What are cops doing when they shine a light in your eyes?

MaliceNwunderland

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
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Got pulled over a little while and the cop wanted to test my sobriety. I wasn't worried because all I had did was smoke weed and drink 2 beers at about 1pm and it was 11pm when I was administered the "tests".

Walked a line fine.

Counted fine.

Told him I would take a breathilizer...

That pobally made him suspicious..he started doin the whole stare at my pen light thing and informed me that my pupils were reacting in a strange way... "and ya know that is indicative of drug usage."

I told him that he was makin me nervous and shining a light in my eyes and that would also make my pupils react...

He let me go, but what the hell?

Are cops really ascertaining anything with that test? Or is it just head games?
 
He was right you can tell if someone is on substances by pupil dialation.

Since you passed most of the tests and weren't a jerk he probably figured you were'nt that imparied to drive.

Or he figured you were high and was like fuck the paper work.

Remember

A cop is just an average joe like you and me doing his 8 hour job.

Especailly the young cops coming out of college who's friends and dads and shit are useers.
 
When cops shine the light in your eyes they are checking for pupil size changes. if your pupils remain very dialated or become pinpointed, both are signs of drug use.

when they have you follow their pen, they are looking at how your eyes track the pen. when youre drunk, your eyes will wiggle and seem to not follow the pen exactly. when you're stoned, your eyes will tend to go from one position to the next in a jerky as opposed to smooth manner. even if you feel sober, these things can give you away.
 
^^^
This is referred to as the Nystagmus Gaze test. It has been shown to not be very reliable as the twitching of the eyes can be caused by various other medically proven factors such as a prior traumatic brain injury.
 
The good ol' unreliable HGN test. I have marked nystagmus at 0°, while dead sober, and a doctors note that says such.

Most of the time, when a cop tells you that your pupils are reacting in a strange manner, he is trying to get you to make some sort of confession. Just tell him you don't know what he is talking about, and leave whatever happens from that point on to your attorney.
 
"I had to wake up early for work today" or "I was reading a lot today" seems to work when it comes to suspicious eyes. The whole thing seems more like an exercise in intimidation than anything else -- because some people get dilating pupils merely from having the flu or feeling nervous before an exam.
 
One thing to watch out for: I got pulled over in Maine once doing 80 in 35. The po po gave me a field sobriety test and then brought me to the station. After repeated brethalyzers that I passed, a younger gung ho po po wanted to piss test me. According to them, they could tell if I has poked smot that morning and could bust me for a dwi on mj. I did not get drug tested and was released later that night.

Don't know if it is bs or not but bears thinking about.
 
f your pupils remain very dialated or become pinpointed, both are signs of drug use.
The first part is correct but the NORMAL response of pupils to bright light is to contract, so pinpoint pupils would be a sign of normality, not drug use.
 
*getting a bit off topic, but looking for a post in this subject*

Why is it some drugs make your eyes pinpoint, and some dilate?
 
Drugs which stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (ex, opiates) cause pupil contraction.

Drugs which stimulate the sympathetic nervous system (ex, MDMA) cause pupil dilation.

The PNS and SNS generally work in opposition to each other. SNS is responsible for sex/fight/flight type activities, PNS for resting and digesting.
 
fairnymph said:
The first part is correct but the NORMAL response of pupils to bright light is to contract, so pinpoint pupils would be a sign of normality, not drug use.

Your right. But if your pupils become pinpoint because of an opiate or somethin, it would be smaller than a normal light reacted pupils. Any narc can figure out the differences between the narcotized pupils and the ones sthat reacted to the light.
 
To the young user who mentioned the threat of a drug test at the station. Can anyone remark if cops can actually do that? Then again, 80 in a 35 may have been an arrestable crime and you did not mention anything about what happened with the whole speed demon issue.

Some cop flashlights have built in breathalyzers, extremely fine tuned and sensitive. On the back of the flashlight, toward their view, there is a reading showing if any alcohol is present in the air.
 
Xpalafetti said:
Remember

A cop is just an average joe like you and me doing his 8 hour job.

Especailly the young cops coming out of college who's friends and dads and shit are useers.


average joe's love to fuck peope over for things they didnt do and fuck up the course of the next several years of other average joes lives right.

Anyways imma say you wrong about the young cops thing, its the exact opposite, the young cops are the ones with something to prove. THEY are the ones who will fuckk with you real bad, cuz they want those arrests. they he ones who will nail you on somethign you didnt do, saying some bullshit claim that he smells weed on you when you aint smoked in a week, etc.

the OLD ones already been on the force, already had their shining moment as the young narcotix officer makin his big bust and gettin a promotion, and THEY the ones who just say, i coudl arrest you right now but i dont wanna do the paperwork so heres a warnin now get the fuck out.


As far as the flashlight shit goes, thats all power trippin. YES they do it cuz of checkin for drugs alcohol, etc. and the movenemt and reaction of your eyes, but ever notice they do it to fuckin EVERYBODY? if you get pulled over at night, that light is goin in ya eyes.

well maybe i dont know but i never had a time, sober or fucked up, but most of the times DEAD SOBER that that shit been in my eyes.

but shit they even do it to my MOMS man. she got pulled over, for driving with her highbeams on. on a wide open road where you NEED highbeams.

that was teh charge they had aaginst her.

the real reason was she was driving a nice lil black Honda Civic at 1am and looked like a teenager from behind.

so he pulled her over shined that shit in her eyes asked her if she had any drugs he should search for, all this shit. she fuckin 45 man. she look young for her age like 30 but not THAT young, shiiit.

they fucked with her hardcore then wrote her a 100-somethin dollar ticket for driving with highbeams. and yep it was a young ass cop looked fresh outta the police academy..

anyways the whjole point of that was the do the flashlight shit to everyone. to fuck with you and make you nervous. they try and get your nrevousness on their side hoping youll fuck up.
 
You can't get in trouble for driving with highbeams on! I've flashed many cops with highbeams hiding in spots and they don't do shit.... or they tell me that wasn't the reason they pulled me over.

Challenge it!

lacey k not all flashlights have built in breathalyzers. This is how they check for alcohol though. If you just took some mouthwash or cold medicine it'll show up.

It has been said that "It takes a certain kind of person to become a cop". Disputable?
 
^Theres a couple types of cops.

The ones who go in the force cuz they relaly believe they are helping and wanna 'make the world a better place''

The good ol boys types who in it cuz they daddy was in it and they jsut run the town

the kids who got picked on and beat up and treated bad and bullied as a kid so now they are getting their revenger by fuckin with people, alot of times its this kind that does the beatings and uses excessive forece etc

and then the righteous ass ones whose mom or dad got killed by drug dealers in a driveby, or whose baby sister dated a gang member and sucked her into the life and she died early cuz of it, or their dad was a cop killed on the job and now they got to go in the police force to make it right again and avenge somebodys death, etc. by gettings all those slimey terrible criminals and drug users/dealers locked away

so it does take a certain type of person. just like it takes a certain type of person to join the military. maybe they got good intentions for whatever thye think the purpose is but overall you CANT be too intelligent to be a cop because if you were you would see all the shit thats comepletey insane about the laws and penalties and the way they treat ppl, and ridiculousness of it all, any truly open mind - drug user or criminal OR not - can see that shit.
it dont take someone who breaks the law to see that the laws fucked up. also you gotta have that group mentality and be willing to go in for "the cause" etc. and basically maybe it aint completely get brainwashed (in the armys case it IS brainwashing) but to be a "do what they tell me respect the rules " type of person also

Anyways, yea, that highbeams thing, that some shit aint it. My ma did challenge it court aint came up yet doe.
 
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