Stopped by the German police: here's what you need to know
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- Being stopped by police in a foreign country can be nerve-wracking: you don't know what the police can and can't do, or what your rights are. So here are a few tips for anyone visiting Germany, just in case.
Chapters:
00:00 I am not a lawyer!
00:32 How good are the German police?
01:51 General traffic check
02:49 Should you refuse a breath test?
03:25 Should you give a urine sample?
04:03 Other random stops
05:34 Must you answer their questions?
06:42 Watch what you say
Music:
"Style Funk" and "Hot Swing"
by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com/
Creative Commons Attribution licence
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One more thing. In Germany it is actually illegal to insult someone. And while most people won't call the police if you call them an idiot, if you say it to a police officer, they are most of the time more than happy to fill out the paperwork and get you fined.
Since they'll have to do paperwork documenting their interaction with you anyway, the barrier for them is really low...
@@ohauss Plus it helps them to backup the stories of "lack of respect" that police unions have been pushing for years.
And quite rightly so. Why would you insult a policeofficer doing his or her work?
@@TomRuthemann I'm not saying you should, just making people aware that it's illegal over here. It isn't in all countries.
@@TomRuthemann Police officers can act quite stupidly as well, so there's no shortage of instances where you can insult them.
The only time in my life I had an encounter with police was during the late seventies. Missed the last train and walked home in a not very populated area. They stopped at the roadside and asked me what I am doing all alone in this area late at night. Told them that I missed the train and that it was just a 15 minutes walk and they gave me a ride home! Seriously nice guys.
Yep if you're white you're save.
That happened to me as a tourist in Ireland. Walked with my friend in the late evening back from the pup to the farm were we stayed when a police car stopped by our side. The police officer told us that it's very dangerous to walk at night alongside the country road and gave us a ride back to our accommodation.
I mean, yeah, you are not a man.
@@FlokiLikeLoki*you're
@@desperateswabianhousewife8317would have probably also happened if she was a man
The best story of being stopped by the German police happened to a friend of mine many years ago. He was 17 at that time, riding his bicycle on his way back home from a party. It was late at night an he was just coming out of a forest on a small path with no other traffic around. The last thing he had expected in that moment was a police patrol and so he was very surprised when two officers stopped him.
He didn't behave suspicious, but the fact that he was riding his bicycle without any lights on and free-handed might have been the reason they stopped him and the obvious smell of alcohol might have led them to the assumption that he was not very fit to ride.
So when asked "did you drink alcohol recently" he didn't even deny and when they told him it was not save to ride hands-free through the dark forest without the lights on, he answered "but you always tell people to keep their hand off the wheel when drunk!" The officers burst out laughing and after checking his ID and noticing that he had only a few hundred meters left to go home they let him go without any consequences. He only had to promise to push the bicycle the rest of the way and of course not to ride when drunk in the future.
Sometimes it can be that easy.
What should be noted though, is that the officers let him off. Riding a bike intoxicated is a criminal offence equivalent to driving a car intoxicated (in America known as DUI). The officers could have taken him into custody and file a criminal report. He probably wasn't totally drunk and the remaining distance not too far, that the officer didn't want to go through that paperwork. Perhaps he also didn't want to ruin his young adult life with a criminal charge.
I had a similiar experience, although I was not driving on the road but on a bike only path some meters next to the road... so I told them I was no danger to anyone here. however they did see me cross the road some hundred meters before stopping me. So their solution was to let me release the air from my wheels and push the bike home, which I accepted.. (was not too far away from home either. I am very aware, that this was possible, because I stayed friendly and respectful all the time, and so did they. So my experiences with German police was, that if there is only minor stuff, if you stay friendly, they will very likely let you off the hook.
@@DerTolleIgel Du musstest die Luft aus deinen Reifen rauslassen? Wtf ahaha
Was wäre denn die Alternative dazu gewesen, falls es eine gab?
@@tyrannus00 naja, alternativ hätte ich natürlich auch Strafe zahlen können für fahren ohne Licht, pusten, Bluttest.. der ganze Spaß. War für alle so am einfachsten
@@LS-Moto Yeah, but because we are not absolute maniacs here in Germany and we are all human some things can be hand waved
Real interaction reported in a newspaper: Police observe a t-junction notorious for people not stopping to watch for cross traffic. Asking one lady if she knows why they stopped her, she replies "Oh, I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have used my mobile while driving..." And that's how she got fined for two traffic offenses instead of one...
My dad regularly gets stopped in his car. He goes fishing on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, at the time he gets on his way the last partygoers from the night before are on their way home, and they are often not sober.
Police have a routine control point on the main roads out of the city. He just rolls down his window, says good morning, tells them where he‘s coming from and that he is going fishing and has not been drinking, all before they get a word out. „How do you know what I was going to ask?“ „You‘re here every Sunday morning, aren’t you?“
They usually wish him good luck and that’s it.
i'd make one exception to the "don't tell them anything they didn't ask for" and that is when they do search you and you have any medical equipment with you (i for instance am a diabetic and at times i had ADHD medication with me) it is better to tell them ahead of time instead of having to explain when they find it. typically that makes them friendlier too in my experience (probably makes them think i'm just a poor sod and don't want to be mean to me)
Well, this is only a good idea as far as if everything you do possess you do so legally. If you have any drugs on you and you tell them you can know for sure how your evening is going to play out
I approached a police officer in Essen and said "Excuse me, may I ask you a question?" She answered my question and then asked me why I asked her permission. I explained that where I came from (USA), police are not known for being open and polite. My only other direct contact (outside of border control and customs) with German police during 8 years living here was during my first month of driving in Germany. I was stopped by a cop walking his beat. After determining my nationality and listening to my lame excuse for not wearing my seat belt, the officer explained the rules, handed me a ticket and said "welcome to Germany."
Heavy rescue team member here, I hope you learnt to use your seatbelt.
Cutting out messed up corpses from wrecks isn't really my favourite, especially when its easily preventable with a seatbelt.
@@Gigagurke1Cause it's easier to cut out not messed up corpses, right?
I was always confused, so maybe you could explain it to me, but why does it seem to be such a common occurance in the US that a lot of people dont like to wear their seatbelt? Like, i get that it can be a bit uncomfortable when you have to do rapid manuveurs, but to me it always seemed obvious that a bit of uncomfortable pressure on the chest is a lot more pleasant and worthwhile than my head in my windshield. I was genuinely confused when i came to the US and i saw so many people drive without their seatbelt on. Are there maybe other reasons i'm not thinking off?
Yes, these stupid policemen know every excuse. I try again and again, but it just never works. 😄
@@maximilian5817 psychologically, it is definetly easier to cut out not messed up corpses.
You missed one very important point: It is ok to initiate contact with the police. You can ask them for directions or other advice without having to fear them retaliating for being bothered.
Also, I'd suggest engaging in smalltalk when you are the subject of the interaction. For one, it has a chance to put the officer in a good mood, but it also shows that you are relaxed and not antagonistic. Last but not least, allows you to steer the conversation, reducing the number of questions the officer can think of.
I wouldn't do that. There is no Teilschweigen in German law. Be nice but dont chat about anything else. That's how they get you.
That is dangerous advice. You really need to be proficient in German, if you want to hold smalltalk with the police. And even then, be really careful with that.
@@LS-Moto Ich berufe mich auf den Fünften!
@@michaelz.7140 ???
@@LS-Moto Die fünfte Verfassungserweiterung der USA beinhaltet das Recht zu Schweigen.
The "Did you know why we stopped you?" advice is doubly important, because even if you know what you did wrong, you might get into more trouble just by admitting it. There is something called "Vorsatz" (intent), which can give them grounds to DOUBLE the fine. Stopped because of excessive speed? If you say "I know, I was a little too fast" -> you know it was wrong, but you did it anyway (as opposed to missing a sign, or not checking the speedometer at that moment) -> twice the fine.
I said to the police that I done to drive illegal here and he only warned. He didnt expect that I admit my guild instantly. Safed my 55€
@@DerFoerderator Yes, what Falko wrote is true, but its rather rare. What is not so rare is that police will reward being insightful and showing that you won't do it in the future.
