Running from the cops (advise, similar experiences, anything, all welcome)

[OpiXPO]

Put it down your sock. Having a person take off their shoes and socks qualifies as a strip search which can only be done in a jail/prison. Just do it when you get it and not when your about to get stopped or the cop can cite personal safety which allows for an exception to the strip search to a small extent, but enough of an extent to go into your shoes.

[Tainted (OP)]

Put it down your sock. Having a person take off their shoes and socks qualifies as a strip search which can only be done in a jail/prison. Just do it when you get it and not when your about to get stopped or the cop can cite personal safety which allows for an exception to the strip search to a small extent, but enough of an extent to go into your shoes.

What if a cop orders you to take off your shoes and socks on the side of the road? I've been ordered to take my shoes/socks off half a dozen times when I've been pulled over and searched for no reason (invoking my rights has NEVER worked as they always respond with sometyhing like "well i smell pot so im gonna anyways" regardless of the truth.

[OpiXPO]

Well, that depends on a few things. First if you have anything hard in your sock that could get construed as a boot knife or something. The only legal reason they could use for that is if they think there is a weapon there that could get used against them. Second, it'll depend on whether you actually have drugs in your sock or not. If you don't, you can blatently say that your legal counsel advised you that doing that falls under a strip search and is not legal to do. If you DO have drugs in the sock, then its kind of a dice roll. If you assert your right and they refuse, they can then lie on the report and say they got it out of a pocket or something since they know you'll use a fruits of a tree argument. Or you can stay silent and not let the officer know that you know how to beat the charge since they preformed an illegal search, and let your attorney get the charge thrown out.

I have an appointment that I'm heading out to, but I'll post the court cases supporting this when I get back tonight.

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note that this is all moot if you get arrested prior to the discovery of any contraband in your socks, once your arrested your pretty screwed unless your getting arrested for an illegally preformed search such as this.

[Indy]

Haven't been around here for a while but I wanted to respond to this as I have experience with small town cops. They probably aren't going to actually investigate and pursue charges IMO, they might ask to talk to the guy,  and the lady he lives with, and if that doesn't go anywhere that's likely it. Basically they'll be thinking, doesn't matter, he'll slip up sooner or later and we'll ask about it when we have him in cuffs for something else. They're probably right. Don't play the driving without a license game, the house always wins. Then you get tickets you can't pay which turn into suspensions again, and it's a vicious cycle.

I know it isn't that easy especially in rural America. I spent a few years playing that game, I still honestly have bad dreams from how nerve wracking it was to see a cop 100 yards behind you knowing your registration is expired and your license is suspended. Luckily here it's just a ticket, but tickets still get you to jail if you don't pay them!

You can drive carefully and be super vigilant looking for cops but there's always going to be that one time. I literally was out in the middle of nowhere once, nothing but farm fields all around for probably ten miles, it's like, 10pm on a Sunday night. No one else in sight, I come to a train crossing, and there's a train coming, slow as hell, but being the goodie two shoes I tell myself is still alive in here somewhere, I wait for it (no barriers, just lights, like I said, middle of nowhere). Out of nowhere a cop pulls up behind me, this town that I didn't even realize I was in somehow had a town cop at this time on a Sunday. nothing too remarkably about the encounter, couple expensive tickets, and the cops were dicks. most of the time cops were actually cool with me once they realized I wasn't drunk, wasn't going to fight them, etc, but I've always had bad luck with the small town cops.

I don't know how it works exactly but "warrants never expire" isn't exactly true here, if it's for failure to pay a non criminal citation, after five years, it might still be valid in theory but it doesn't show up in records. I take some satisfaction in knowing that I eventually succeeded in not having to pay a couple thousand or so to a couple of those counties. These days I live pretty damn law abidingly but I just don't think $800 is fair for a non-DUI related suspension.

What else... oh yeah, I actually do know a couple people who got away with some stuff by ghosting the cops, not being available for questioning etc. Of course in theory that means they would have gotten away with it anyway, but sort of like I mentioned, they just figure sooner or later you'll get pulled over for something. again, they're usually right, but if you get all your shit legal and be smart, don't take stupid risks, you can prove them wrong and slip through the cracks.