General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: It was racial profiling. Sandra Bland made that lane change to let the cop who was tailing her pass. [View all]Glassunion
(10,201 posts)Not to butt into the conversation here, however there is some bad information flying around this thread, that I'm afraid may give the wrong ideas over rights to folks.
At a traffic stop, or being stopped on the street, or anywhere for that matter, an officer ordering you (or your passengers) out of a vehicle requires no legal justification. The officer can ask (order) you to step out of the vehicle because they are concerned for your safety, concerned for their safety, or because they are controlling shit-heads who are looking to escalate the situation so they can drum up some probable cause to arrest you. The reason will not be questioned in court.
In PA vs. Mimms, the US Supreme Court ruled that it was not a violation of constitutional protections that an officer may order someone who he has stopped for a traffic violation to get out of the car. Thus, you do not have a choice in the matter since it is a lawful order. If you disobey that order, the officer has probable cause for an arrest that can turn into a disorderly or obstruction type of charges being leveled against you.
So. If you are stopped, and the officer asks or orders you to step out of the vehicle, you must get out of the car. You do not have a right to know why.