Beware - Corrupt COPs on way to Santo Domingo airport from Sosua

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mariopoli

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Nov 20, 2012
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On Dec. 5, 2012 at around noon while traveling through Santiago in my rental car from Sosua on my way to the Santo Domingo airport, I was stopped by what apeared to be an armed police officer. He asked me for my drivers licence and registration. Upon seeing my California drivers licence he asked me for my passport which I also gave him. He told me he stopped me because I had run a traffic light a few lights back and he was alerted to stop me. The cop told me that because my car was not equipped with a fire extigusher it was going to be impounded and I would have to take a taxi home. He also told me that the fine would be 4000-5000 pesos. He then asked to sit in the passenger seat and we spent what seemed like a half hour dicussing what we were going to do. He repeatedly gave me a speech about how low the saleries for Policeman are in the DR. He also seemed interested in my GPS. He started grilling me about what I do for a living. He made many phone calls on a private cell phone reporting his progress with me and not the police phone strapped to his waist. Finally I told him I worked for the US Government and that I was going to call the US embassy in Santo Domingo. He then seemed willing to accept the $20 USD I had offered him earlier. I handed him the money and he returned my documents and he left the car. A few blocks ahead I observed other cops pulling what looked like rental cars over apperantly doing the same to them as what had been done to me. I missed my turn out of town and did not want to go past these corrupt cops again for fear I would be stoped again. Fortunately my ipad had loaded Santiago street maps and I took back streets out of town. I was woried this would repeat again driving through Santo Domingo. I got lost in SD but did not encounter any corrupt cops.






If I report this to the US embassy and the Santiago Police department will it serve any usefull purpose.
 
hammerdown

hammerdown

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Apr 29, 2005
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I guess you should have listened to those posters that said you should take an alternative route to the airport in SD. better luck next time though

Reporting it would do nothing, but waste more of your time.
 
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mariopoli

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Nov 20, 2012
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pollogringo said:
Do not stop.

Never.

Ever.

Do not stop.
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What do you mean do not stop. I was waiting at a traffic light when the cop asked for the papers. If I did not stop I assume he would have sent squad cars and motor bikes after me. I would not have gotten very far. The traffic was heavy. This is not some civillian asking me to stop.
 
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pollogringo

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Dec 26, 2011
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mariopoli said:
What do you mean do not stop. I was waiting at a traffic light when the cop asked for the papers. If I did not stop I assume he would have sent squad cars and motor bikes after me. I would not have gotten very far. The traffic was heavy. This is not some civillian asking me to stop.
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He was AMET?
 
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VJS

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Sep 19, 2010
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Interesting, this seems to be a theme in Santiago this month. I was also stopped in Santiago about a week ago, while driving a rental car - although I dont' think it was obvious to be a rental car - just past the Sadhalla / Rep. Argentina intersection, around 5pm on a Saturday. The cop insinuated that I ran the red light - which I of course didn't because we only run red lights after 10-11pm here. So we chatted peacefully about nothing for 5 minutes and I guess he got tired and said 'yo te voy ayudar' and let me go. No monetary amounts were mentioned during the exchange.
 
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Lucian

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Jan 25, 2008
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All these reports about cops stopping cars for no reason is very discouraging. On my next vist to the DR in February I was planning to rent a car to explore the Monte Cristi and Barahona areas. I am not sure that I could comfortably handle being stopped by armed cops. I have seen the advice to not stop repeated in DR1 several times, but the risk of not stopping when asked to do so by an armed policeman in a country like the DR is not one I would like to take. What is to stop him firing some shots at the car and later making up some story to justify his actions? I may have to reconsider my plans and hire a private taxi. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
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Frank the Tank

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May 12, 2005
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It's Christmas time. always seems to happen this time of year. Remember, only AMET can give you traffic tickets.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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guys, guys... do not stop advice is only good for those who actually live here for a while and know what they are doing. i know miesposo does not stop and i know very well i would because i have obedience to the police in my blood :)
a turista is another thing. stop. by all means stop. then either play no espany card or - if the cop seems to espeak inglish - say you work for the government, whatever newspaper/radio/tv, you are police in your home country, a lawyer or whatever else that comes to mind and sounds strong and threatening.

heck, make some fake ID even, for a newspaper in your home country. i have a friend here who works for el caribe (legitimately, he is a network specialist). whenever he gets stopped by the police he pulls out his entry ID with big el caribe letters and says: prensa (press). they do not even ask to see the driving license after that....
 
