LAWYER If Cops Ask Where Are You Coming From — Say These Words

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]It's 11:30 at night.

[00:00:02]You're driving home.

[00:00:04]Maybe you grabbed dinner, maybe you had drinks with friends, maybe you just left the gym.

[00:00:08]Doesn't matter.

[00:00:10]Those red and blue lights flash in your rearview mirror and your stomach drops instantly.

[00:00:15]You pull over.

[00:00:17]The officer walks up, shines the flashlight right in your face, and asks you one question that sounds completely harmless.

[00:00:25]"Where are you coming from?"

[00:00:27]What you say in the next 3 seconds will determine the entire course of this traffic stop.

[00:00:32]Most people answer without thinking twice.

[00:00:35]And that answer, that honest, well-meaning, trying to be helpful answer, is the single biggest reason I've seen people end up in handcuffs on the side of the road. Welcome to Driving and Justice Pulse USA. Subscribe now, because what I'm about to break down could protect you tonight. After more than 15 years in and around criminal defense cases, I can tell you with complete confidence that one question has destroyed more cases than almost anything else an officer can say to you.

[00:01:03]And today, I'm not just going to show you why it's dangerous. I'm going to give you the exact words to say instead, word for word, so you never get caught off guard again.

[00:01:14]By the time we're done, you're going to wonder why nobody ever taught you this before.

[00:01:19]Here's what most people completely miss.

[00:01:22]"Where are you coming from?" is not small talk. It is not friendly conversation.

[00:01:28]It is a trained interrogation technique.

[00:01:30]And the officer does not actually care about your answer.

[00:01:34]He cares about what your answer reveals.

[00:01:37]Let me show you exactly how the trap works.

[00:01:40]Say you tell the officer you're coming from a bar. You just handed him an admission that you were in a location where alcohol is served.

[00:01:47]That goes straight into his report. Now he has a reason to start looking for signs of intoxication.

[00:01:53]Say you tell him you're coming from a friend's house.

[00:01:56]Now he's going to ask what you were doing there, whether you were drinking, how long you stayed, who else was there.

[00:02:04]You just opened up an entire line of questioning that didn't exist 5 seconds ago.

[00:02:10]Say you tell him you're coming from work.

[00:02:12]Sounds completely harmless, right?

[00:02:15]Now, he knows your route. He knows that you He knows where you started and where you should be heading.

[00:02:19]And if you took a detour, if you're in an area that doesn't add up, that becomes suspicious.

[00:02:25]Every single answer you give creates a new thread for the officer to pull. That is the whole point.

[00:02:31]"Where are you coming from?"

[00:02:33]is not a question. It is a door.

[00:02:35]And the moment you open it, the officer walks right through.

[00:02:40]Now, think about this from the officer's perspective for a second.

[00:02:43]This is a routine for them.

[00:02:45]They ask the same question 20 times a night. They are not listening for your answer. What they are actually watching is how you behave while you answer.

[00:02:54]Are your eyes glassy?

[00:02:56]Did you hesitate?

[00:02:57]Did you stumble over your words?

[00:03:00]Did you look away?

[00:03:02]Did it take you too long to respond?

[00:03:05]Every single one of those things gets noted in the report as an indicator of impairment.

[00:03:10]That question is not a question. It is a behavior test.

[00:03:14]And you are being graded on it whether you realize it or not.

[00:03:18]Trying to come up with the perfect answer is completely pointless because there is no perfect answer.

[00:03:24]The question is specifically designed so that every response gives the officer something to work with.

[00:03:30]But here is where it gets really important. Because the law is actually on your side, and the officer is counting on you never figuring that out.

[00:03:39]Here is the part nobody tells you.

[00:03:42]You have absolutely no legal obligation to tell a police officer where you are coming from during a traffic stop.

[00:03:49]None.

[00:03:50]Zero.

[00:03:51]It is not required by any traffic law in any state in this country. The only things you are legally required to provide during a traffic stop are your driver's license, your vehicle registration, and your proof of insurance.

[00:04:04]That's it.

[00:04:06]The Supreme Court made this clear in Terry versus Ohio back in 1968.

[00:04:12]An officer can ask you questions during a lawful traffic stop, but you are not required to answer them.

[00:04:19]The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects you from self-incrimination.

[00:04:25]And telling an officer where you've been can absolutely incriminate you.

[00:04:30]"I was at a bar" is incriminating.

[00:04:33]"I was at a party" is incriminating.

[00:04:36]Even "I was at a restaurant" becomes incriminating the moment the officer starts asking what you had to drink with dinner.

[00:04:42]And here's the critical part that most people never hear.

[00:04:46]Your refusal to answer is not probable cause for anything.

[00:04:50]Courts across this country have been crystal clear on this.

