I might not sit there and get shit-talked to, but it is a police officer's job to deal with troublesome people in a manner that is safe, calm, professional, and respectful to all those involved. Your implicit acceptance of the "play nice to cops" game ignores the possibility of systemic biases present in "the game".
I always find it ironic that, for example, the NYPD's slogan is "Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect"... I have no doubt that the majority of interactions between citizenry and police are filled with all three, but it's the sore thumbs like the OP that are truly glaring.
I'm not talking about "playing nice" I'm talking about not acting like an asshole. It's stupid to act like an asshole to someone you want to give you a break/benefit of the doubt.
The cop isn't disrespectful until she refuses his order several times and he was to force her out of the car. At which point she cusses him out for several minutes straight.
It would be great if we had saints who could stand being yelled at like that without yelling back, but I sure couldn't.
The cop is disrespectful immediately. She's got a valid gripe (getting out of the way of the police officer means she gets pulled over), and he doesn't like that he's being called out on his shenanigans (threatening a ticket for failure to signal when pressured by aggressive driving).
See how that works? It's a he-said, she-said. It's great that there's one side that's obligated to act professionally and respectfully; it's a pity that that obligation seems to have fallen by the wayside. (Or, perhaps it never existed for certain segments of the population.)
What video are you watching? The first interaction is completely civil.
The second time he asks if she is okay and she goes on a tirade. He says "ok" and then asks politely if she can put her cigarrate out. He literally says "Do you mind" and "please."
And her resonance is "I'm in my car, why do I have to put out my cigarette." And he says to get out of the car. She refuses and says she doesn't have to.
>"threatening a ticket for failure to signal when pressured by aggressive driving"
He's like 5-6 car lengths behind her. Watch the video.
8:42: You ok? (An apparently conscientious and concerned question from the police. Good, but too bad he doesn't stay like this.)
8:53: (Irritated, but civil response, by the accused, detailing why the cop is being a dickhead.)
9:15: (Cop doesn't like that he's being called out on dickhead moves and the tenor of the conversation changes. Cop proceeds to use his higher standing to escalate the situation instead of deescalating.)
You're missing the change in the cop's mindset right before the "asking about the cigarette." If the cop actually felt confident about why he pulled her over, he would have been able to handle how she responded. Instead, he felt threatened by the questioning of his motives. Why didn't he articulate the full reason and purpose for the stop right then and there? He decided to continuing escalating, and that is primarily on him. He could have slapped the ticket into her face and walked away.
Also, he wasn't bothered by the cigarette until he perceived an affront to his authority. That's childish playground behavior, not an attitude befit a public servant.
5-6 car lengths on a wide open road is an instigation. If a non-police officer driver does this, you wonder to yourself, "why is this guy up my ass?" This isn't some densely packed freeway, and he's 5-6 car lengths behind her. Why do that?
I always find it ironic that, for example, the NYPD's slogan is "Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect"... I have no doubt that the majority of interactions between citizenry and police are filled with all three, but it's the sore thumbs like the OP that are truly glaring.