There's no such thing as twice the fine. The fine is set by the Bußgeldkatalog. For traffic violations the police determines if you violated the rules, if so, they fine you accordingly. It's not to their discretion to vary the fine, they are no judges that determine your guilt and therefore your punishment. If you agree with the fine, then all is set and done. If not, you need to go to court eventually and there new evidence can lessen or raise the punishment.
@@fremejoker I envy the confidence it must take to come in here 3 months later and make statements like that without reading the Bußgeldkatalog or at least ... you know ... a quick google search:
Bußgeldkatalog-Verordnung (BKatV) - § 3 Bußgeldregelsätze
(4a) Wird ein Tatbestand des Abschnitts I des Bußgeldkatalogs vorsätzlich verwirklicht, für den ein Regelsatz von mehr als 55 Euro vorgesehen ist, so ist der dort genannte Regelsatz zu verdoppeln, auch in den Fällen, in denen eine Erhöhung nach den Absätzen 2, 3 oder 4 vorgenommen worden ist. Der ermittelte Betrag wird auf den nächsten vollen Euro-Betrag abgerundet.
@@fremejoker Actually there is (§3 Abs. 4a BKatV). Although this law is not used very often, it can still become a problem if you talk too much. While there may be a few situations where it might be beneficial to admit something, it's generally better to be reserved and say little (but still remain polite) if you don't
know exactly what you're doing.
Once I walked through the underground floor of the Stachus S-Bahn station in Munich when I was stopped by two pubescent police officers. They asked me "Shouldn't you be at school right now?". They were a little embarrassed when they found out I was 30.
Plot twist: they were also 30.
Never make a joke to customs officers if you get stopped and asked if you have something to declare. On my way to work, I crossed the free harbour in Hamburg by bike. On the exit, there was a gate for cars, which was closed at night and weekends and left a gap for cyclists and pedestrians to cross anytime. Having cycled there for like 10 years, it was so absurd to me that this night that border crossing was manned and I got answered if I have anything to declare, I could not resist to answer "yes. I have a palette of coffee in my bag". Customs officer absolute did not find that funny.
I declare ... bankruptcy!!! (Michael Scott, The Office)
In a similar situation stopped on my motorcycle I once said "I'm smuggling motorcycles"... In that situation too they did not appreciate my referencing Al Nasreddin (basically the Arabic version of Till Eulenspiegel)
It is alright to make jokes I guess. But not answering questions sarcastically. Because then you made a statement that can be interpreted both way. Imagine everybody says: "Yes, I carry drugs.", sarcastically. Now, all the drug couriers could claim they admitted their crime right away.
Is legal to record interactions with German Zoll?
as a german i've not once been stopped by the police or even talked to any officer directly, closest i ever got was when one came to our class to tell us that drugs are bad and another time during bycicle class where they just rode with us
I recently was stopped by a nightly patrol who told me they had been called because an elderly gentleman in a blue jacket who looked disoriented was randomly ringing doorbells - it was past 11PM. While I was wearing a blue raincoat and with 50 years am not quite that fresh anymore, they were quickly convinced I was neither disoriented nor the type to ring random bells, but just a guy who wanted to finish his 10 000 steps for the day before the clock struck midnight....They asked me if I had seen someone matching the description, but I hadn't - hadn't paid much attention to my surroundings, either, though.
U dont have a car then
@@alanwhite7127 yeah, never needed one
@@alanwhite7127and that is more than okay, when the monthly card to use public cost only 49€ or bugs. What you can safe from an car is extreme. With an car I would pay more than 250€ for shure and for shure more. So 200€ or more for other stuff what I need or want.
@@alanwhite7127 I do have a car and still have never been randomly stopped by Police in my life. But I also know, that it is a very different experience for people of color. They do get stopped all the time.
I was on my way to school. With the car of the grandfather of my brother-in-law. It was a car with a Dutch licence plate. One day, I did end up in a Verkehrskontrolle. They did ask me for my drivers licence and Zulassungsschein. I was scared getting a fine because there wasn't one that could be given to the police. So I gave them every Dutch document that were in the car and told them I borrowed this car from my brother-in-law's grandfather. The police officers were very confused and didn't know what to do with the Dutch documents since they cant understand Dutch. Eventually, they said it's all good, they checked the licence plate online to see if it was stolen and they let me go. The car obviosuly wasn't registered as stolen.
In my experience, being friendly mostly does the trick. I notice that uniforms are increasingly surprised when you nod a friendly greeting to the officers on the beat or smile when stopped in a traffic check. 😊 And, obviously, don‘t drink and drive. Helps a lot.
Correct. And don't use drugs or traffic with them.
As a driver of a vehicle you may come in contact with the police once in a while but that will be very professionally managed situations from their side. Otherwise, with a litte common sense...it is very unlikely to get into any type of trouble. The opposite is true, if any trouble occurs, address to a police or other official if possible and ask for assistance.
Hah, I just left a comment saying the same thing. I make it a point to greet and smile at police officers because you can clearly see it makes their day because they have to deal with so much verbal (and other) abuse everyday.
I was once stopped by the police here in Bavaria as I was riding my bike without a rear light because the battery was empty and when they stepped out of their vehicle one officer said he smells weed and then they searched me and a friend of mine who was with me at that time. Of course they found nothing, because I was quite young back then and didn't even know how weed smells. All in all it was an interesting experience
Sounds very Bavarian.
Welcome to Bavaria.
In Lower Saxony they don’t even bother when it come to weed.
There are also oils that smell similar to weed, at least if the policemen had little idea. One oil, for example, comes from Ballistol. Maybe the parts on your bike were lubricated with it.
Is weed smell lawful grounds for a search in Germany? Many legal cannabis products such as cbd smell of weed.
I’m Canadian but go to visit my Grandpa in Germany on occasion.. Have been approached by Polizei (mostly at train stations) several times and by the time they see Canada on the front of my passport they’re on their way telling me to have a good trip. Never a bad experience at all.
i ran a red light in Freiburg many years ago and got ' blitzed' (phot radar) . i had to go to the police station to sort it out . they showed me the photo and asked " is that you ?" and i retorted with " unfortunately is is " the entire room of about ten police burst out laughing .
he then said , "ok i'm going to give you the minimum fine and a warning , but don't get another blitz or i'll give you the maximum"
One small addition for completeness sake. Although there is no *general* requirement to carry an ID document with you, this requirement does exist under the "verschärfte Ausweispflicht" regulations for those engaged in certain occupations while at work where illegal working is often a problem: construction, catering etc
Also you do need to OWN an ID document. But you don't have to have it on you at all times though it tends to save you bureaucratic trouble.
@@justarandomgothamite5466 actually possess. Owner is the Bundesdruckerei.
@@My1xT why ia this country like this
@@justarandomgothamite5466 I think the idea is that similar to how the passport belongs to Germany rather than you specifically is that places cannot just seize your id permanently, which is kinda important especially abroad. and both consulatory offices of Germany abroad as well as the appropriate offices in Germany can force handing it back, if ppl try to use the id card as a "deposit"
my brother is land surveyor and he gets controlled regularly, especially when they work on sensible objects like once the street that led to the house of the back then CEO of Mercedes - they checked them twice a day for a whole week
"Wir können das Gespräch gerne auf dem Revier fortsetzen."
"Ich widerspreche dem, werde aber keinen Widerstand leisten."
As an American I was stopped and frisked by police in Berlin while out for a walk in Kreuzberg along the Landwehrkanal and it terrified me… Turned out it was a case of mistaken identity because they were looking for a suspect in a red t-shirt (I was wearing a red t-shirt) and they let me go
Plot twist: Tom Scott on the lose.
@@Stadtpark90 That's precisely what jumped to my mind...
I saw a paperback book once about what to do during, or after, traffic stops such as for speeding. The #1 rule was, "The officer is not your special friend." This has sub-topics like "No information they didn't ask for" and "Why did I pull you over? NO IDEA."
I find this sentiment strange. I've only been stopped by police twice, once in a random traffic check, the other time because I was talking on my phone without a handsfree device. When the officer in the second stop asked me why if I knew why he pulled me over, the answer was "yes of course". That answer immediately reduced the fine from 50€ to 20€. If you know that they know exactly what you did, why would you make it more complicated? They aren't out there to fine people, they are there to enforce laws. If you play stupid, they play by the book.