[00:04:54]Exercising your constitutional right cannot be used as evidence against you.

[00:04:58]An officer cannot arrest you, cannot detain you longer, and cannot search your vehicle simply because you declined to answer a question you were never required to answer in the first place.

[00:05:08]So now you understand the problem, but here's the solution.

[00:05:13]Think about the impossible box most people find themselves in.

[00:05:17]If you answer honestly and say you were at a bar, you just incriminated yourself.

[00:05:21]If you lie and say you were at the library and the officer finds out, that is potentially obstruction.

[00:05:27]And if you just sit there in total silence staring at the officer, he writes in his report that the suspect was unresponsive and appeared confused.

[00:05:36]And he flags that as a sign of impairment.

[00:05:39]I have seen this play out hundreds of times. You cannot answer honestly, you cannot lie, and you cannot simply go silent.

[00:05:48]So, what are you supposed to do? Here are the exact words. Write them down.

[00:05:52]Memorize them.

[00:05:55]Officer, I'd prefer not to answer questions about where I've been. Am I free to go or am I being detained?

[00:06:02]That is the whole thing. And let me break down exactly why every single part of this works.

[00:06:09]I'd prefer not to answer.

[00:06:11]This is polite.

[00:06:13]This is respectful.

[00:06:15]You are not being combative or aggressive. You are exercising your Fifth Amendment right in the most professional way possible.

[00:06:23]The word prefer makes it sound like a personal choice rather than a confrontation. So, the officer has no reason to write hostile or uncooperative in his report.

[00:06:35]Questions about where I've been.

[00:06:37]Notice what you are doing here.

[00:06:39]You are not refusing to speak entirely.

[00:06:41]You are not giving a blanket I don't answer questions.

[00:06:45]You are specifically declining to discuss one topic.

[00:06:49]That is a targeted narrow refusal that shows the officer you are reasonable.

[00:06:54]You simply have a boundary on this one subject.

[00:06:58]Am I free to go or am I being detained?

[00:07:02]This is the most powerful question you can ask during any police encounter. It forces the officer to commit to one of two positions. He either has to let you leave or he has to tell you that you are being detained.

[00:07:14]And if he says you are detained, he now has to have a legal justification for that.

[00:07:20]You just shifted the entire burden back onto him.

[00:07:23]That one question changes the dynamic of the stop completely.

[00:07:27]Now, what if the officer pushes back?

[00:07:30]Because he might. They are trained to.

[00:07:32]If he says, "Come on, it's a simple question. If you've got nothing to hide, just tell me where you were."

[00:07:37]Here is your backup line.

[00:07:39]Officer, I've provided my license and insurance. I'm exercising my right. That is not evidence of anything.

[00:07:47]And that is 100% legally true. The fact that you exercised your constitutional rights cannot be held against you in court.

[00:07:54]Period.

[00:07:56]But what if it escalates further?

[00:07:58]What if the officer tells you to step out of the vehicle?

[00:08:02]Under the Supreme Court's ruling in Pennsylvania v. Mimms, Mimms, an officer can require you to exit your car during a lawful traffic stop.

[00:08:10]You comply with that. You step out. You remain polite.

[00:08:14]But you do not answer questions.

[00:08:17]If they ask to search your vehicle, you say clearly and calmly, "I do not consent to any searches."

[00:08:24]If they continue asking you questions, you say, "I'd like to speak with an attorney before answering any further questions."

[00:08:31]After that, you know, stay calm, stay polite, stay quiet. Because the real fight is not on the side of the road at 11:30 at night.

[00:08:39]The real fight is in the courtroom, with your attorney present, where the law actually works in your favor.

[00:08:45]And understand this, the same exact dynamic plays out in stores every single day.

[00:08:52]Loss prevention walks up to you.

[00:08:55]A manager pulls you aside. They start asking casual, friendly-sounding questions.

[00:09:00]But they are doing the exact same thing that officer did.

[00:09:04]They are trying to get you to talk your way into a charge, into an arrest, into a criminal record.

[00:09:10]Most people do not get in trouble because of what they did, they get in trouble because of what they said. Thank you for watching Driving Justice Pulse USA.

[00:09:19]If this video gave you information you did not have before, and I'm willing to bet it did, hit that like button right now, and share this with someone you know, because this could protect them the next time those red and blue lights show up. If you are not subscribed yet, subscribe right now, and turn on notifications so you never miss what we cover here.

[00:09:40]In the next video, we are breaking down shoplifting and theft cases.

[00:09:43]And more importantly, why a so-called small charge can follow you for years through background checks, job applications, and housing.

[00:09:52]You need to watch that one before you ever find yourself in that situation.

[00:09:56]The link is on screen right now.

[00:09:59]Stay informed, know your rights, and remember, on Driving and Justice Pulse USA, knowledge is your best protection.