{"id":90267,"date":"2024-11-11T15:23:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T23:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portal.bluetogold.com\/?p=90267"},"modified":"2026-09-17T06:21:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T13:21:16","slug":"must-you-bring-your-supervisor-on-scene-if-requested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portal.bluetogold.com\/?p=90267","title":{"rendered":"Must You Bring Your Supervisor on Scene if Requested?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is the question. If someone on a traffic stop says, “I want to see your supervisor, bring them to the scene. I’m not going anywhere until I talk to your supervisor,” do you have to call your supervisor, or can you just handle the situation and tell them to go down to the police station, for example?<\/p>\n

Why does this come up on traffic stops?<\/h2>\n

Now, the officer asking the question says, “Look, we see a lot of TikTok videos with non-compliant people. These sovereign citizens are like, ‘I want a supervisor,’ or others say, ‘Bring me your sergeant! I’m not signing anything until I talk to your sergeant,’ and so on. The cop’s stance is that a traffic stop is not the place to litigate. It’s the place to receive your citation, and you go to court from there.”<\/p>\n

I’m a constitutionalist, too, just not a sovereign citizen. I love the Constitution and believe that everyone, police and citizens alike, should know it inside and out. Take California, for instance, if their legislature actually read and understood the Second Amendment (though I\u2019m not sure they\u2019re smart enough to), maybe they\u2019d stop violating it. It’s things like that that make me passionate about constitutional rights.<\/p>\n

Now, I don’t give constitutionalists a hard time, but sometimes they’ll give cops a hard time. They’ll say things like, “You didn\u2019t have a reason to stop me. This is an unjust stop. You had no reason to get me out of the car,” and so on. I really do think officers should have the backing of their departments to use discretion when deciding whether to call a supervisor to the scene. If someone says, “I wasn’t speeding, I want a supervisor,” I\u2019m sorry, but if I were the boss, I wouldn\u2019t be calling the supervisor to come all the way to the scene just because someone disagrees about the cause of the stop.<\/p>\n

When should you call a supervisor to the scene?<\/h2>\n

However, if the driver is saying something serious. Like, “You fractured my wrist when you put me in handcuffs<\/a>,” or “You groped me” (if it’s a female occupant), or there’s an excessive force<\/a> claim. Those are different situations. We definitely want to document that and get another officer there to act as a witness. Ideally, you\u2019d also want cameras rolling for potential future litigation.<\/p>\n

But if all they want to do is turn the traffic stop into a court session on the side of the road; No<\/em>! I\u2019ve had people tell me, “I don\u2019t want your sergeant; I want your chief!” And I\u2019ll say, “I don\u2019t have a chief.” They\u2019ll respond, “You don\u2019t have a chief?!” \u201cNo, I don\u2019t. My boss is my colonel. And, I\u2019m not trying to be snide, but the point is, we\u2019re not calling the colonel to a traffic stop to litigate a speeding ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m <\/p>\n

Is there a legal obligation to bring a supervisor?<\/h2>\n

not sure if this is exactly what my officer is looking for, but I think it’s part of the broader conversation. If you’re looking for something more elaborate, I guess my point is that there is no legal obligation to have a senior officer come to the traffic stop and referee all the issues. However, good policy, discretion, and community relations would suggest that officers should definitely call a supervisor if there\u2019s a legitimate complaint, something external to the actual stop itself.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s <\/p>\n

Which complaints need to be handled immediately?<\/h2>\n

an excessive force claim, sexual harassment, or racial profiling, those are serious issues we want to address right away. If we don\u2019t handle those properly, we risk being accused of ignoring serious complaints of misconduct. These are the kinds of things that should be resolved as soon as possible. If there\u2019s any truth to them, we should open an internal affairs investigation.<\/p>\n

I hope this has helped you. I really enjoy discussing the issues you’re facing every day!<\/p>\n

Until next time, my friends, stay safe!<\/p>\n

Related from Blue to Gold<\/h2>\n