@@kain0m because you get that reduction most of the time even if you don't know why you've been pulled over, but if you know why they pulled you over that is good evidence for you breaking the law on purpose and "Vorsatz" can be quite expensive.
@@kain0m You don't have to play stupid. You maybe know what you did, but that doesn't mean, you knew why they stopped you. So, first answer always "no, I don't know why you stopped me." After they told you, it's your call, if you just admit to that, or still deny.
It's not super common, but sometimes criminals pose as policemen in order to con people, especially tourists, so it's very helpful to know what the police may and may not demand from you.
In Germany? I only heard of that in the context of fraudulent phone calls and very rarely criminals targeting senile people in their homes.
This "policeman con game" occurs with *fake subway inspectors* in the comedy/drama film, A COFFEE IN BERLIN (2012; German title OH BOY.)
By the way, this Tom Schilling movie is one of my favorite films, and has a really great soundtrack as well. It tracks one person over one increasingly crazy day and night, until dawn, a bit like the 1985 US film "AFTER HOURS".
@@brucequinnplayground2114 added both films to my watchlist, thanks.
Are you talking about Brazil or Germany?
@@gehacktetYKzZY He might have been referring to a possible event, anywhere (criminal poses as policeman).
The "fun" thing on "allgemeine Verkehrskontrolle" is:
As soon as they question for the high-vis vest, first-aid kit, etc. you give them the opportunity to take a look at your trunk. cause thats the place where those things normally are placed.
My car has enough room under the front seats, so i placed all that stuff there :)
a popular gag among comedians is to state that they have put a tick mark on the driver's door window to only open it wide enough to allow the required items to be passed out.
But anyway, then the police will say that they allegedly smelled hashish and will search your car
As long as the objects are secure and not liable to fly around in an accident, it's also much smarter to store them where you can quickly reach them. The amount of people I've seen digging through their entire holiday luggage just to find their warning triangle when they had a flat tire or something. You really don't want to be stuck deep in your trunk in the middle of a busy motorway.
@@NamelessBody i totally agree. I have high-vis vests for all passengers in reach of every passenger in the car. In addtition to the triangle i use a LED beacon (Osram LEDguardian) stored in the glove box.
The only thing where i really have to unload the trunk is when i have to change a damaged tire.. (yeah i have a spare tire in my trunk!!! .. rare thing today i know ;) ).
@@NamelessBody I agree. My last car had some mounting brackets under the front seats. But now my car does not offer any place in the passenger compartment to safely store these items.
What is the issue with someone looking into your trunk? Mine is most of the time empty except for the stuff which is supposed to be there and a few additional things for emergency situations.
A few years ago in Germany I was so drunk that I decided to walk off in an unknown city. My friends called the police and they came, found me and dropped me off at the bus station where I started my walk. My friends were kinda pissed and the 2 officers were laughing, wished us a good night and off they went 😂
0:45 - As an American I would like to know which country you didn't mention. After-all, we're pretty much "trained" how to interact with police when pulled over or reaching for ID so you don't get a bullet in the brain [Put your hands on the wheel where they can see it and no sudden movements]. I might as well use that training elsewhere. Wait, there aren't really other countries? Hey... wait a minute you mean us.
Falkland islands
Other countries might include places in South America or Balkans maybe, where the police are faced with huge amounts of crime while themselves levying a "convenience tax" when they stop you
As long as you are white the chances of being stopped "randomly" by the german police is near zero.
Its really sad that you have to be trained for stuff like that...
In the US, I think these kinds of interactions go down very differently if you’re aren’t white. Even if you follow these “rules”, it doesn’t guarantee the police don’t act like bullies or worse.
I was once stopped by the police for driving down a road known to be a secret path for drunk drivers. I was about to ask for statistics, but left it at that. Since I was not otherwise conspicuous, I was able to show my driver's license.
PS: The most annoying thing was that the police drove almost 5 km behind me and stopped me only shortly before my front door.
Drunk drivers can remember secret paths?
How are those secret paths being communicated from one drunk driver to another?
Is there a private Discord server of drunk drivers where they share all their secret paths?
And who ratted the secret path out to the police? Did some driver got too drunk or too sober?
@@lonestarr1490 The "locals" know about those back roads. North Germans call them "Kömwege" or "Schnapsstraßen"- booze-roads. It is mostly those agricultural backroads that serve the farmers to get to their fields and other minor roads that are banned for heavy trucks because of their limited width or thinner tarmac but are nevertheless open for the most monstrous machinery that farmers use. We live in the country and take two of them as shortcuts when we go the supermarket and shops in a bigger village some 6 miles away from us. It is the party-goers and clubbers that at least think that the police will not wait there for them at Saturday nights when they execute their "allgemeine Verkehrskontrolle"- general road checks. And the fact is that those narrow roads do not have empty spaces like parking areas where the police can direct you when they check motorists for the required safety equipment (warning triangle, warning vests, antiseptic gloves, first aid box), serious, obvious misfunctions of your vehicle, load of vans and trucks and might do alcohol and drug tests. Fact is that the papers are full of reports about "Disco Unfälle" on Mondays. It is mostly young, inexperienced drivers that want to show off, ending their journey home after a night in the clubs at some tree or in the oncoming traffic, killing all their friends in their car and other people. Then you will read things like "for some unnown reason the driver, 22 years of age, lost control over his car in a curve... police investigation is under way". A close friend of mine is a parson in a small town. He is the one that has his pager going off at night when the fire-fighters are alarmed and then sees to people in distress. And he is the one who comes along with the police when it is about bringing bad news to families.
@@christiankastorf4836 in our area we call these roads "Promilleweg"
As far as I know, every road is one of those at night. They will stop everyone if they like and tell that bit about "typically only drunk drivers are out at night!" or "this street is known for drunks at night" ... yea sure, buddy. Whatever.
Another thing is "you were driving the limit, nobody drives the limit, that's supicious, like you don't want to get noticed by us!"
... yeah... right... like I didn't see you pull out from the side behind me, with your shining stickers and lights and stuff... like I wouldn't drive the limit with cops right behind me, sure.
Practically the bit about them having to have a probable cause to stop you is bs. They can and will stop you if they want, they always have some excuse at hand. Might even shine a light in your eyes than say you might be on drugs because your pupils are small. Or they smell weed. Or it's supicious to walk around at night. Or to exist at all.
@@Max-ox5jd What are you talking about? I was stopped by police three times in my life ( have had my license since 1976 by the way): Two times for speeding and once because they had noticed me driving insecure. They did not want me to do a breathalizer test but asked if I knew why they had had switched on that "follow me" sign? I openly said that I was very sleepy after a long day. How far would it be home, they asked me and as it was only some more ten minutes they let me go, but I should be careful.
Thank you very much for this clear explanation. Even as a native German I didn't know these details 👍🙂
As a German, I can confirm that these guys are no cowboys, these guys are professionals. And they are normal human beings in that Uniform. Human beings, who just want to do their job and then get home safely to their families. They don’t walk around looking for random citizens to mess with, so as long as you don’t do anything wrong, they won’t bother you. But don’t mistake their politeness for weakness; if you start to insult or even attack them, they will switch from your friend and helper to the state power arresting you. They’re friendly to you, don’t be rude in return, then everything should be fine.
You can find bad apples in every profession. There are police officers they use their power to harassing people - often minorities.
Thank you, Andrew! The "reasonable grounds" provision is a bit tricky in pratice because it's a legal definition. The police officer will have to be able to defend their decision in court (if it comes to that) and they are trained to do that, so they know what to say and ask. The ordinary person however doesn't know that.
Therefore the general rules of interaction given here are excactly right. Keep calm and polite, do not lie and follow their orders (you may deny their requests).
Also, the police are not out to get YOU for the most part - they're after drunk drivers and wanted criminals.
So 35 or so years ago I was working installing technical equipment in Germany and our US company went bankrupt. Well besides my German coworkers thinking my life had ended, we had the problem that our car was repossessed by a moving company that was owed money by our former company. My technician was told by the police what had happened and that he would have to fill out a stolen car report as a formality. One of the questions on the form was, "What is your annual income?" This got his back up. I asked the officers if I could explain to him the situation. They assented.
