THE TIME GERMAN POLICE PULLED US OVER AT THE DUTCH/GERMAN BORDER (AMERICAN’S PERSPECTIVE)

As a teenager (16 years old) I was visiting my girlfriend in the neighboring town and missed the last bus home around midnight. So I walked towards home on the cycle path along the main road and tried to hitchhike. A police vehicle approached, pulled up next to me and asked me if I had ID with me and where I was going. When I said I want to go home, one of the police officers said I was under temporary arrest. They drove me home where the arrest was then lifted. That saved me a long walk and corresponded to the motto of the German police: Your friend and helper.

I've been living in Germany for 7 years now, and have been "pulled over" once. I was in Amsterdam on a business trip, at lunch time I parked my car at one of the parking garages in the city center and an hour later I found out the rear windscreen of my car was smashed and I've lost some personal belongings. After I dealt with all the police reporting in Amsterdam, I drove back to Germany and I had to stop at a petrol station to fill the tank. A police car came in and stopped next to me, the policeman said he saw the broken rear windscreen and asked what happened. After I explained what happened to the car in Amsterdam and told him that I've filed a report in Amsterdam, he asked if I was ok and if I needed any help. When I politely declined, he wished me a good day and reminded me to drive safely home then drove away. If only all policemen around the world are like this...

the main focus for the police in germany is to help people, not fighting or punishing or anything destructive. and i think that mindset paired with the more thorough training makes a big difference

To be fair, the German and other European police forces are a lot more relaxed because the do not expect somebody to have a weapon or something. There has been one incident recently with 2 police officers being shot and it was a nationwide shock and of course the murderers wer caught within days. The whole circumstances and atmosphere are just completely different.

Those cops belonged to a unit specialised in drug trafficking. But the fact they didn’t search you or the car shows they immediately realised they stopped the wrong car

Sorry to hear about your experience with law enforcement in the US. I'm happy to hear that your experience in Germany until now was good (even though it's kind of sad that being treated with dignity and respect is something worth mentioning in interaction with the police... I mean this should be the bare minimum to expect). In Germany they teach us basically since kindergarten that the police is "your friend and helper". And thank God I've always felt safe seeing policemen. Even in protests I've always been treated with respect. But I'm also aware that I'm in a privileged position as I'm a white woman and therefore haven't been subjected to racial profiling or racism which I know sadly also exists here in Germany. But generally speaking I think german police has a lot of psychological training and is trying to deescalate difficult situation instead of escalating peaceful interactions. Of course that's just a generalization and there are good and bad cops here as everywhere.

The police stopping you on the Dutch / German border, despite it being within the Schengen area, where open border policies have been established, really has nothing to with skin color, but with drug trafficking in general. My favorite story was from a medieval show-fight actor, who owned loads of (blunt) swords, maces, a full show-fight armor set, etc. He usually leaves all of his equipment in the trunk of his car because it is too much of a hassle to unload each time, when he has to travel to the next show in a few days. He even is licensed to carry all of these (non-dangerous) weapons. So he travelled to the Netherlands to visit some friends and buy some Dutch specialities, including some Vla filled cookies, which he could ONLY get from a tiny store. He got back from the Netherlands and was pulled over at the border by the German Zoll, the border and toll patrol. The cops were really friendly, and asked him politely what he was doing in the Netherlands. He said: "Oh, I had a coffee with my friends, then bought some special cookies." He knew PERFECTLY well that these were euphemisms for smoking weed (in a Dutch 'Coffeeshop') and buying space cookies (= marijuana cookies). The cops instantly turned a bit anxious, and still asked him fairly politely, but firmly, to open his trunk. He said: "Uuuuh, no, I don't want to do that." Cops: "Why not? You have to, because we asked you to." Him: "Because it's full of weapons and my gear." Cops: (raised eyebrows, unbuttoning his holster): "Sir, please get out of the car and open your trunk." Him: (grinning from ear to ear): "Ok, if you demand it..." and opens the trunk. After a few moments and a friendly explanation that he had pranked the cops, and a few flabberghasted moments the cops laughed so hard when they saw the blunt swords and armor, topped off with the professionally sealed Vla cookies. My friend even broke open one packet of cookies, showed them the ingredients list (no marijuana at all), and offered them some. They mock-scolded him, grinning as well, then sent him on his way. They probably had a funny story to tell back at the precinct.

The Dutch/German border is a hotspot for getting pulled over...mainly because of weed smuggling..weed is fairly legal in the Netherlands therefore easy to get but still illegal in Germany but other drugs got smuggled as well...Rotterdam is simply the biggest international haven for goods in Europe, so you can imagine drugs make their way to Europe via Rotterdam in high margins. Well after they have noticed that you were US American and that you behaved well they might thought you were just a Tourist or someone from a military base, because usually they would have searched your car as a routine check and when you had behaved in any way suspicious they would have done a drug test as well..BUT there are also cops out there who are doing those things/car search+drug test no matter what as well....just always behave well and then those - even when they search your car and let you make a drug test - are no big deal, just as advice.

