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Police stops: Here's what officers say you should and shouldn't do when pulled over

As soon as someone gets pulled over, the first thing is to get to a safe place, roll down the window, and put hands on the steering wheel.

SAN ANTONIO — It is a moment that can get your heart racing. KENS 5 is showing you the do's and don't's on when you're stopped by the cops. There are common mistakes drivers make after being pulled over. KENS 5's Henry Ramos went through a mock pull-over at the San Antonio Police Academy. Annie Salinas-Lauer is an SAPD Officer who is now a tactics instructor.  She kept repeating, during the pull-over, to keep hands on the steering wheel. 

"If you can, just keep your hands on the steering wheel."

Salinas-Lauer said as soon as someone gets pulled over, the first thing is to get to a safe place, roll down the window, and put hands on the steering wheel. Salinas-Lauer said a common mistake from drivers is not putting their hands on the wheel. 

"That's a big one for us," she said. "That is safety. If we can see your hands, we can make sure you aren't reaching for anything in the car that we might not know of."

But before pulling over, many ask where should they stop, especially on a highway.

"I would recommend getting off the highway or going to a low trafficked area even onto a parking lot," the officer said.

She said if you are going to keep driving to get to a safe spot, put on your hazard lights. She also even suggested rolling down all windows to put the officer at ease.

"It is only really necessary to roll down the driver side window, but if they are tinted especially if they're dark tint it would be more helpful," she said.

Salinas-Lauer said officers will ask for your identification, and she said don't get it out until they ask you for it.

"Let the officer know where it is," she said. "And don't reach for it until they say go ahead and reach for it."

"The only thing you are legally required to provide is your name, address and date of birth, and your phone number."

Mike Ritchey is with the Alamo Area Council of Governments or AACOG. He was an officer for several decades. He said the communication from the officer is key.

"You think I am going to get stopped, I am going to get a ticket and be on my way," he said. "If they will communicate with the driver a little bit more it puts both parties more at ease."

He said if the driver wants to record the exchange to let that be known.

"Tell them, hey I am going to grab my phone I want to record this, he said. I don't know of a single officer out there that will tell you can't do that."

Ritchey said he has this final word of advice. 

"Stay calm."

If you are pulled over and feel like you were mistreated by the officer, San Antonio Police suggest contacting the officer's supervisor at their respective substation. You can also file a complaint with internal affairs at 210-207-7365. More information can be found here.

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