"Ok. First thing, you aren't in the US. The rules are different. This is a standard form used for lots of purposes. If there is to be a penalty - and there certainly won't be in this case - they want the fine to be appropriate. You certainly don't want the poor person to get the same fine as the rich person now do you." He was satisfied. We didn't have to put the car in long term storage at Frankfurt Flughafen, and we went to Paris for a few weeks and then used our open airline tickets to fly home. Could have been worse.
Very well said! Thank you.
My best friend is becoming a police officer in Germany and he told me when you refuse to take a breathalizer test when stopped and only if they have a reason for example,slurred speech or smell of alcohol coming from your breath then you will get taken to the police station to do a blood test for alcohol and if it comes out to be true then you pay around 200€ (around $210 for the test). Keep this in mind,fellow citizens!
Officers tend to be very professional and polite in Germany, and they'll get in huge trouble if someone (justifiably) complains about their conduct. The only things to keep in mind are:
- Don't fall for their open-ended questions: 'Know why we stopped you?' 'Ever had something to do with the police?' 'Been drinking lately?'
- Be polite: they might decide to have a closer look if you're particularly obstinate. This is something Americans sometimes experience because they're used to being extremely guarded with the police. If you shove a camera in their face, say you're a 'free citizen', that 'you have rights' or some such idiocy, you might just find yourself in custody at the police station - legally.
- One exception to rule 1: a common question by police officers is this: 'Where are you coming from?' It is typically asked during the late evenings of a weekend when they try to look for intoxicated drivers. If you just came back from some late shopping (say, 10 p.m.), tell them so. They're extremely likely to just let you be on your way.
Welcome back Mr Boss.
i remember 2 encounters with the police - 1) i was driving with my bike while wearing big headphones, a police men pulled me over just to tell me in friendly manner, that it could be dangerous for me listening to too loud music while driving and that was it. and 2) at supermarket 2 officers approached me asking me if it was the firs time on this day that i was there, i said yes and asked why ... turns out that someone wearing almost the same clothes like me stole something one hours go ... i was like, well no that wasnt me, its the first time in week that i am here... then they let me go ... btw this encounter was very friendly and nice too.
The first time I ever got checked by the police was around midnight while I was walking on the sidewalk, having a police car pull up next to me.
The officer asked me what I was doing carrying around a torch (you know, the actual flaming one, not a flashlight). I explained to him that I had taken my last Abi test that day and knew I had passed the entire thing. I had been reminiscing about my time in school and made a torch like we had done years ago in elementary school (I did that every couple of years since then), planning to go on a walk in the park lit only by my torch. It had rained that day, so there wouldn't be any risk of setting things on fire by accident.
When asked for it I handed him a form of identification. He rolled up the window and talked on the radio a bit, rolled the window back down, said he didn't want to take up any more of my time (or my torch's) and he would have an interesting story to tell his colleagues. I bade him farewell, too, and we parted ways. I may have also quipped that they didn't need to worry, since I wouldn't be so stupid as to set something on fire when I would be the very first suspect.
It was a very pleasant experience. Pretty sure he checked my record to see if I was a known pyromaniac or something.
And if you did anything that might be illegal, don't talk to them at all. NEVER! They are not "your friend and helper". They will try everything to get you. In question let the court system handle it, not police.
I often pass an area at night which has several night clubs in it so it happens every now and then that I get stopped there. As I do not drink any alcohol at all I don't have anything to worry about, however there are a few things that help to keep the traffic stop extremely short.
Switch on the interior light and shut down engine.
Know the time: Is it "Good Morning - or - Good Evening."
My standard answer to "Where are you going - Where are you coming from?" "Home - Late Business Meeting."
Four out of five times I don't even have to produce my drivers license / registration.
And for the funny anecdote: When I was at university my flatmates and I went to a party at the other side of the city. The one of us who owned a car asked me if I'd be the driver for the night. As I had never driven that car before I only switched the the lights on half way to the sidelights and as I normally took the bus, I took the bus lane at one intersection where I did not know how to go any other way. That was when the police that had been following me turned on the lights. After explaining that I volunteered to drive, as all the others were drunk, and explaining that I only ever take the bus and didn't know the other way - and he had looked at my rural small town drivers license, he just asked me to completely turn on the lights and sent us on our way.
Mal in German: Ich, 1972, Student in Freiburg - die erste Hoch-Zeit der RAF ("Bader-Meinhof"). Ich abends, gegen elf, den Bus verpasst, per pedes die 6,7 Kilometer nach Hause (inden Weinbergen bei Wolfenweiler), Juni 1972. Plötzlich bremst ein Auto scharf neben mir (Zivilauto!), drei Männer (Zivil !) springen raus, bauen sich auf um mich herum. Ich dachte erst: Die rauben dich aus, oder gar die machen dich platt. "Ihr Ausweis!!" Ich war ja gerade knapp 21, aber nicht ganz blöde, sagte dann: "Zeigen Sie mir erstmal Ihren Ausweis." Leicht gequältes Gesicht, aber - immerhin! - er zückte seinen Ausweis, den ich mir genau anschaute. Dann ich: "OK, dann kann ich Ihnen ja meinen zeigen. Greife in die Innentasche meiner Jacke - und auf einen Schlag werde ich von den Dreien gepackt, in die Zwickmühle, handgreiflich. Die dachten, ich ziehe da meinen RAF-Revolver. Dann Klärung, Entspannung - aber nicht ein einziges Wort an Höflichkeit oder Entschuldigung. Ich hatte schon im Jahr zuvor Ähnliches erlebt - aber das soll hier nicht weiter ausgebreitet werden,- Heutzutage: Fast alle Polizisten sind höflich, wissen genau, was sie können und dürfen.
Mein Geschichtslehrer hat auch davon erzählt als Deutschland in dieser Zeit fast zum Polizeistaat wurde. Heute ist es deutlich besser.
Menschen die denken sie werden vielleicht erschossen benehmen sich also anders, aha, interessant
You saying that the police officer just shrugged and said fair enough gave me whiplash. I was expecting you to say "at which point he demanded I comply and threatened to atrest me if I didn't"
Only had one interaction with the police here in germany myself in Hamburg around 2010. I was walking home from a nightshift (~ 2AM). And because the footwalk was poorly illuminated and there were no cars around at all, at some point I started walking on the street (2 lanes each direction and the footwalk was actually separated by thick bushes) against traffic direction. Down the road I could have switched back to the footwalk, but I stayed on the streets and when I got near a big intersection there was a police car at the stop lights. They saw me and drove over, asking if had been drinking. I hadn't and sounded like that, so they advised to me to use the footwalk and stayed to observe I really did so, then they drove away.
I've been living here in Berlin for 47 years and I've never been stopped for a random search or anything of that kind, ever.
I can count the professional encounters with police I had on one hand, and it's been stuff like being a witness to a traffic accident and the like.
Of course, personal experiences are very subjective.
I have been stopped (or, to be more correct, followed by the police to my home...they suddenly turned on the sirene after I parked in front of it), but that was because my car apparently resembled one which was just used during a crime. Once they checked my papers, everything was okay. There were a few other encounters with the police, but none of them were unpleasant. On the other hand, I did have a very bad experience in the US with the police (basically my father took a wrong turn and they immediately threatened him with prison, it was frankly terrifying).
You are white, I'd assume.
I could change that if you want me to. The current chief of police was a classmate of mine.
@@SomePotato In my experience that doesn't matter at all (as long as you're a German citizen, can't speak for foreigners).
In Austria, if you refuse a breathalizer or blood test, the law assumes that your blood alcohol is above 0.16% (the highest threshold), and you will get punished for that, so please just take the breathalizer test
I wonder who else grew up in Germany to enforce similar rules in Germany at such a time of misery.
I must admit I would've thought that refusing would arouse suspicion anyway
If you didn't drink, just take the breathalizer test. The blood sample can be taken by force if the police have a suspicion and you refuse. And well, if you did drink, I hope they catch you anyway.
@@SomePotato Agreed, plus: when they take you to the hospital (in my area they won't take you to the police station to take a blood sample, but to the hospital instead; I thought that's always the case everywhere in Germany, but rewboss made me question that). This is not just a waste of time and money for the police, it is also very annoying for you.
