[T-Bone Texan]

The "I smell alcohol" farce is a canard. Smell, from the side of the road, cannot be measured or recorded for later use. It is the cop's opinion, which has no value legally, and is used to terrorize citizens.

The solution is to refuse to roll down your window - just crack it. When the cop asks to roll it down, say no.

The cop will be innocuous and say "It's just so I can hear you better", to which you reply "I can hear YOU just fine".

Cops are trained to look for openings. Don't give them one.

[soupbone1]

Same thing happens when a cop is beating the s%#t out of someone while screaming stop resisting.

[Blue Jays]

Excellent advice, FRiend. I will definitely keep that technique you suggested in mind.
In the past, I typically pulled far off shoulder, lowered all windows, engaged flashers, and turned-off vehicle ignition.
Contemporary jackbooted, steroid-pumping police do not seem to even acknowledge this courtesy, concern for their safety, plus my willingness to be friendly.

[fr_freak]

It is the cop's opinion, which has no value legally, and is used to terrorize citizens.

I'm not a lawyer, but from my limited experience in the courtroom, a judge will treat a cop's opinion as if it were fact. I went to traffic court some years ago, and argued that the cop couldn't have measured my speed actually with radar (around a curve, trees in the way, both moving etc. admittedly it was a long shot) and the judge simply smiled at the cop and said that the cops are trained to estimate speed visually, so he couldn't have been wrong. BAM next case. I didn't expect to win, but I was shocked that the ruling was, essentially, "cops are never wrong".

I am also aware of the "don't talk to the police" mantra that defense lawyers swear by, as a cop on the witness stand is given greater weight than us regular citizens.