I wrote this for our facebook page but figured it would be appropriate over here as well. @ncampion had a good suggestion of using a dashcam as well,
I need to get one of those!
La Mordida – The Bite
After spending close to a decade traveling all over North/Central/South America we have been stopped by officers demanding bribes at least 100+ times.
We have never paid a single one. There are plenty of tricks of the trade to avoid paying, but the #1 rule of the game is to remain respectful and
never give in to their tactics.
Heres a story from a recent trip through Baja.
We slowly cruised our small Toyota RV with Florida plates through the pueblo of Vizcaino, Baja Sur, the town is little more than a map dot and a few
oil change spots smack dab in the middle of nowheresville, the central Baja desert.
I noticed a municipal police truck that was heading southbound, he saw me as well and did a quick flip and started tailing me northbound. OK.. maybe
he is just headed to his favorite taco stand, but let’s mind our P and Q’s just in case.
I made note of every stop sign, coming to a complete stop and slowly rolling on, passed a few stop lights as well. Cop is still back there but so far
so good… We reach the end of town and start to pull back onto the main highway.
*WOOP WOOP*
Ahhh here we go, the cop lights me up. Cherrys and sirens blazing. I pull over onto a wide shoulder of the road.
A middle aged fairly well built uniformed officer comes up to the window, wearing the classic mirrored aviators, which I assume are mandatory police
issue worldwide. He was accompanied by an older uniformed man wielding what appeared to be an M-16, the old timer stood back from the truck a ways,
just keeping an eye on things.
NOTE: The following conversation all takes place in my broken Spanish…
“Hi there, How are you? Do you know why I pulled you over?”
“No sir, I believe I was following all the rules?”
“Well you ran a stop sign back there, that’s why I pulled you over.”
“Oh really? Which stop sign? I made sure to stop for every one and the 2 stop lights as well.”
”Oh, well, it was the last one we just went through.”
“Where was it? I did not see it. I was keeping an eye out and making sure to follow all the rules”
“Well that’s why I pulled you over, its right back there!” *gesturing in the general direction of town*
“Hmmm well that’s strange, I did not see it.”
At this point I figured maybe it was possible I actually missed one, there are stop signs hidden all over the place in these little towns.
“License please.”
I hand him over my Florida drivers license, he studies it intensely, trying to decipher the English writing on my ID.
“This license is expired!”
“Hmmm no its not, I just got it a few months ago”
“Look here at this date! Expired!”
Now my mind starts to think… this isn’t a regular stop, this is a shakedown! The old expired license trick is a classic bribe maneuver, we’ve
seen it before.
“No sir, that is the issue date, this is the expiration date here” *pointing at the actual expiration date*
“Well you ran the stop sign! I must give you a ticket!”
“Sir, I am sorry, I did not see the stop sign”
“How can you be driving if you cannot see the stop signs!”
“Well sir there is a lot of stuff to look for on the road, chickens, dogs, little old ladies! It is possible I missed the sign, I am sorry, maybe
you can give you can give me a warning?”
“Wait here”
Officer leaves and walks back to his truck, during this time another police car pulls up, a well-dressed man in slacks and a white shirt with the
mandatory dark mirrored glasses gets out, I assume its the “Chief”. He starts walking around our RV taking pictures of everything, as he is doing
this the main officer returns.
“OK, I have to give you a ticket for running the stop sign, it is $200 dollars”
WTF. Game over, this is DEFINETLY a shakedown…our patience wears a little thinner.
“$200 dollars! That’s a lot of money! Why is the price in dollars? We are in Mexico!”
“Well it is $200 dollars if you pay at the station; if you pay here the price is only $100 dollars”
“Sir, $100 dollars is a lot of money for a stop sign ticket; can you please show me the price in pesos in your ticket book?”
“Well the book with the prices is back at the station, if we go there you will have to pay $200”
“Well sir, lets go to the station then”
“Wait here…”
Main officer walks back to the police car to talk to the chief, I hand my wallet to my wife who removes all our cash and hands me it back, she agrees
that this is a shakedown and we ain't gonna pay chit! During this time the Old timer with the M-16 comes over to chat.
“Hey do you understand what he is saying? If you pay here it will only be $100, if we go to the station you will have to pay $200!”
“Yes sir I understand, I would like to go the station”
“OK but do you UNDERSTAND that the price is double there?”
“Yes I understand, I would like to go to the station”
M16 guy walks back to the truck as well… Main officer returns solo.
“OK I have talked to my chief, if you pay here the cost of the ticket is only $50! If we go to the station it will be $200!”
“I would like to go to the station”
I can see the frustration level rising on the officers face…
“Do you understand that the price will be $200 there?”
“Yes sir, I would like to see the price of the ticket at the station and I will pay there”
“We are going to the station!”
“Lets go!”
“We are going to go to the station now!”
“OK… lets go!”
Main officer walks back to truck, gets in and pulls around front of our RV.
*Yelling from the window at me*
“WE ARE GOING TO THE STATION NOW!”