You will have to leave your car at the very spot. The police will drive you to the hospital or police department, to carry out this blood test.
Then they will leave (assuming you didn't drink any alcohol) and won't take you back to your car. You have to get back there by yourself. This sucks.
so basically, you dont actually have a choice whether you want to take the test or not? thats kinda shitty.
Also if you get taken to the police station for a blood test they will leave your vehicle at the side of the road and then take you to the hospital or police station and if everything is fine in my experience they do not take you back to your vehicle. So refusing the breathalyzer or the breathalyzer malfunctions you lose 1-3h of your time until they get a doctor for the blood test and wait for the result and then you need to call a friend or a cab to get back to your car.
And they will keep you in a cell in the meantime.
thats right.
I've had a couple of run-ins with the police but all were friendly encounters - except one time, I think 15 years back or so, when I picked up my sister with a severe case of pink eye from Köln and drove her to my parents near Koblenz.
Back in the days on this highway (A3 Köln -> Frankfurt) chances were high the police pulled you over since it was a common drug distribution highway from the Netherlands to Frankfurt - especially, when you were driving an old rustbucket and sporting a similar hairstyle like rewboss. The young woman (my sister) on the passengers seat, having very red and teary eyes was just icing on the cake.
They demanded a urine test on a highly frequented rest stop on a cold and windy day. Needless to say, they didn't get their wish so they actually ordered me to follow them to the next police station. While waiting and giving me one glass of water after another, nature took it's course and the resulting test was negative. They however did not apologize to me and my sister who had to endure the humiliation while being obviously sick but instead told be me to "be careful - next time you won't be so lucky."
Of course, I could have refused to the test and to follow them. But apart from this being my first encounter with the police and being nervous and not thinking straight, I just wanted it to be over as soon as possible to get my sister home.
However, please let me emphasise this was one single instance. Every other run-in with the police I had since that day was either super professional or downright friendly and amicable.
Maybe times have changed or I just got unlucky or both but generally, our women and men in blue are doing a good job - at least from my experience.
Thank you Andrew
Last year, the most important thing for me was to be stopped by young police officers. Since my old Renault often did not want to start before the repair, it was important to have 2 young fit police officers who pushed me after a traffic control. whatever they did, so a total of 2 times. Ok, once it was customs officers at the Dutch border 😄
My sister drove an old Opel Kadett that often would not turn on, especially on intersections! Amusingly enough, the second a policeman would step in, the car started immediately without issues. If a policewoman sat in it, no luck. She met many police officers in her two years of ownership
The Police oncepushed my car off a trafficlight when it wont start anymore - they just happend to be right behind me when i stopped at a red light.
Once I was pulled over by the police and they asked me whether I knew why they did it, I answered that I had been driving too fast. They answered that that was obvious but they didn't bother today, but that I had overhauled somebody where overhauling was prohibited. It was at a spot where a dual carriage way ended and virtually nobody seemed to bother about that detail. That I got a ticket which was much more expensive than a speeding ticket goes without saying...
German here. All my interactions with police (mostly random traffic controls) have been reasonable, I'm happy to say.
The most noticeable one was when I was driving home late after watching a movie in the cinema. It was the near 3-hour-long first Hobbit movie and I was on a "movie high" since I had enormously enjoyed it. I was also hungry.
As it was around midnight, IIRC, I drove to a pizza place that used to be still open at that time. But they were already closed so just drove to the end of the small town in hopes to spot another eating place that was still open. Given the hour, there was none so I wanted to turn around when I approached the end of the town. I didn't want to make a U-turn in the middle of the main road so I decided to turn into the residential area and loop back to the main road.
Here's where it get's interesting. Just a little bit further there was a police car, probably intended to check for drunk drivers. (It was the weekend.)
I hadn't seen them - but they had seen me and when they saw me turn into the residential area they assumed I wanted to evade them.
So they followed me and pulled me over.
They did the routine checks but apparently found my search-for-food story suspicious and seeing how exhilarated I was (from the movie) they thought I was on drugs. (I don't do drugs.)
First they asked me if they could do a breathalyzer test for alcohol. I agreed since I hadn't had a drop of alcohol. Then they had me walk a straight line with eyes closed and then estimate a length of twenty seconds. (I counted to 20 in my head which was apparently reasonably close; I guess folks who are high have difficulties to gauge elapsed time.)
I passed all of the test by which time the officers started to believe that I was the weird, starved cinema viewer I had claimed to be rather than a stoned police evader! 😅
Even though the episode was somewhat bizarre to me, the officers were polite the entire time. And to be honest, I could see why they were suspicious so I never had the impression that I was mistreated.
Overall, it was as pleasant as a police control can be - only I really wanted to get home to eat something because I was hungry!
Didn't they tell you where you could have something to eat at that time?
@@travelingonline479 You wouldn't find proper food at this time in that area; said pizza place was an outlier and it was even too late for them.
And like I said, I was on my way home; it was a 10 to 15 minute drive from my place.
I remember once being stopped by police officers when I was around 17 because I apparently had an incredibly strong resemblance to a missing person. They asked to see my ID and were very polite about it, letting me go without any trouble. It was actually somewhat funny to see them genuinely confused about how similar the photos apparently were. Can't say I've ever had a bad experience with the police here.
One very important thing not mentioned here is that police, in Berlin where I live anyway, aren't allowed to communicate with you in an official capacity in any language other than German. They almost certainly speak English and will understand everything you say, but they will only speak to you in German. Obviously you can ask for directions in English, but if you are in any trouble it's German all the way. If you need to be interviewed there are official translators. It's best just to stay out of trouble...
The whole needing a good reson to stop someone on the street is somewhat complicated.
Or rather, if you ask why then they will just invent something or even claim they don't need any reason (and then drag you off to the station if you protest further).
And in some states those "places that criminals are known to meet" can encompass entire neighborhoods (I'm pretty sure 50% of the town I attended university in is considered to be covered under this rule- admittedly they regularly caught people with drugs, but mostly just small amounts of weed, so I'm not sure that the best use of police resources, but its also reassuring to know they don't have anything actually important to do)
1) Weed is illegal and 2) If they catch a criminal, I'd say that that is indeed something important.
I would find it more reassuring to know that there is police. It would give me a sense of security. And if they encompass entire neighboorhoods, I would question those neighborhoods and not the police's decision.
Also "they will just invent something" has never ever happened to me, my family or anyone I have ever spoken about police experiences in my 28 years on this planet, specifically here in Germany.
@@Fuerwahrhalunke Nice try, boot licker. No and no and not they are bad people. Weed shouldn't be illegal in the first place because it's literally none of their business how an adult treats his body, and cops who punish people with small amounts are horrible persons having an agenda. Yes they invent reasonst to stop people all the damn time. I live in a big city, I had it happen almost every time, as well as friends. A friends father is a cop and told about tricks they use, I've read along in a cop forum where they share they tricks and opinions, etc.
If they profile an entire neighbourhood that's also showing how bad they are. If for sure wouldn't give you a sense of security if every few days you'd be stopped and searched and literally treated like a criminal in your own neighbourhood.
1:11 I like that rewboss backed his claims with stats. I also know that the UK, Poland and Japan do even better and some small countries have so few cases that statistics don't make sense.
The UK make up for the numbers they kill with guns by killing them with tasers though. lol
I had exactly one Encounter with Police during a minor Car accident. They Documented it - wished everybody a good day and left. Besides that I only greet them from time to time.
I've lived all my life close to Germany and often shop/travel there. Cops are very serious, but very respectful. On the other hand in France… 😅
I live in a Bavarian county that shares border with Austria. Policeman here will sometimes just randomly search people (mostly young men). I once asked them if they are allowed to demand that and they just said "yes we are" while spreading all my stuff on their bmw. They were from a local Kriminalpolizei unit and randomly stopped me while I was walking home from work.
In border regions the police is allowed to do that in most German states. Same goes for train stations btw.
@@tict14c That's the Customs Force, not the Police.
After reading the title I thought that the first advice would be to stay calm and polite and answer the questions as correctly as possible. Because if you do this everything will be smooth for both parties.
"Do you know why I stopped you?"
"No?"
"Oh drat! I forgot why I wanted to stop you so I thought maybe you could help me remember."
