dealing with police/ladrones

irishpaddy

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
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can someone advise me what is the best approach when pulled over by the police ...I have been in santo domingo for 3 weeks and in that time I have been pulled over 3 times...the first time was on avedida luperon ...where I was accused of driving through a red light ...this was false and after half an hour I said ...give me a ticket ..they called amet and the guy gave me a ticket ...I have paid it and gotten the receipt ...the second time I was pulled over for no reason and was told that the cop was hungry ...I felt like telling him " yo no soy su padre "...I gave him a 100 pesos and was on my way ..tonite coming back from boca chica I was driving along the malecon near Adrian tropical when i was driving in the middle of a traffic jam ...to pull over by 6 cops on 3 motor mikes ....i showed my papers license ect and told them i only speak English....he said you need to come to the police station and tienes muchas problemas ...i said what did i do ..they wanted me to pull into a side street ...which i refused and i was able to call the guy who is doing work on my apt ...apparently he identified himself as a lieutenant and suddenly my phone was dropped into my car and i was told go ...go away ...you have no problems
so can anyone advise me what is the correct and easiest way of dealing with these thieves?
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
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South Coast
I hate stories like this. They see a gringo face and dollar signs light up in their eyes. I don't have any advice, we often have the same problem, except they usually back down when they realize Mr. AE is Dominican. We've also handed over pesos to "hungry" cops, and one said it was his birthday and he needed money for a cake. No shame.
 

irishpaddy

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
1,166
460
83
I feel if you give them money ...then you are encouraging the behavior ....but the 3rd incident this evening was the most aggressive ....no way was I going to drive down a side street ...I thought at least in full view of the malecon I had some hope
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
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South Coast
I feel if you give them money ...then you are encouraging the behavior ....but the 3rd incident this evening was the most aggressive ....no way was I going to drive down a side street ...I thought at least in full view of the malecon I had some hope

When I said "No Shame", I meant the cops, not that we should all give them money. I realize now it wasn't clear.

They profile us by our color and our car, not sure if anything can be done about it. A couple of posters here have dash cams - you could ostensibly play them the video showing you didn't run a light, but it shouldn't be necessary.
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
113
The first thing you have to understand is that if you are stopped by ANYBODY other than AMET it is a shake down. Then you
have to decide to pay or not. To each his own I say.
 

Derfish

Gold
Jan 7, 2016
4,441
2
0
I was going down the main street that goes thru Puerto Plata and came to an intersection where the right lane keeps going and the left lane is required to stop ad traffic comes in from the left. I went on thru on the green arrow and a huge SUV came thru te intersection and slid right over into the left lane and honked and waved his fist at me. He went on ahead and a few blocks further I see him stopped at an intersection and talking to the two young Amet cops who are always there. He yelled out as one of them came to my window 2 multas, no cinterion. So the kid wrote me a ticket for not having stopped at the green light and for not having my seat belt fastened. I asked the kid "Who was that bobo."
"El jefe mio" he answered. I still haven't pulled out those two tickets to pay them. Maybe when I am inline to fly away they may shake them at me?
Der Fsih
 

irishpaddy

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
1,166
460
83
The first thing you have to understand is that if you are stopped by ANYBODY other than AMET it is a shake down. Then you
have to decide to pay or not. To each his own I say.
are you saying the only ones who have a right to stop you are amet?...the P.N. do not?
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
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PN are no longer charged with traffic work...

But you did not know that.

Just wave and keep going.

If AMEt, you pull over.

Good luck

HB
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
Maybe some sober second thought is required at this point towards some minority drivers in the US and Canada? Bribes are pretty much not relevant there but getting shot or a handful of tickets for a couple hundred dollars each (in Canada) can get just as irksome I suspect.

In the DR driving is a perilous endeavor. Not only are there the obvious risks of accident and injury but driving while also being a foreigner is an invitation to abuse. In any dispute, the locals will usually come out ahead regardless of fault and the authorities know they can get away with just about anything, so they try.

What is one to do? You pay or you stand up for yourself. It helps to have some juice to back up your inflated chest. But, sometimes, not making it easy to be extorted is enough for them to move on to the next target. The other option, is not to be in that situation. I've been here for two years now and can only think of three times I was disappointed that I didn't have a car parked in my driveway. All three times it happened to be raining...

In the end, in some places in this country, "user fees" may just be part of the cost of being a foreigner who owns and drives their own vehicle. Especially a nice vehicle. We can now commence the discussion on how the DR is fallowing closely in the footsteps of North American with their love affair with the automobile and how said affinity is compulsory for every right thinking individual. In this country, convenience can come with additional costs and perils. To each their own...
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
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PN are no longer charged with traffic work...

But you did not know that.