“VAMOS!!”
We pull back onto the main road and slowly meander back towards town, after 3 blocks the police truck turns off on some random dirt road, I follow him
about ¼ mile back on the road where we eventually turn off into an old dirt soccer field. I tell my wife, watch this!
Old man M16 officer gets out and walks towards our RV with his rifle dangling at his side.
“OK we have talked to the chief one more time, he now is willing to let you go for only $15 dollars!”
“OK Sir, that is fine. But we will have to go to the station to pay, all I have is a credit card, Can you take a credit card here??”
I slide the card out of my wallet and hand it to the officer, he smacks his head, hands me my license, and tells us to have a good day. He slinks back
to his truck, gets in, and the police truck peels off across the field leaving a nice rooster tail behind him…
We pull back out onto the road, double checking to see if there was really was some secret stop sign that we somehow missed. Un-surprisingly there was
not….
Gringo travelers – 1
Corrupt Cops - 0
Other popular techniques we have used successfully:
1. No speaky Spanish
2. We have no cash
3. Lets go to the station
4. I want to talk to your chief
5. Having your wife argue with you in English at an escalating tone (this one works really well!)
6. Generally just refusing to pay, while being respectful, joking around, wasting their time, and not being an easy mark works 95% of the time. If you
make it more complicated for them, they will usually give up and look for an easier mark.
Of course, if things did start to escalate to a more violent or more serious situation, ie: putting you in cuffs or actually putting you in jail, my
wallet would be out with a quickness to pay whatever the hell they demand. But in our experience this has never happened. They are just looking for a
quick and easy payoff.
While I agree that these officers are paid way to little, preying upon innocent people is not a valid way to supplement their income.
Don’t give in! Don’t pay a bribe, no matter how small! You will just make it worse for the next guy!
[Edited on 8-10-2019 by defrag4]chumlee57 - 8-9-2019 at 08:32 PM
Interesting, never had an issue in Vizciano, I usually stop at the chicken BBQ place, meander through town without a care in the world.
I have noticed big changes in Vizciano in the past few years tho, big stores opening up, I think a super Ley, etc. Anyway, indeed, I agree with
your techniques, even if sometimes going to the station still ends up in the mordida. I have also been affiliated with this problem, but only in the
'border towns' Tecate and TJ. Tecate is tough, it's your word against theirs, you will pay if you go to the Tecate station. TJ I have both paid ( when
I had a rear light out ) and stood my ground, and was released.
My #1 rule, don't make any eye contact with the authorities, my #2 rule, make sure all your stuff is in order, paperwork, etc., #3 if you haven't
done anything wrong, stay cool and sit it out, reiterate you are innocent of any wrong doing. If you can rap a little spanish, do it, even if you
muder it.
Another way to keep things legit, is to have a small copy of " Sindicatura Del Gobierno Municipal " phone number where the authorities can see it.
I only have this phone number for the TJ and Ensenada areas, I am not aware of what juristidiction Vizciano is, probably Guerrero Negro. But it is
important to post these things, thank you for the heads up
Don’t give in! Don’t pay a bribe, no matter how small! You will just make it worse for the next guy!
[Edited on 8-10-2019 by defrag4]
One heck of a story. Kept my interest, you write well.
Don't agree with your last sentence. Only thing worse for the next guy is not being able to negotiate.
Win/lose is zero sum. Cop should get something just for being on the job. A coke, fruit. Something for the family.
Whale-ista - 8-9-2019 at 11:28 PM
Thanks for the reminder. I agree: make the "game" as difficult as possible.
I've only had this happen once, heading NB from San Ignacio lagoon. My friend and I were stopped just outside Guerrero Negro. Same scenario: younger
officer comes to my car first, older officer waits in the patrol vehicle. I immediately forget how to speak Spanish.
Officer 1 says I was speeding, asks for my license, then says I won't get it back until I pay a fine. I ask how much, and when he sets a price, I ask
if we can go to an ATM in Gr. Negro since I have no money.
He goes back to car to consult with older officer.
He returns and says we have to go to the office to pay the fine, which is all the way back in Santa Rosalia!
Once again I explain I have no money, and need to get gas in Gr. Negro where I know there is an ATM as well. Otherwise: I will never make it back to
St. Rosalia. The truck gets terrible gas mileage!
He consults with the older officer, who waves his hand in disgust. He comes back to the car, gives me the license, and we continue on our way.
Lesson is: make them work hard for their money!BooJumMan - 8-10-2019 at 03:58 PM
Nice post, well written. I agree with all that you said!
They Say You Pay
MrBillM - 8-10-2019 at 05:52 PM
I say OK.
40+ years. Lots of times. The amount paid was always reasonable.
No regrets.
The next guy was not my concern.
Each encounter is unique and to each his own.Paco Facullo - 8-10-2019 at 06:15 PM
[/rquote]
Everyone is playing games. That's the only way to win? Lies and dishonesty to win? You lie and cops lie?