My dad and I were once stopped by border control when we walked along a path close to the German-Danish border. We showed them our ID-cards and they were open enough to tell us that they were after smugglers. Randomly checks can be carried out anywhere in Germany by the tax office ("Zoll"), mostly together with the police. So, when you think that you are safe when you have crossed a border into Germany with your van filled to capacity with undeclared cigarettes from Eastern Europe or "weed" from the Netherlands, you may get a very nasty surprise hundreds of miles further inlands.
But even customs officers can't do random searches outside the customs control zone (30/50 km from the nearest border. Only in case of reasonable and articulate suspicion, they can perform a search on persons and vehicles anywhere in the country.
Is that why towns on the border occasionally have "Grenzgebiet" on the yellow town sign?
@@Korschtal Yes, at least it was that way. The additional term "Zollgrenzgebiet" indicated that custom officers (a federal government force in green uniforms, unlike police that are under the authority of the "Länder" and wear blue) had rights there to check people. I think they changed that law. Federal police (they do the border control or support local police when necessary) and customs can get active all over the Federal Republic.
@@MattiBlume That is why they have police with them when they do checks. Same thing is when police and Federal Office for Transport check whether lorries are roadworthy or overloaded or their load is secured in the proper way.
@@christiankastorf4836 they do team up sometimes. But the Police has even less powers to conduct searches without warrants. It's the other way around: Customs can do random searches within the border region, Police cannot.
I had two random encounters with police - both times were officers in training walking around to interview people as to how they felt about the police lol
I had an encounter with the German polizei once, when I decided to go to Aachen during the pandemic. I stepped out of the train from Belgium into the pedestrian tunnel under the tracks and a patrol of German cops stopped me for a random ID check. Both me and the police officers kept it very polite in simple awkward English and it went well, they gave me my ID back and wished me to have a nice day. I can understand why they did this at that time, especially at a train station that is litterally right next to 2 other countries (Belgium and the Netherlands)
When I was stopped in a traffic control three years ago the police officer asked me very soon into the stop what my past experiences with the Polizei have been. I'm still thinking that was strange. Did they test out a new psychological approach?
Ah yes😂 I was about 20. They stopped me and asked me if i already had any experience with the police. Apparently "yes, I got searched once" was the wrong answer. They gave me this look. Then I added: "They didnt find anything"
Apparently that answer was even worse😂
They're trying to quickly ascertain if you're a criminal or troublemaker.
This is quite a new addition to their routine, I mean that question. I get stopped frequently because I usually drive at night, in the middle of the night - I *never* encounter traffic stops during the day.
So the question "did you ever have anything to do with the police?" which was first asked two or three years ago and now every time during a traffic stop was a pleasant surprise for me. I was thinking "who would actually answer that question" ... just like the other classic "did you drink any alcohol?"
Small talk is sometimes used to ascertain whether you might have been drinking, e.g. if your speech is slurred. Keep your answers short and polite. Do not lie!
@@dirkschwartz1689 If you had a minor amount of alcohol, you absolutely should lie. BTW, lying to the police in itself is not a crime. Only in court you are legally bound to always tell the truth.
If you willingly cooperate to a certain extent then a traffic stop will be over much faster. In 20 years of driving I have been stopped once (two or three times as a passenger) and I took the breathalyser test and did the dance (fingers on nose, count to 30 seconds with eyes closed etc). I was friendly and polite throughout the check and so the officer who was doing the tests put in a good word with the other officer who wanted me to pee in a cup (it was very late and I was a little tired), so I didn't have to. I would have drawn a line there though and denied the pee test.
Never had a problem with the Polizei! In fact, a few years ago we stopped overnight just outside Tubingen and desperate to find a reasonable place to get an evening meal, I asked a couple of Baden-Wuertemburg's finest (who were busy doling out parking tickets and arranging the towing of cars outside a sports venue) where they would recommend. The result was one of the best Italian meals I have ever had in Germany!!!
Sounds like you were dealing with the Kommunaler Ordnungsdienst rather than regular police. This is basically a form of city police. In most German states they can do almost nothing beside dealing with things like littering and illegally parked vehicles, but Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhein-Westfalen are special. Here they can actually have police powers. Details depend on how extensively a city makes use of this.
That said, as regular German police is well educated and reasonably paid, they would probably have reacted in the same way. It's not unusual for people to ask them for directions, and I think most actually like that so long as they are not preoccupied with something.
@@johaquila Ordnungspolizei in Hessen is also vested with more police powers, than most municipal officers in other states.
There are some missing/wrong issues:
1.) There's a federal and a state police. The federal police works expecially at airport, railway station and near borders - the have the right to inspect and search you within these areas (or nearby).
2.) Refusing the breathalyzer at a traffic stop is a good idea: The test of the police (in Magdeburg, Germany) shows up nearly 50% wrong results - but if a breathalyzer shows more alcohol than you are allowed it must not be confirmed by blood test. It's already an evidence of your guilty at court.
3.) Remaining silent is no reason of being suspicion or evidence of being guitly. BUT: remaining silent only at a "special" questions is a reasonable suspicion and evident hint of guilt- not only at interactions with police but also at the court.
4.) Police will often ask you for permission: can I ask ... can I look into ... with your once given OK they can do a lot of things - the better way is: "I don't want this. Do you order me to ... ?" - Then it's a "Verwaltungsakt" (=adminisitrative act) which they must justify for - with your "permission" they must not justify any more.
5.) Insulting or filming police is not ok in Germany: Insulting is always a crime (when it's not done by both sides). Filming or taking pictures of police officers in the public is no problem - but at recording voices it's not so easy: it's not clear if police have got a private sphere even on duty ... and recording the "private word" is a crime.
6.) You must NEVER sign anything. By signing some "marks" you may give permission to unlawful actions of the police - see 4.) ... and they must not justify them. Every act can be handled later on and nothing needs your sign. The only signs that must be given are by the police on protocols or confirmations about confiscated things.
7.) If you are taken to a police station the justification is to ensure your identity - and to trick you into self acclamation by your own testify ... go to the station - let them check your identity - and then say goodby immediatelly. If you will be arrested (because you killed somebody...) they will arrest you: but thats far out of the normal situation (hopefully) and also a judge must be involved as far as possible ... and you are allowed to get the advise of your lawyer at ANY point of investigation, ANY point of accusation by the attorney and ANY interaction with court and judge.
I have been stopped 3 times by the police in Germany. All of these times were on the railways. And every time they refused to tell me why they stopped me. They checked my passport on their phone and let me go. When I asked them what the problem was they just grunted at me. Is this normal for Germany? In the UK I would not accept this from the police. If they don't have grounds for a section 1 then I tell them nothing and refuse to identify myself. But I don't know what the law is in Germany.
The police also NEVER askes you to pay in cash to prevent bribery. If one does, report that Person to the police.
If you haven't done anything, you can answer any question from the police in Germany without worrying. At the age of 20, I have not yet experienced a bad cop in Germany, although there are undoubtedly few of them. As a rule, they are very friendly and helpful. Unlike the U.S., they take serve and protect very seriously.
as long as you are white and not a punk, cops are friendly.
@@gulliverthegullible6667
because punks arent exactly known to be friendly to the police. (with a few exceptions)
also skin color doesnt matter and IF that was to ever come up you can sue the officer in question while also getting him/her fired.
@@uteriel282 you are a bit overly optimistic about German cops and the legal system. Skin colour does not matter is certainly not true when it comes to German cops. Read the Amnesty International report on Germany if you don't believe me.
For cops as the official law enforcers, they are supposed to treat everybody equally and not use uneccesary force. That also includes people who are not known to be friendly to cops.
I live at the border of Germany and Switzerland, and foot traffic between the countries is generally not bothered by the border guards.
However, one night I crossed the bridge at a full out sprint (I don't remember why, it seemed like a fun idea at the time...)
THAT they did not find funny. I was frisked like never before...
(I was quite used to extensive inspections at the border. At the time I had long curly hair and am of what you could call mediterranean type.)
I've 'clashed' with German police exactly once. I was a bit ambitious when going from an 80km onto the Hochmoselbrücke. Got flashed by an object resembling a demobilized Dalek. Received a letter by regular mail about two weeks after, showing a photo of me behind the wheel and a friendly request to either pay 20 euros or to contest. Payed, as I had nothing to contest. That was it. I live in the Netherlands, not Germany.