Just wave and keep going.

If AMEt, you pull over.

Good luck

HB
As I understand it, they CAN stop to check for guns. I don't know if that's with an AMET agent, however.
 

wuarhat

I am a out of touch hippie.
Nov 13, 2006
1,378
89
48
I've always just kept denying their bogus claims, and refusing to pay them. They usually give up in 15-20 minutes. Nowadays I don't even bother driving anymore. Taxis are cheaper and much less hassle than renting a car.
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
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As I understand it, they CAN stop to check for guns. I don't know if that's with an AMET agent, however.

Police can stop you, but when they do and say you went through a red light or some other
BS, it is a shakedown. Usually checking for guns will be a road block with Military or special PN. Not 2 guys on a motor cycle
looking for beer money.
 
Dash cam can help or point your cell at them and video the stop and ask for their name etc if you feel they are being shifty.
Don't ever give your id/papers put them up to the window to show them. Do not open the window much more than a few inches so you can hear them etc. NEVER let them in your car. I always drive around them if possible and if you don't want to be bothered at all carry huge dogs around with you, they will wave you right through.

Having said all of this I have rarely had bad experiences when being pulled over. They do seem to have certain people they like to pick on luckily I am not one of them :)
 

joe

Brain Donor!
Jan 12, 2016
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Hardley when you get pulled over the coppers look at you and say WTF. This "guy's" more confused than we are.
 

caribmike

Gold
Jul 9, 2009
6,808
202
63
Here in Santo Domingo it is the same. Often it is DICRIM too. On Independencia there are regular stops every other day and so far I never seen any AMET involved. They looking for illegal guns mostly.
i was stopped thrice so far. Did show my license, matricula and that was it. Once I was stopped together with my wife in Samana by AMET / PN /Military roadblock. I had no matricula on me (my fault I forgot) they wanted to take the car away and make me pay a multa. A call to the tio colonel (army) of my wife solved it. no multa, no nothing, just "buen viaje". That was an exception. Yes, we have the connections to get away with almost everything :), but in reality I never had a real problem where they just wanted to see a bribe or such etc. Dunno, maybe some guys attract a special kind of corrupt police... :D
 

josh2203

Bronze
Dec 5, 2013
1,572
527
113
I hate stories like this. They see a gringo face and dollar signs light up in their eyes. I don't have any advice

We?ve once been stopped by a fake AMET, who was so fake that he even changed the reason for stopping us for three times, then said that I would be deported tomorrow unless I pay him then and there 15,000 pesos and get a lawyer... My wife demanded to see his ID and the AMET got ****ed of and started yelling...

What I?d say as an advice, is that I would never feel comfortable driving in a new/flashly/expensive vehicle in the DR. To me it?s the same as wearing jewelry. Don?t attract attention. Drive a vehicle with tinted windows, so that it?s difficult to see who?s in there. Thirdly, in the case of a difficult/threatening situation, have some minor amount of pesos ready, saying that it?s all you have.

If you look at any of these large SUVs/camionetas with tinten windows, which, I would assume, transport people who are not that poor, they drive fast, and you can see nothing inside. If 1-3 PNs with motores decide to stop in front of it, it will run over them easily.

3 times in 3 weeks, I?d recommend that it?s best to evaluate if the OP can change something where he goes / how he acts. I ?ve been driving through almost the whole country for years, and I?ve been stopped twice, of which the other time was completely legit, AMET asking to see a tax stricker which was missing from the windshield.
 
Jun 18, 2007
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www.rentalmetrocountry.com
can someone advise me what is the best approach when pulled over by the police ...I have been in santo domingo for 3 weeks and in that time I have been pulled over 3 times...the first time was on avedida luperon ...where I was accused of driving through a red light ...this was false and after half an hour I said ...give me a ticket ..they called amet and the guy gave me a ticket ...I have paid it and gotten the receipt ...the second time I was pulled over for no reason and was told that the cop was hungry ...I felt like telling him " yo no soy su padre "...I gave him a 100 pesos and was on my way ..tonite coming back from boca chica I was driving along the malecon near Adrian tropical when i was driving in the middle of a traffic jam ...to pull over by 6 cops on 3 motor mikes ....i showed my papers license ect and told them i only speak English....he said you need to come to the police station and tienes muchas problemas ...i said what did i do ..they wanted me to pull into a side street ...which i refused and i was able to call the guy who is doing work on my apt ...apparently he identified himself as a lieutenant and suddenly my phone was dropped into my car and i was told go ...go away ...you have no problems
so can anyone advise me what is the correct and easiest way of dealing with these thieves?

It's only August, wait till November you'll get pulled over more often because of the beginning of the Holiday season.
They want presents too. ;)