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pollogringo

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Dec 26, 2011
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I have seen the advice to not stop repeated in DR1 several times, but the risk of not stopping when asked to do so by an armed policeman in a country like the DR is not one I would like to take. What is to stop him firing some shots at the car and later making up some story to justify his actions?
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You don't speed off. You look them in the eye and give them a friendly smile and a subtle salute. You slow appropriately for the situation and you gradually resume normal speed as you've left them in your rearview mirror, to get lunch money or Christmas money from whomever they can intimidate into pulling over and coughing it up.
 
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cbmitch9

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Nov 3, 2010
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You might have been better off by only speaking English. "Yo no speaky the spangish" might have given you better results.
 
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Castle

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Sep 1, 2012
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mariopoli said:
If I did not stop I assume he would have sent squad cars and motor bikes after me. I would not have gotten very far. The traffic was heavy. This is not some civillian asking me to stop.
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While I wouldn't advise anyone not to stop (you never know when they'll just shoot you), you must really know he was not goint to send any squad cars or motor bikes after you. For starters, it's not like they have those readily available waiting for a gringo to go after, and the few that might be available are not going to run after a gringo in a rental. Furthermore, it is a con after all, run by a solo cop or maybe a team of two. No other cops are going to get involved as the reward is not going to be enough for more than one or two. In you situation, I would have asked them to impound the car if they wish (they won't), or wait as long as they want to, eventually they would've let you go and go for an easier target. In any case, they would've let you go for as little as US$ 5, those $20 probably made his week.
 
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suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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Castle: There's a reason they're running this scam on tourists on the way to the airport. They know 99% of people going to the airport are in a hurry and won't want to miss their flight, so the thought of waiting for hours until they can let you go is too much and most people probably just pay up. How do they identify these people? Rental cars are a dead giveaway to begin with.

The "Do Not Stop" advise is not a good advice for a tourist as they most likely won't know the difference between the different branches of the police, military, etc...and as we all know any one of these branches can setup a checkpoint and stop you. Some of them you could safely just slow down, wave and keep going, but others (i.e. G2, Linces, etc...) you do need to stop or risk being followed, stopped, roughed up or even shot at.

The best advice is to play the "I can't understand you..." card as already mentioned...and if pressured too much then say that you'll call the embassy as the OP did.

To try to avoid getting stopped your best bet is to drive behind a truck trailer or one of those Caribe Tours or similar buses. I always try to do this whenever possible as it presents several advantages:
1- These drivers know the road like the palm of their hands so know where every pothole, ditch, cow, etc..is as they travel the same route several times a day.
2- There are several areas that can be dangerous as people are know for throwing rocks at passing cars (I.e. Villa Altagracia area)...they won't do it to trailers and buses.
3- Cops won't typically stop them, because they know they can't get any money out of them. If you're right behind you're invisible.
 
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zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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1. speak only English. 2. Take out your cell phone and say the word "video" and point it at the cop. Even if its not on they will not know the difference.
 
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Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
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I was stopped in Santo Domingo some weeks ago while talking on the phone. By a camioneta full of police officers. They told me if I knew why they stopped me. I told them: I'm sorry, I know I was talking on the phone. Just give me my 'multa', I should not be talking on the phone. They hesitated while they can't give any tickets, called another guy from the camioneta to join the conversation. They told me they could help me to avoid getting a ticket. I told them I would prefer just to have the ticket and that I only had 20 pesos, so if they would help me I still would only have 20 pesos to help them. Then they had to talk to the 'superior' who also happened to be in the camioneta, to see if they could let me go, which they could.

When I was a first timer in DR back in 2002 or so I once gave 10 dollars to a police officer who 'caught' me turning right on a red light. He said 10 dollars was too less and asked for my watch. I got mad and asked if he was crazy and he left. I still regret I gave him the 10 dollars.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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This kind of applies to some of the posters .... and not to others.....

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