I visit Berlin regularly and have been subject to 3 separate Personenkontrolle twice by the Bundespolizei and once by the Berliner Landespolizei and on all 3 occasions I had no issues I was dealt with politely and quickly. I think for British people in particular it is something that we are not used to seeing I am Scottish and I would never see the Police in the streets of Edinburgh/Glasgow doing random ID checks but personally it makes me feel safer.
From the 1960s on the slogan was: "The police, your friend an helper". Be kind, friendly and respectful (not submissve) and they will be friendly to you. If you need help, trust and ask the police. And never insult a police officer! This costs a lot of money!
Same in the Netherlands, with one exception: In the Netherlands, everybody 14 years or older has to have an identity card or passport on them at all times when on public roads or in public transport.
Truth to be told, even as a German, I have my ID card on me at all times. It simply isn't worth the hassle.
Didn't know that., since the Netherlands are such a liberal country in most respects. Does this apply to foreigners as well?
Someting to mention aswell. You are not allowed to use a phone app that warns you about Speed Cameras. Or rather you are not allowed to get caught. And if the police stops you because you were swerving do to using your phone (naughty naughty) telling them you had to sneeze is the valid excuse that might work.
Actually, you are not allowed to even touch a mobile phone or in fact anything that has any form of wireless communication built in. This rule is so extreme that technically you are in violation if you arrive at home on your bicycle, stop in front of your garage, put _one_ foot on the ground only, and touch the remote control that opens your garage.
On the other hand, completely hands-free operation of mobile phones is technically allowed so long as it is not distracting, even though that is practically impossible.
@@johaquila That's not correct. You are allowed to use phones and other electronic devices, that you don't have to hold in your hand to operate.
@@MattiBlume Well, you are technically correct, but so was I. The question is on which side you want the inevitable inaccuracies to be. The actual regulation is § 23 Abs. 1a StVO, and it's impossible to summarize without being inaccurate in one way or another.
I'll try to strike a balance that is closer to accuracy than what we had before between us: It says that while 'operating' a 'vehicle' (according to the courts this includes sitting on a _bicycle_ saddle while not having _both_ feet on the ground, and sitting behind the steering wheel of a stationary car with the motor on) you may only use an electronic device intended for communication (this definitely includes a simple remote control), information or organization if 1. this doesn't involve picking it up or holding it, _and_ 2. it's either voice-operated or requires only appropriately short glances.
So the only things they wanted to explicitly allow are hands-off phone conversations (even though _any_ phone conversation is dangerous while driving -- but high status people do their phone calls while driving all the time, so it must be OK) and installed satnavs. So long as these things 'only' destroy the driver's concentration, but at least do not take their gaze off the road.
So for example, while operating a vehicle it is illegal to pick up your mobile phone to look at the giant clock it may display as a screensaver. This is obviously as harmless as a glance on your watch, but they wanted to remove this excuse for people who are caught doing other things.
I remember, back in elementary school, I was searched by police on my way home. They demanded to look in my bag for whatever reason, and of course as a little child I complied.
To this day I often wonder what this was about and if it was legal, and if I should have denied.
I did drive wrong a few months ago (turned where I shouldn't have) in a city I wasn't familar with (Stuttgart) late at night not many cars but police saw me and pulled me over and asked me what my plan was.. I explained the situation the checked my licence I was friendly they where friendly and then I could just go.. no alcohol or drug test, all good. Just be friendly and coopeative with police and anyone else in life.
Don't you think that's a bit sinister, asking you ''what your plan is'' just because it's late at night? I have 2 Dutch friends who experienced this on separate occasions and found it very 3rd Reich like.
That's normal. They do not profit from writing you a ticket, and they do not have any quotas. Since writing a ticket is slightly inconvenient, most are happy if they feel an informal warning or something is sufficient.
Actually, that sounds more like an ironic remark.
@@simonh6371 You don't have to answer that question. You can always say, that it's a private matter, that doesn't concern them. It's up to them, to decide, if that's suspicious or not. I would tell them, that I'm trying to achieve world domination. But this will most likely end up with a drug and/or alcohol test for you, unfortunately. But sometimes they understand a joke.
@@dnocturn84 You don't have to but they are more likly to just let it go if you don't annoy them just like any other person would. Plus as @johaquila said, they want to avoid paperwork if it is not needed.
This is an absolutely excellent video. I couldn't possibly put it any better.
And I say this with all respect for our German police which is properly due.
Here is the most common two tricks they play on you on a traffic stop. They ask you if you ever had "something to do with police or drugs". The only answer to that is no or they do not let you of the hook. Second if something is wrong with your car "do you know this and that is broken?" If you say "i know but i wanted to get it fixed tomorrow" That means you drove with a broken car "on purpose" wich automatically doubles the money you have to pay for that. So what you do is to every single question they ask: Play dumb! :)
So are you saying that we should lie to the police? Is that a smart thing to do?
@@Jehty21 This is an absolutly smart thing to do. You can say nothing to police that gets you out of trouble, but with every single word you say to the police you can get yourself into trouble. This are the rules and they are made by your government not me.
I had a couple interactions with police. My bag was searched in front of a train station before. And one time I got a warning from some police officers because me and some friends went into a run down building.
Well i had one noteworthy encounter with them among others... They are normally friendly but that highly depends on circumstances. One time i was crossing the boder from Austria to Bavaria with some friends of mine and got into a random border check. Thing is both my friends actually had some serious entries in the police database at that time.
Police was very nice, friendly and relaxed until they knew from ID check who was in that car. After that they where not that nice anymore but atleast we could leave after some questions.
One of the few things that I can't complain about in Germany, is the police. They have stopped me on numerous occasions on a bicycle or driving a car, and have always been polite, professional, and understanding.
Maybe I've been lucky, but that's my experience.
Fun fact: in case of traffic accident in Germany, police officers, who will come to fix it, will actually be not from town or village , where accident happened. It is done to avoid situations, when police officers can be friends with people, involved in accident.
i've live twenty five years of my 78 years in germany . before that i was in America .
The German police are more polite than most waiters at a restaurant, but 'never come to your table to take your order.'
i assume this video is meant for the person on holiday there ? well , fret not . your more likely to have the police help you find a nice hotel and escort you there than get stopped for a traffic infraction .
I was at a birthday party in Germany and two police officers turned up after a noise complaint. The officers said if they had to come back they would shoot the sound system. DJ immediately packed everything away, and people went home as they were apparently not kidding! (Village near Rostock (Markgrafenheide), about 2005/2006)
They would not shoot it, but they would confiscate it. You would get your stuff back later, by picking it up at the police station. But that usually never happens. But they could, if you are stupid enough to force them to come back. Quiet hours are holy in germany.
"I will not breathe." "You have to." "But I will not." "When you do not breathe I will do. And then you will lose your driving license for sure."
Hello, is it legal to record with phone police interactions in Germany ?
Police officers are human beings, and I have had some very good experiences, but also some negative ones. I had my driving licence for three days and was driving to my training company for the second time when there was a very rare traffic control in my totally rural community. I was nervous, the officer looked stern and asked to see my papers and on my driving licence was the date I passed the test and he smiled, congratulated me and wished me a good day.
A few years later, I unfortunately hit a deer with my car, not far from my parents' house. Two policemen came, my father also came to the scene of the accident. One of the policemen was very unfriendly and condescending and said I was driving too fast, etc., and that was not possible because of the sharp bend directly behind the scene of the accident. The second policeman was friendly and he was also very uncomfortable with his colleague's behaviour, you could tell. The expert witness for the accident was tipped off by the bad cop, he suspects that I was speeding. However, the expert picked apart exactly this statement and rather came to the conclusion that I was driving 5 kph slower than permitted. My father was so angry afterwards that he complained about the grumbling policeman (ca. one week after the accident) and after five months (!!!) he received written information that the case could no longer be examined. 😂
At the border from the Netherlands to Germany, I was pulled out by Dutch police officers, they didn't discuss or ask for long, but let me get out and ordered with millitary drill to hand over the key and all papers. They went straight over the whole car and searched everything with a police dog and of course they didn't find anything at all, I was just shopping for food there. 😂That was 15 years ago and since then I must have been over the border 50 times and was not checked again or would have ever seen another control at the border..
