**Heidi Harris:**
Welcome to *Vegas Crime Files*. I’m Heidi Harris. Today we’re going to talk about car stops. It’s a very simple thing in most cases. A lot of people have been pulled over, and sometimes that’s the only contact you’ll ever have with police.
Other times we’ve seen car stops go completely sideways and things escalate to the point where awful things happen.
So what are your rights when you get pulled over? What do you actually have to do that the officer asks you to do? And by the way, what is the officer required to do during a car stop?
Why do they stop people to begin with? What are they looking for, and what can escalate things?
Tom Page is here — a 25-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He served as a traffic sergeant, training sergeant, and patrol sergeant for many years. He joins us today.
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**Sergeant Tom Page:**
Always glad to be on.
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**Heidi Harris:**
Let’s start with the first obvious question. What are some of the reasons you pull people over? They may not be what people think.
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**Sergeant Tom Page:**
Technically speaking, there are two instances where we can stop a vehicle.
One is **probable cause**, which means we believe a crime has been committed and the person we’re stopping committed that crime.
The other is **reasonable suspicion**. If I can articulate reasonable suspicion that I believe someone committed a crime, I can make the stop. There’s no differentiation between misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or felony. I just have to be able to articulate why I reasonably believe a crime occurred.
I’ll be honest — I’ve stopped people just for the way they looked at me. There’s looking at the cops, and then there’s *looking at the cops.*
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**Heidi Harris:**
You start moving your eyes back and forth really quickly — things like that.
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**Sergeant Tom Page:**
Exactly. Or a crime was just committed — say a robbery — and the suspect vehicle description is a white male in a car. If I see a vehicle with one white male occupant nearby, that can create reasonable suspicion.
Those are the two technical reasons we can stop a vehicle.
Then there are traffic violations: speeding, running a stop sign, expired license plates. That’s probable cause because traffic offenses are misdemeanor crimes.
If you're stopped by police, turn on your dome light, let them see your hands, and be cordial.
When I stop someone, I walk up, introduce myself, and tell them immediately why I stopped them. I don’t play the “Do you know why I stopped you?” game.
I’ll say:
“Hello sir, this is Sergeant Page with Metro Police. The reason I stopped you is you were going 65 in a 35.”
Then we can talk about the details.
But you’re never going to win an argument on the side of the road.
And the stuff you see in some videos with sovereign citizens saying “Call your supervisor” — officers are under **no obligation** to do that. It’s not department policy and it’s not the law.
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**Heidi Harris:**
Not only that, when you sign a ticket that doesn’t mean you’re admitting guilt. Talk about that.
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**Sergeant Tom Page:**
Right. Signing the citation is simply a **promise to appear in court**. It’s not an admission of guilt.
That’s where both sides get to explain what happened.
Sometimes it’s not even that someone is lying — it’s perception.
Someone might say, “I didn’t run that red light.”
But if you crossed the stop line while the light was red, legally that counts.
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**Heidi Harris:**
What if someone refuses to sign the ticket?
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**Sergeant Tom Page:**
Then they go to jail.
Issuing a citation is actually a courtesy so I **don’t have to take you to jail** and **don’t have to tow your car**.
If you refuse to sign it, that courtesy goes away.
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**Heidi Harris:**
Yeah, I don’t sign the ticket, I don’t take the breath test — I don’t have to do anything. People think they’re off the hook. It doesn’t work that way.
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**Sergeant Tom Page:**
Not at all.
One of the biggest problems law enforcement faces today is people think they know the law because someone on the internet told them something.
You still have to provide **driver’s license, registration, and insurance**. If you’re driving, you must show a valid driver’s license.
You don’t have to answer every question — but you **do have to identify yourself**.
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*(Transcript continues through discussion of searches, passengers, DUI testing, handcuffs, traffic stop tactics, and Vegas-specific issues.)*
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**Heidi Harris (closing):**
Well, I hope that cleared up some misconceptions people have about traffic stops.
Please share this episode with anyone you know who drives — or rides in a car — because everyone should know their rights.
And remember, you can’t always believe everything you see in those viral videos.
Let me know what you think about this or any other episode.
Email me at **[heidi@vegascrimefiles.com](mailto:heidi@vegascrimefiles.com)**.
And check out **vegascrimefiles.com**. Follow us on all the socials at **Vegas Crime Files**.
A lot of people are talking about this podcast. It’s getting great reviews, and we’re having a good time with it.
See you next time.
