"Only guilty people act nervous" Local cop has never heard of anxiety

I'm am attorney, and I get nervous around cops. A ticket is not a big deal itself, the insurance increase scares the shit out of me.

“ *COPS* of reddit” literally every other post “ When I got pulled over”

"do you have any weapons in your vehicle?" *Omg, what if I accidentally bought a whole case of guns and left them in the trunk that I completely forgot about*

Nice try mr criminal

something suspicious? 7 people saying first in comment section when none of them are really first.

“Cops, what do normal people not do that is suspicious” Reddit: “cops make me nervous” .. thanks..

"not a police officer.... not a human.... not going to answer the question but..."

It's true about the helicopter, my friends mostly guys were standing together *coughs* drinking and the helicopter lights stop on us. We turned it into a dance battle and when the light moved we chased it.

As a reformed criminal, our trick was to just keep walking nonchalantly and very slow while keeping our head up, the cops would never stop us, its the people that put their hands in their pockets, look down, walk faster, that gets spotted.

"People come to stores because they want something specific" >cut to me standing in the chips isle for 30 mins picking out which bag I want

"People come to stores because they want something specific" I know a lot of people (including me) who go window-shopping just for the sake of it. We are not looking for anything. Not looking to shoplift for sure.

90% of redditors are like Not a. Cop but.......

good cop bad cop is a team effort to get you to get comfortable with one officer and start talking boy.

If they are dragging a body, then they are suspicious

I got lit up by a police helicopter once. I had worked late and was walking the dog after dark. The dog was well trained and I could let her walk off lead. The dog was about thirty feet away from me sniffing the trees on the grounds of a church we were passing when I got lit up by the searchlight. I looked up and gave a sort of half wave, but the light stayed on me. I didn't know who or what they were looking for, but I felt like I needed to establish that I wasn't it, so I pointed at the dog. The searchlight moved off me and onto the dog for a few seconds and then the helicopter left. So, if you are running from the police and the helicopter is searching for you, have a dog with you.

I feel personaly attacked being called a self conscious idiot even though I agree

after watching this video i am invisible to the law.

The part about liars got me, I’ve got some severe anxiety and sometimes that means I just Talk. Way too much. Maybe I should shut up sometimes 😂

"Only guilty people act nervous" NOPE When I'm in a store and I leave without buying anything, I get scared that they will think I'm a thief, so I'm trying my hardest not to look suspicious

“People who aren’t police officers but know police officers what is something suspicious people do?” Is a more suiting title for this

The fact that most people feel nervous around cops instead of feeling safe says a lot about cops.

"Only guilty people act nervous" Nope not true. People tend to act nervous around authority people, rather police officers, or otherwise.

A cop once said to me that he was surprised by me being so cool around him, that people normally are nervous. I just explained that I'm afraid of all people and that a cop makes no difference...and that I'm just good at hiding my social anxiety. The look on his face would have been priceless, if I weren't near a panic attack at that time

This happened about a month ago, I was on my way back home from vigil Mass & my transmission gave out going up a hill. There was no shoulder so I pushed it gently into the ditch so it wasn't in the middle of the two lane. My phone was dead, it was cold, & I was twenty miles from home. People stopped to ask me what happened & then would move on, so I decided to hike the twenty miles home. I made it about five miles when lights turned on & a spotlight hit me. I got patted down, consented to a breathalyzer 0.0 & then he drove me back to my car & explained the situation. He called up the dispatch to get the tow truck to get my car, & we ended up having to sit around, smoke, & talk for about an hour or two. Talked about history, my profession, his journey in the force yada yada. Then after the tow truck got my car he gave me a ride home. Apparently the call that someone made to 911 was that I was drunk, crashed, was flagging everyone down, & walking. Only the walking was true, & he said it's irresponsible calls like that that can get people hurt or killed because that makes them paranoid.

"People going to stores for something specific, in and out." Nobody: Me going high as a kite in the store, looking at chips for 30 mins: Employers: o' sheet he a shoplifta!!

Last time I got pulled over was my first time getting pulled over after getting my CCW, so already nervous. It was 3 am and I got pulled over for a broken taillight (that I was already aware of). By the end of the stop there were 6 squad cars sitting around me, all cops out of the cars. One of the cops ended up asking me why I was nervous. Gee....idk sir. Maybe cause I got pulled over for a broken taillight and there's 6 of you here! After talking to several people about later I realized it was cause it was 3am and they were all likely just bored. Note to law enforcement: I'm sorry you're bored but for the love of Christ, PLEASE DONT DO THIS!