My experience with the Old Bill in Germany runs the gamut from the GREPO, VOPO, STASI to today's Federal Police. Needless to say the STASI were the most intimidating of the bunch but professional. After hours of interrogation by six different officers, some in GREPO uniforms, in a cell without even a chair and making a statement I was told l was facing up to 2 years. Thankfully the STASI decided I was an idiot, fined me and threw me back over the wall via Friedrichstrasser S Bahnhof. Later, respectful dealings with the Federal police at Templehof, as to whether my political leanings were far right (they weren't), and years later assisting my son in retrieving a lost jacket then giving him a souvenir football at Frankfurt Airport resulted in a 10 minute kickabout in which, rather predictably, the Germans won on penalties. l kid you not.
I'll keep, for another day, my experience with the East Sussex Police, the stringent entry requirements for which are a) you live within a 2 mile radius of the nick and b) have a pulse
“.. like in some countries where you have to be very careful not to get shot.” .. 😬🇺🇸
A thing to note about voluntary tests: If the police do not have legal grounds to enforce a blood test, they may still ask you for a urine sample; they certainly won't tell you beforehand that they'll let you go if you refuse.
Police in Switzerland once asked if I carry any gold. Very bizarre question, but I sweated instantly because I was in the station without ticket (couldn't find ticket machine).
I have never been stopped by the police in my life, nor have I had to show my ID card (well, outside of a traffic related situation anyway). During the heyday of the RAF threat in the 1970s, there were indeed deaths during traffic stops by police who carried submachine guns at the time and were poorly trained to do so.
Royal Air Force?
@@janipiot the RAF were a German Terrorist Group. RAF stood for Red Army Faction
@@janipiot Red Army Faction (aka Baader-Meinhof-Gang, left-wing terrorists)
@@janipiot Red Army Faction (Rote Arme Fraktion, RAF), a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970.
At that time, my parents lived in Bunde, right on the Dutch border, and my mother told me about how the policemen at the border were armed to the teeth, even with machine guns, and how at some point she gave up shopping in the Netherlands because she needed a lot of time each time because of the controls.
Been a Swedish and crossing Germany many times s Year, my advice is don't be stop. If you do the German police - as any police- can find reasons to stop you. First don't try to be Smart, second try to be just driver..... nothing more or less. Good luck.🇸🇪🍓🦎
That's a topic, by the way, where I'd be interested to know how it works in other countries:
In Germany, the police regularly carry out traffic checks without any specific reason. This includes, for example, checking whether car drivers have been drinking alcohol. It is not necessary for the drivers checked to have aroused suspicion, for example through unsafe or erratic driving. Basically, it's a statistical random sample.
Is that how it is done elsewhere?
It certainly is the way in the UK! Random checks can be held to check roadworthiness and licence. - ANPR will show if a car is taxed, insured or fit for the road. In Australia, you my come across random sobriety checks
It is done in Belgium as well.
Sure, additionally, in Austria there is something called "Planquadrat" which means a certain "square" on the map gets chosen for thorough traffic checks and alcohol and drug checks.
And here you can only refuse a breathalizer test if you expicitely want a blood test instead. If you refuse either tests for alcohol, the law defines you to be treated the same way as if you were tested with a value of 3.2 times the allowed limit.
In the Netherlands that is done as well. Years ago (25) I returned by car at about 21.00 from fencing training with my son and 2 of his friends. I was asked to do a breath analyzer test. I did but told them it was a waste of time and money, because I never drink when I have to drive and certainly do not use alcohol when training. Of course the test was negative and with 3 laughing passengers drove home.
Driving a car is not a basic right, but requires a permit ("driving license") and is subject to many regulations. That's why the police can stop you anytime to check, whether those regulations are fulfilled.
Never had any trouble with BRD Polizei, Schupo or Vopo. If you want to include Grenzer - plenty ;-) But those don't exist anymore, due to lack of Innerdeutsche borders. But I remember an occasion or two where I had to run for the British Military Police.
i was once stopped for riding my bike on the wrong side of the street (the bike lane on the sidewalk, not the actual street), talked to them a bit, explained how i didn't know that the other ride was valid (just a broad sidewalk, no explicit bike lane) and we joked about the weather and then they accompanied me across the street and all was well, no fine
once when i was 14 i was stopped and had to take a breathalizer test (i was practicing biking freehandedly and apparently was not driving straight xD)
both times police were pretty chill
a few years later when i was drunk out of my mind i discussed with an amused police officer whether or not a blunt sword would count as a weapon (for clarification, i did not have a sword on me) during the wait for the sbahn
overall i'd trust them with my life, but not with not fining me if they have a bad day
The last one is not quite true. If e.g. it is dark and you forgot to switch on the headlights of your car you definitely need to answer 'oh sorry, i forgot to turn on my lights.' Otherwise you get the treatment with breathaliser, etc.
Just a small correction: You say, the right answer to the question why they pulled you over is to say no, always. In general that's the default right answer. BUT. Depending on the situation it might make it worse and admitting to a very obvious yet smaller offense might get you out of (bigger) trouble.
Sometimes admitting and apologizing can be the better option. Like the classical ones, you are too loud (party, in a park with friends at evening, loudspeakers, whatever). Or you litter, they see it, you apologize and throw it away... those are typical situations in which a lot of cops would let it slide if you cooperate and would throw the book at you if you just block.
Even with some driving infractions this might be the better option. I had several encounters where it turned out better this way. For example when my car had a damage which I didn't know of or which I could only let get fixed later, normally they will let it slide and not give you a ticket if you a cooperative and promise doing it as soon as possible. Or the emergency kit was too old (even tho I'm very sure there were cases which had judges rule against this - so it doesn't matter if the medkit is way too old, the law just says to have one at all - but don't listen to me).
I have many smaller situations where it saved me potentially 5 Euro or more hassle.
The biggest mistake was when I didn't make a light in time and so jumped the red light, with a cop right behind me... I was pulled over and immediately was admitting to have fucked up and the cop who was initially angry instantly got softer because as he said, normally everyone is defending themselves with the stupidest bs and never really regretting the offense. In the end I still got a ticket, but a veeery lenient one, instead of the very harsh high fine and penalty points he could have given as well. And I was and am very grateful and learned from that.
There another thing to consider with cops tho. 9 out of 10 need to have the last word and it almost always has to be some stupid "Take care about ... next time!", "I'm letting it slide THIS time ...", "Better let it get checked out", whatever... even when everything is okay and the thing they don't like literally was inspected a day before and is okay, or you know the law and cases saying the opposite, or so. Because cops often think they are the law, when they are not, they don't even know every law in detail, they just learn some basics and else just do what they think is right until a judge gets involved and says otherwise.
And they learn to be very sneaky to get you to admit to serious offenses without even realizing it. For that they act friendly, chat with you like a friend, and openly lie to you. Like, in two dozen stops at night only once they didn't act as if I HAD to take the breathalyzer, they always word it in a way that you think you have to do it. And I have read from cops, as well as heard it from the cop father of a friend, that they have several tricks up their sleeve to do what they want. Like, if they want to check you, they will stop you no matter what, be it because you were too fast, too slow, or drove the speed limit - because that's "suspicious". lol
So be aware, don't take encounters with them too easy. But don't act out too much because if you anger them they have a lot of options for giving you trouble.
He didn't say, you should deny any wrongdoing that you've been accused of. But you should still answer their first question ("do you know, why we've stopped you?" or "You know, what you did wrong there?", etc.) with a courteous but stern "No".
Once they explained, why they stopped you, you can of of course acknowledge that, if it's a small infraction. But admitting to something, you haven't even been accused of yet, is always a stupid idea.
Never ever admit anything out of the blue. If they have proof then its okay to admit it.
With my Alabaster-white complexion, I have not had much contact with the police here in Germany. I guess though, that the less a Germanic phenotype you have, the higher the frequency of police interactions you will face. Racial profiling is officially prohibited, but I am sadly aware this prohibition does not prevent it from happening a lot.
7:26 Thanks to a really bad childhood I was trained to answer this question from very early on. Because it is not just the police using that tactic. Also people who should be teachers for example.