Typical? Traffic Stop in Santo Domingo:

This is a real deal experiance last week, not second hand story..

We were in an Americans car, a somewhat beat up Toyota, with the local Ex-Pat driving, me in the passenger seat (a good looking white male), another white male in the back seat and a DR lady friend..

We were on our way to drop off the gentlemen in the bac at the airport for his trip home and to pick up another friend of mine..

A DR policeman on a motor bike pulled beside us, then in front of us wedging us between himself and a garbage truck, waving us over..

He claimed we had run a red light....and that the penalty was 48hours in jail (the driver I suppose and 500 pesos). We had not run any red light as none in the last couple miles..but leave it at that...

He wanted the papers of the driver and the car..neither of which were available..(no excuse I know, but I suspect many cars down there not exactly legal, much less drivers)

After much haggleing, we sent the lady out of the car and over to the sidewalk to talk with him..we could have run away at this point I suppose but for whatever reason, we waited, she came back a moment later and said 300pesos will do the trick...we paid and made the flight and pick-up on time....

This is a true story, I am wondering if it happens often?

i lived in the dr for 8 years and have traveled through out the country. this type of police behavior is typical in the sdo metro area. it is a daily event no big deal. the typical police officer's salary is very low so he is forced to suppliment his salary by taking actions as you experienced.

the standard kick back is only 20 pesos (all locals know this) so both the police officer and your lady friend ripped you off.

What is the best way to deal with the police? If you get pulled over for something you know you didn't do, should you simply just pull out 20 pesos and hand it to the officer, or will the officer be offended if you make the first move? Should you just wait for the officer to name his price and then pay up? If the price he gives is too high (like 300 pesos), should you then try to negotiate, or will that offend him?

We will be driving all around DR next month, so this would be good to know. Thanks.

You paid too muh, 100 pesos would have been enough

I like to think of the Dominican Police as "honest thieves," at leasst they tell you how much they are going to rob you of instead of dragging you through a criminal "justice" system.

Tom

Carry photo copies of your documentation, don't hand over any originals, and smile and plead ignorance, that you do not understand what he is saying. Point to your watch such as you have an urgence to get somewhere, or have your wife look like she is sick, like wanting to throw up. Police agents have instructions not to molest tourists, so that the last thing that agent wants to do is take you to the Police Headquarters, unless of course you are involved in a crash or major traffic accident or risked others lives. They will not lock you up for 48 hours -- that threat comes from the days the police had to do so because everyone was running red lights -- and the fine for running a red light is RD$50 if you go to court. The likelihood of an agent stopping a tourist is low. And the likelihood of an agent stopping a woman driver is even lower. The last time I was stopped by a traffic cop, for running a red light, my 6 year old son interceded in my favor, "sir, give my mom a chance," to which the agent responded, "go lady, you sure have a defendant there." Despite their maybe intimidating looks, they do have a sense of humor.

This upsets me because I do not think they have a sense of humor. What would you suggest in my case, where my husband is Dominican and he is usually the driver and we constantly get pulled over and since he has an American wife they think he has money and will not let us go. We have all legal papers for the car and to my knowledge there is no reason for us being pulled over. One time an officer just sat there at the window and would not let us leave until my husband gave him 100 pesos and then he still wanted more and when my husband drove away he followed us again and said he was going to arrest my husband. The fact that this has to happen is very unfortunate. My husband gives the same response as someone said they are paid very little. I don't think that gives them any right in harassing me. What would you suggest to me?

Lori

I really did run a red light in the capital and got stopped by a cop with his shotgun.I was with two of my dominican freinds so I couldnt play the dumb lost tourist that doesnt speak spanish.It was quit an experience but the mistake I made besides running the light was not having any money smaller than 100 pesos.He would have accepted alot less.

Mike:

Maybe this copy of a DR1 post I made last August will give you some idea of how common such incidents are here.

Regards, Keith

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>Until about 2-3 weeks ago, I would have said that things have improved immeasurably and for you not to worry. When I first moved here in 1995 at the end of the Balaguer administration, I was stopped frequently by police seeking "something for breakfast" (that's how two of them put it, anyway). When the Fernandez Administration took over in August 1996, this seemed to almost magically disappear. The new government paid the traffic cops better, warned them they would be fired is reported asking for bribes, and told the public to report any cop that did. After that I was approached twice by cops with extortions clearly on their minds, but afraid to be blatant about it. Playing a gringo unable to speak much Spanish frustrated their attempts at subtlety so much that they walked off, getting nothing.
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>So I went almost 2 years without such harassment. I was overjoyed, and began to think things were actually improving here.
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>I should not have dared to be so optimistic.
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>On the DR's Father's Day, at the end of July, I was stopped at about 8 PM by a traffic cop at the stop light on Bolivar at Independence Park. He claimed that I had run a red light, which here they can put you into jail for automatically, 48 hours, effectively with no appeal. The claim was patently absurd. The light had been unquestionably green, didn't change to yellow the whole time I was crossing. I was amidst a dozen cars crossing with me; I was the only one picked because mine was the only new car in the lot. And I suspect that, in the dark, he couldn't tell I was a foreigner when he pulled me over. He probably thought he would be bullying a rich Dominican.
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>I was polite, but made sure that when he demanded to see my license, that he got my US license. He insisted that the light had been red; my wife and I politely insisted it was green. He threatened to throw me in jail immediately. My wife asked how could he think I would chance going to jail by crossing illegally with three kids in the car? He asked if we were calling him a liar; we said no, just wrong. I also made sure that my Spanish stayed simple, badly accented and deteriorated progressively as the debate continued. Implied message: this guy stopped an American tourist. Although it's never been so stated publicly, I get the impression these guys are instructed to be very careful with what they pull on tourists.
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>So then he started talking about "multa" (penalty), so we knew without doubt what the real point of this whole scene had been. We stuck to our guns. Eventually he relented and let us go even without the bribe. We were quite shaken (you don't want to spend 48 hrs in a Dominican jail if you can avoid it), and my Father's Day was ruined.
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>This is not an isolated incident. I've recently read several articles, op-eds and letters to newspapers about this happening more and more. It seems to be the latest traffic cop scam, done because people will pay rather than go directly to jail. In the past, the cops just threatened to take your license, and the worse you faced was going to the station to pick it up, paying the multa, and then paying something else so they could "find" where they "misplaced" it. Many people paid bribes rather than go through that, but some decided just to drive without a license instead. Not anymore.
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>So be forewarned. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