Sometimes i linger in stores simply to wander and see what i find lol. I also feel ridiculously guilty whenever i leave a store empty handed.... ;^;

Having dreads and wearing cargo joggers is suspicion apparently.

Ok I have an issue with the whole locals will fill u in on people thing...a friend of mine was stuck in county jail for several months. About 2 months ago, this psycho creep was busted driving a car that had two stolen plates that were expired also, no insurance, no drivers license 3-4th time...also gets busted with drugs and pills that weren’t his. He told the court that he and I live together in a completely different town then where I live and have been here for 4 years...he also told the courts he’s helping me raise my two sons since no one else will..lol..nope they won’t cuz I won’t let em...so now, the court has it in record that he and I live together and he basically used my lack of a criminal record to work in his favor in court for setting bail...now I’m indicated as to being involved with this kind of lifestyle...NONE OF ITS TRUE! Wtf should a person do in this instance? I do not want my name wrapped up in his type of activities...he used my name out of spite because he has tried to cause me so much trouble for telling him no and to get out of my life

Dear law enforcement, anxiety exists

"Watch for the lingeres" bruh I can't just walk around and look around a store without being considered as a shoplifter

People are nervous around police because we don’t trust them. For me personally it’s fear of being railroaded. Most are bullies with a badge. And that makes people nervous.

People constantly think I'm suspicious, like not even just cops, because I have the stereotypical 'serial killer' stare that TV serial killers have (but never real-life ones) due to difficulty showing facial expressions (flat affect). Cops generally think I'm high, which is perhaps ironic due to being the opposite of high (on heavy anti-psychotic meds).

Just after I got my license, I was on the highway, and I git in the passing lane, speeding up to pass someone. All the sudden, I spotted a cop car, and slowed way down. I immediately got pulled over. I was so shaken up, and the cop looked at my license and smiled when he handed it back. "You need to sped up if you're in the passing lane, miss. I could give you a ticket, but I'll let you off with a warning." XD The only time I've ever been pulled over was for going too slow!

my poc ass over here like smiling up at them and calmly asking what I can do for them when they show up at my window and they're always caught off-guard and confused.

Future felons be like: ill note that down. Blend with the crowd. Know whats normal nervousness and try to emulate it. Know your body language and be concious of it. Do not let subconscious thoughts or actions take over. Be a professional felon

Cop: *is near me My brain: what if I accidentally have meth in my car

"People go shopping because they want something specific" You should come shopping with me sometime. We went to get coffee, sugar and cigarettes. We left the store with those, a ham, potatoes, a cabbage, a bag of carrots, spent 20 minutes looking over the liquor, doubled back to get the coffee and sugar.

10:21 I dont lie a whole ton, but even WHEN im honest, i still add a lot of detail. Just not an entire story. I might go like: "Sorry, I slept in late. My friggin alarm didnt go off and my mom took forever to wake up." But still be telling the truth. Im just a person that tends to ramble and switch subjects in the blink of an eye without noticing

"Self conscious idiots" right, because no ones ever died from a fidgety cop.

Start whistling

*Question for cops* 15mins of people telling they're "I got pulled over" storys Very disappointing

10:22 I over explain too but that’s because I have CRIPPLING anxiety

Some people over explain things when they’re talking to someone who lies a lot. People who lie all the time have the hardest time believing anyone because they assume everyone else lies as much as they do. Not everyone who gives too long of an explanation is lying. Sometimes they’re just afraid that you’re not going to believe them because of who you are. They know that some of the things they say can sound far fetch to someone who’s use to making up far fetch lies, and that’s what makes them think the other person won’t believe them.

Well, I guess I'm screwed then since I suffer from both Anxiety and Depression and I am EXTREMELY jumpy -w-

So, in short, "You're suspicious if you act differently from how the cop expects, regardless of whether that expectation was reasonable, and there's no sanity-check on this whatsoever." So reassuring for us people with behavioral abnormalities like social anxiety or mild autism.

I once got talked to by a cop because I was keeping my hands in my pockets for a "suspicious amount of time". It was winter and I had forgotten my gloves

Once my power wasn’t working so I went outside to the fuse box and all I had for light was a lighter so there I am flipping switched with a lighter at night wearing a hoodie. Next thing I know the patrol headlights are on me. My reaction was just me turning around seeing the cop and going back to what I was doing. After a minute he left.

