answer any questions or fill out any forms. Is there anything else, or am I free to go now?" The surprised officer backed off, and responded, "Yes, of course! That's totally fine. Thanks for turning this stuff in."

Joe D.
Rockaway, NJ


Thank you for having such an informational website with good tips for encounters with the police. As a police officer, I am NOT there to harass honest everyday citizens. The information you put out is excellent and if every traffic or police stop went according to your guidance, I would be thrilled. The average citizen needs to know not to be afraid of the police, the crooks always will be. Just wanted to drop a note to say thanks for the educational website.

Pat P.


I am from Kalamazoo Non-Violent Opponents to War and the Be-In-the-KNOW film series. We screened Busted to a group of 65 people and got so much response. It took me an hour to leave because people kept coming up to discuss how they should have known what to say when they got Busted. It was incredible. And now it's my turn.

Just two days ago I had an unfortunate run-in with the police. They were already in my house, to respond to an emergency that my friend was having. Due to the nature of his emergency, they requested a search of my house. Immediately, everything from Busted came rushing back. I think the only things I said (and repeated) were "I do not consent to a search", "Are we free to go to the hospital now?" and "I think I need to contact my lawyer." When I said "lawyer" the cop backed off. But I just couldn't believe how astounded he was that I refused the search. He insisted that it meant I had something to hide over and over. And, too, the use of silence really came in handy. I have never been in a situation like that before, especially with the cops already inside my house. So, thanks for Busted. That truly saved me. It was the only thing I thought of the entire interrogation. Things could have turned out differently otherwise.

Stephanie H.