I usually just shout Americano or Sammy Sosa out the window and they let me go. The other thing is don't stop they usually only have a little motorbike and would never catch you anyway. There is also no central reigistration system of numberplates and they never have radios anyway. If I am forced to stop unless I know the guy I never give him more than 20 pesos. I would n't recommend this with the new police force in SD. The guys in green. They are a little different.

I'm not sure I understand the question. Are you asking whether it is common to drive around without proper documentation, or are you asking if it is common to suffer fines when you do?

Or are you asking whether the stories about police shakedowns that have been posted here are true. You probably know the answer to those questions, so what are you asking?

You are to smart for this....

The only question was "I am wondering if it happens often.?"

Seems it does, the remaining was a true story from last week..

I would not think proper documentation would matter that much, might even get you in deeper,,think of it, a Motor Bike cop with your passport in his hand...the percentage of stolen cars in many third world countrys is upwards of 75%..with the DR being an island, I suppose this number is lower..but they do have a port....The high end vehicles, most often the big 4wheel drive Expedition type are most likely stolen from the states and sent there in containers with "Proper Docs" waiting at the customs/adjuana area....never to be illegal again..

Imagine yourself a rich person living in the DR, your choice:

One new vehicle, fully liscenced and titled in the DR - $35000.usd One new vehicle, fully liscenced and titled in the DR - $70000.usd

Which one would you choose? Exact same vehicle.

I'd say that maybe 20% of the cars the police attempt to pull over actually stop. Keep on driving - they won't bother to go after you. If you should have an encounter with a policeman in this country - don't worry - just smile and shake hands (if you actually did something wrong like make a U-turn in the wrong place or go through a red light your handshake might leave 20 pesos in the man's hand).

I have been stopped any number of times in the five years I have lived here. I have never encountered a surly cop - they are generally very nice. Once I was stopped with no insurance, an expired license and no registration ... oops... and the officer offered to help me get my registration when I returned to Santo Domingo (being a woman helps).

I must say that tourists are not bothered as much as they used to be.

Tell them to give you a ticket. If you get stopped frequently, just travel with a photocopy of your license plastified. Then you hand in that copy of your license, which is legal. Then go to court and pay the RD$50 fine. Last time Robert was stopped, the cop told him they would go to the Police headquarters, so Robert told him to get in. They barely made it half way up the block, when the cop asked to get out. I think it helped that Robert was running low on gas and asked the Policeman to help them get there.

Do the cops not know that people are wise to there nonsense?? I was going to rent a car when I go I don't think I will now. I have never heard of anything so stupid in all my life and I've travelled to many Islands. I have been really looking forward to my visit now I am wondwering what the hell I'm getting into. Perhaps some of the Dominican people should do something about this, after all where would the DR be without tourism??

Bill

I have to agree with you that it is not exactly "right" to pay a bribe to a policman, but what do you do when travelling in certain States in the South of the US? Sometimes you are ushered into "Night Court" in front of a municipal Judge, fined hundreds of dollars on the spot, or set a Court date where you must travel hundreds or thousands of miles to fight a charge that is stacked against you. The other problem is if you don't pay the fine, your license is suspended nationwide.

I don't condone paying "bribes," but I like to think of the Dominican Traffic Cops as "honest thieves," at least you know what they want and they make no bones about it.

It would be nice to see a bit more civility in Santo Domingo driving, but.....

Tom

Bill,

Don't let all these postings scare you. The D.R. is a wonderful place and not to get out and see the sights would be a shame.

The police are not intimidating like in the U.S. Most people don't stop when flagged over. The one "radar" area on the way to Santo Domingo has a sign before you approach - proudly proclaiming that the radar area is ahead. If it is raining you won't see the police, after dark you rarely see any, from 12 to 2 (siesta) there are fewer around.

Being stopped by the police is not an everyday occurance and if you are it is no big deal. By all means do not change your plans!