I have been pulled over by police every other time when crossing from the Netherlands into Germany. Seems I perfectly fit their target group for drug trafficking. Which is, I don’t know, man under thirty in a car with non-local registration, apparently.

Vegan African American Tesla driver in Chicago. So far, fingers crossed the police have been extremely polite.

I go to the Netherlands a few times a year to shop, I live not too far from the border. And yes, the drug checks once you get back over the border is a common thing. Meanwhile I have enough new coffee in my bags to power a small country

As a German, I have to share a positive comment about the Florida highway patrol. In the late 80s, we were on a tourist trip in Florida, riding from Key West to Miami in a Chrysler Sebring. When changing highways, I ran over a STOP sign without noticing it. Seconds later, a police car pulled us over. The officer told me, what I did. I‘m very sorry, I replied. His comment: You would be much sorrier if a truck ran over you! Then he asked me for my ID and driver‘s license. It‘s in the trunk, I replied. So he let me go to the trunk and I showed him the papers. Oh, you are German! Where are you heading for? I told him and he said, ok, we‘ll show you part of the way and give you a sign, when to leave the highway, which they did. Great positive experience!

The education here is about 3-4 years. Including tests about their mental health. I guess this is why you get better treated here than in the US. I had several times with the police but never had problems. Mostly „traffic control“ (allgemeine Verkehrskontrolle). But two times a discussion with the police. But the funniest time i’ve had was when i was on my way home after my nightshift 31.12./1.1. early at 6 a.m. They stopped me and asked about alcohol. When i said i worked the whole night they said directly i could go on and wished me a „good night“. Not control of my papers or something else.

Any interaction with german police I've had was just smooth af. I remember about 25 years ago, that I didn't have my student tram ticket with me when I went to work to write my thesis, and because I didn't have an ID with me either, the "tram cops" (those where an unfriendly bunch of aholes) were calling the real cops. The real cops drove me home, stayed outside of my student apartment as asked, so I could get my ID and my ticket to show them. They drove me to work (!) and didn't even mind the obvious weed smell coming from my apartment. Back then, I quite every time had some , some more, or quite a lot of weed in the car when I got stopped (it is 20+ years ago, and I don't do that anymore since then, and I never dui), and not once has there been a problem. Get questions asked, give answers. A good answer to "Did you have any alcohol" turned out to be: "*not yet*, but when I get home/when I see my girlfriend". It has always been answered with a "ok, then have a nice evening" and a big smile from the cops (especially the female cops when I mentioned a gf). Mind you, every stop has been in Bayern, and they don't tolerate "alternatives to alcohol" at all. It's just as they say: "Wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus". Be friendly, get treated friendly - most of the time. Be an ahole, win ahole prices - every time.

I would like to share a short story that highlighted racism in the US for me. My German-born dark-skinned girlfriend flew to the USA to visit her American dark-skinned girlfriend. She lives in Texas. So my girlfriend got a rental car at the airport. After a few clicks, a police car pulled up in front of her. She stopped and the policeman approached her with his gun drawn. She had to get out immediately and put her hands on the hood of the car. The policeman treated her very disparagingly and worthlessly. But suddenly the situation changed when the policeman realized through her German passport that she was German. Suddenly the policeman showed off his knowledge of German and even apologized. But it became even more interesting when the policeman was called and asked by the colleague if the person (my girlfriend) is white or black, the policeman said "Neither, she is German!". Thereupon my friend asked why he would be so friendly now. He replied, "... Because you are a German - Germans are always decent, clean and dutiful". (...) The story shows well how mendacious and prejudiced racism is.

part of the training of the police. Profiling in the form of nice or at least professional interaction. They don't want to spend half an hour uselessly searching your car, so within 5 minutes they determine that you don't fit the profile of a typical drug runner. And even if you did fit the profile, a positive interaction is safer and more pleasant for all involved.

When you come back from the netherlands it is possible to get into a check for drugs. Its common since the drug laws between the netherlands and germany are different. But when they look at you see nothing wierd you are good to go in a few minutes. A lot of european police foreces are highly trained and relaxed as long as you stay calm yourself and I remeber when I was visiting the US I had a different feeling around police too.

It’s so cool that the police here checked you out and then said, ok , based on your answers and common sense and didn’t already have the idea that you must be criminal drug addicts because you are black. I can’t begin to imagine how awful it must be to have to deal with that. Thank you for sharing this positivity. It’s wonderful. But the rest of your experiences in the US… I‘m so sorry that people are going through this and I hope with all my heart that it will one day be unimaginable history.

Wow man! I loved this one as well. Keep up the great work. Will watch the third video of yours today and share your channel to my friends. Greetings from Munich.

I`ve been a police officer in training in the 70`s and you had to absolve a difficult test to be accepted. Your education is 3 to 4 years with learning laws, mathematik, german, english, a lot of sports and weapon training and one of the first things i learned was to handle anyone with respekt.