4:18 that doesn't count as reasonable suspicion, just you guys know. Anxiety/fear/etc. does NOT give a cop the right to search you. And the guy that had the K9 unit for being "lost"? If the cop found anything on him, the guy simply states in court that it was unreasonable search and seizure. Done.

When I was in highschool cops would follow me around, my favorite thing to do was to pretend like I didn't notice them, then grab my backwards hat and put it on front facing (to look more innocent) cop would pull me over every single time. I did it sometimes just cause I didn't give a F. And thought it was funnier than being pulled over for something stupid.

The thing is with the pawn shop one where they see talkitive people sus, I'm just naturally chatty A LOT so people become really sus bout me. I've tried to control my talking but its actually pretty hard to do so lol

Haha criminals take notes

Used to walk at work at night at around 11pm( 2 mile walk (worse time to walk around while black). But cops would drive behind me about 15ft with high beam lights on. And would even drive onto the track to stay behind me. Great times at least I felt safe

If I lived in the US id be nervous around cops too, in Australia at least in my state, they are pretty chill

"watch for the lingerers" nooooo, my husband ALWAYS lingers, but doesn't shoplift.

Well today I learned even off duty cops get freaked by on duty cops. The irony.

Pro tip: use your phone to record cops, audio can be as useful as video

10:02 No I’m just anxious like that and y’all too much. Mom gave me the “don’t talk anywhere near 50% of the conversation” rule

I have a question for anyone who’s a cop, ex-cop, lawyer, or anyone else who has a logical answer. If you a completely innocent person and have nothing to hide, how can that person assert their constitutional rights on principle without making the officer suspicious, mad, or thinking you have something to hide, or just generally making the situation worse for yourself? Also how should someone politely/respectfully tell a cop to keep their questioning to the purpose of the stop, how should someone get a cop to stop asking “fishing” questions (such as, where are you coming from, where are you going, do you know how fast you were going, can you step out of the vehicle, ect.)

Oh dear. I never look at cops, because I want to ‘play it cool’ and not be a gawking civilian. I’m doomed.

Apparently, most of my behavior is suspicious and I look not forward, but backward to my future interactions with the law.

Nearly all of the anxiety I have around cops is when I feel like I'm being monitored. If they just come up and talk to me, I relax. Maybe the cops in my town are just really charismatic and good at their job face to face, idk.

Even off duty cops don't feel safe around other cops. Not surprising

Get mad when caught stealing, lol. They get so pissed off even when it's right there on camera and in their pocket.

We have front door that doesnt always close and we sometimes forget to lock it. We have had visits from police (not 1 cop, not 2, not 3 but 4 cops, two times in a row at some point) and one time they screamed POLICE DROP YOUR WEAPONS at me because i was making cereal in my kitchen and my spoon was seen as a weapon. I was freaking 8 years old, making cereal at 3 am in the morning, and a random cop yelled at me. They cleared the houde, drilled my mom out of bed and our dog who barks at it's own freaking tail just let them in. Didnt even flinch. Fucker. But yeh it happened quite often, one time they just ran into my bedroom because they didnt know if there were burglars bcs the door was open. Yeh we moved now and now the door locks without actually locking it so that doesnt happen anymore but damn

I work in EMS so I see and talk to cops all the time. Whenever I see them at work or in public I always talk to them like I'd talk to anyone else. Been working out great so far plus I've got nothing to hide anyways

Anxiety for me is like im so anxious, my brain goes into overdrive and i forget how normal people act. 😅 like when seeing cops i think "act like you're just nervous, not suspicious" and now that i know these, i think my anxious brain is like "don't touch your waist too many times" and immediately i do just that. 🙈

I remember being like 7, grandma's driving everyone to the mall. Theres a cop behind her, she gets super nervous, slows down. Is now going 15mph in a 40mph. Didnt get pulled over lol

nice to know there are some people who think people with anxiety are ‘self-conscious idiots acting weird’

the whole "making up an explanation for something even though no one asked" thing is also associated with ADD/ADHD (i know this from experience and some of my friends also have it)

I think most people get nervous when interacting with police.

The “idiots” remark in the OP’s post is kind of unnecessarily mean-spirited

i hate cops who start off with the “bad cop” persona, like dudes, your jobs are to protect and serve not to bully and act tough. but respect to all the cops who hold true to their oaths and duties. cops ALWAYS make me nervous, as i have had a handful of run ins with police due to a heavy foot, but now i drive 100 percent to rules of the road, even catch cops themselves breaking the rules, but even if a cop pulls up behind me, i STILL get nervous and begin to play out multiple scenarios of how our future POSSIBLE (might not) conversation will go.

