"I will light you up!"

The other thing about it. ... A lot of people don't realize their best bet is to talk as little as possible to cops, even in those kinds of situations. No good comes of it. You run the risk of either incriminating yourself in some way -- and you are doing it voluntarily. Or he's done with his investigatory traffic stop, and about to give you a warning or a ticket (which is what was going on here), and he's just goading you into getting yourself into trouble. That makes for shitty policing, in my opinion, but that is what they do. When he asked her why she was so upset, she would have saved herself a whole lot of grief by simply not answering him. At that point, it really needs to be, "Am I free to go now?" When he ordered her to put out the cigarette, if she was really intent on being a pain-in-the-ass, she could have asked if he was giving her an order. But at the end of the day -- even if he has no good or lawful reason -- during the traffic stop he is in control. He tells you to get out of the car, you have to. She didn't seem to get that.

 

Kind of you to say, Gilligan.