8:13 “drugs in the car.... wait, I don’t do drugs” lol

whenever i see a cop or go through like security aat a airport i always just think "what if im accidently doing something illegal" and i dont know why

my dad is a cop so I tend to be chill around cops (I live in Portugal tho, not USA)

0:45 The police in the UK are bad, but they don't waste resources like that to try and catch ONE not even confirmed buyer. Think about how much time and money that goes into searching one lost guy's car for drugs, while any number of muggings, assaults and other crimes take place. K9's should be sniffing for bad guys, not good kush.

A lot of these miss the fact that the officer might think you're probably innocent, but there's definitely something to be said for opening the conversation up with "you know why I'm here." The innocent might freak out--but the guilty might give themselves away.

I’m always scared people are gonna think I’m shoplifting because I really love shopping and looking at everything and I’ve been followed multiple times, but obviously I was followed way more when I had colored hair and visible piercings.

Also, I live next to an airport that frequently has helicopters coming in and out of it. While most people react, I don’t unless there’s multiple. It’s not the helicopter which brings my attention, it’s the potential circumstances around it. 9/10 they mean nothing to me, though if there’s multiple it can signify something crazy like a suspect running away, in which only then would alarm me.

cops drive slow on purpose to see whos scared to pass them even though hes not speeding. its a common tactic to see who's driving "too careful"

*is black in Oakland* Cop: do you know why I pulled you over? Me: did you ever see Fruitvale Station?

5:17 i know its 110° out but im just self conscious man. 11:20 also, is this why people think im sketchy in stores? Im just looking!

I work in an ER and run into a lot of cops. I got pulled over this summer. The cop looked at me for a long time, checked my license, etc. When he came back he let me off with a warning (speed). He said he recognized me but wasn't sure at first if it was because he had previously arrested me or knew me personally lol.

First red flag: Look at the counter Thanks gas station encounters

I’m not nearly as nervous around cops now as I was several years ago. I worked at a restaurant that was a cop hangout in the mornings, so several years of serving and talking to them helped my anxiety a lot.

Cops: you look familiar what's your name Me: ion got it on me right now

I automatically tense up when I see cops. One time I was coming home from doing some grocery shopping and a cop pulled up next to me at the intersection when the light was red. I was in the left-turn lane and the cop was in a straight-through lane. I felt both relieved and silly when the light went green and the cop car drove off. Obviously they wouldn’t shoot and kill me right then and there. No, then I’d be blocking traffic. But yeah the only cops I trust have fur and four legs. Because police dogs are literally just dogs.

As a nervous Nellie that carries a knife daily: 🥵

There’s a huge issue in this country with people not minding there own business and trying to get everyone in trouble for something it’s sad

Once the police were looking for some dude who had just robbed this house In my neighborhood. My friend was automatically suspected as he was walking in that area in a heavy jacket when it was summer. He didn’t didnt commit the robbery but they had to dispatch more police because he was being sent to the hospital for suicidal ideation. His wrists were cut up he was drunk as balls walking to the lake. So luckily being suspected then saved his life honestly

Would it be possible that if a cop tried to calm down a nervous person, the ones that are not guilty but panicked would calm down while the guilty people wouldn't be able to.....

I see helicopters so much that I dont look anymore. I dont see police helicopters, but if I do I think I'm going to look so suspicious because I wont look at it

0:48 that bad cop could be the reason your place is becoming drug free

One of those made me realize I look like a shoplifter. I probably shouldn't spend 20m looking around to pick the perfect snacks everytime I go to a store. It also doesn't help I'm always a little bit uncomfortable when there is anyone at all around me.

wearing black air Force 1s

I guess it varies per country. In the Netherlands cops are quite friendly and police violence doesn't occur often. In arms-bearing countries police-relations work quite differently.

This video was bombarded with regular people talking about how they get nervous around cops than cops answering the actual question

I've developed a weird nonchalance to authority thanks to my job, so whenever the cops are around I make a point of acting possibly overly comfortable with the fact that they're there. When a cop pulls up behind me, obviously running my plate and waiting for me to pause at a stop sign, I'll start singing along with the radio and will sometimes roll the window down to put my arm out. Some cops I can tell get a tad salty but I make sure not to give them any of the petty reasons to pull me over. A little hard to say "Only guilty people act nervous" as a premise for why I'm being hassled when I literally go "sup dude?" when I pass them on the street.