If that's what you call winning, whatever.[/rquote]
Win, loose, draw , that's life...
Sometimes the lights all shinning on me,
Other times , I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me,
What a long strange trip it's been....Whale-ista - 8-10-2019 at 06:23 PM
Everyone is playing games. That's the only way to win? Lies and dishonesty to win? You lie and cops lie?
If that's what you call winning, whatever.
The only "win' was my travel companion- she had been volunteering as a naturalist at a whale camp in San Ignacio all spring, and had a flight to
catch from San Diego the next day to return to her family up north.
As for lies and dishonesty: no one lied. I told them the truth: my truck was low on gas, I didn't have the $ they were asking for, and would need to
go to an ATM and gas station in GN in order to return to Santa Rosalia to pay the fine.
No lying required: They chose to wait for an easier target.Alan - 8-11-2019 at 08:10 AM
I agree with chumlee57's advise, Never make eye contact. I have heard from some, even on this board, that they consider it a sign of aggression and
will pull you over just to demonstrate they can. Don't know if that's the reason but it does seem to work. I especially find this effective driving
around La Paz where there are so many cops on foot. They can blow their whistle all they want. If I don't look to see who they are waving at I have
no obligation to pull over Lee - 8-11-2019 at 10:04 AM
Nomads are a superstitious lot around mordida.
BajaRat - 8-11-2019 at 10:12 AM
Love that technique
But once you look and make eye contact not complying will be read as evasion
The “ only have ATM “ seems to work unless it’s a true violation, and if you were wrong it’s time to pay up
Lionel apple - 8-11-2019 at 11:40 AM
This smells like bullchitBajaRat - 8-11-2019 at 12:08 PM
Sunglasses are also a good tool for that pesky eye contact problem
Lionel
Innocent Gringos Abused
MrBillM - 8-11-2019 at 12:18 PM
Given the number of times over those 40+ years traveling in Baja and Mainland Mexico that I was treated to a traffic stop for which (with one possible
exception) I was GUILTY, I tend to view with skepticism the recurrent "innocent Gringo" accounts.
Over the years attending Traffic School on a few occasions in the U.S., I often was unsurprised to find that, during the individual
recitations, I was the ONLY guilty person in attendance. The others seemed to all have interesting tales of corrupt abuse by law enforcement. Sans
bribery, of course.
Amazing LUCK, Huh ?
BTW, I too, have experienced "trolling for violations" by Baja cops (most often in, or south of Mexicali), but my experiences differ
in that I was never pulled over for something not done. JZ - 8-11-2019 at 12:58 PM
I've paid it many times. But every time I've done something wrong, rolled through a stop sign I didn't see, speeding, went down a one way street by
accident, drinking a beer in the passenger seat, etc., etc. Except for the beer incident, it's never been more than $50.
Maybe we've been lucky, but never been just shaken down without doing something wrong. Almost always have a MX national with me to do the
negotiations.
We usually just offer to give them some money before they even ask.
The one way street thing happened right at the border, the guy was so happy he gave us a police escort to the proper road.
[Edited on 8-11-2019 by JZ]defrag4 - 8-11-2019 at 01:32 PM
If I did something wrong I've got no issue with paying up.Whale-ista - 8-11-2019 at 01:56 PM
Side note- While I agree with the original post, I'm not sure how many people commenting are men, and/or have been stopped while driving with no other
people in their vehicle.
Speaking as a woman who frequently travels solo in Baja, or with other women- we have more worries than paying a bribe when armed men pull us over in
isolated areas - even when they are in uniform.
If I roll thru a stop sign or drive too fast- I'll pay the fine.
But if I get stopped for no apparent reason, on the outskirts of town, or in the middle of no where, and the officer(s) get chatty- I get nervous,
especially if I'm alone. BajaBill74 - 8-11-2019 at 03:47 PM
Has anyone used a dash cam to prove their innocence?AKgringo - 8-11-2019 at 04:48 PM
Anyone ever have their dash cam confiscated?chumlee57 - 8-11-2019 at 08:36 PM
Dash cam, smash cam, they will grab that chit in a minute, probably do more harm to have it. I am assuming JZ is an adult, never just pay, at least
bargian some. Yes, indeed the problem is the increase in cash required, I've never paid or considered anything over $20, even when bargianing with
officials inside the PD dept., Altho one time in Tecate, I got hosed for $55, but thats a long story. The only time I straight up paid, was one time
in TJ at the left hand turn to go to the border, a women cop on a bike pulled me and my 16 yr old son over, as she pulled up behind me right where it
splits to go left to the ready lane and right to go past medical, hairpin turn and around to sentri... that y in the road, she drops the bike right
behind our truck, as soon as she tries to set the kickstand... are you kidding me, I told my son to stop laughing as we were so close, but we were
going to sentri, so I knew she could stop me, if she didn't drop the honda 750. Anyway, I just paid her what she asked for, I remember it was prior to
Christmas. The General consensis on this board, is that the mordida's increase a bid more before the holiday's. I was so happy to just leave, i don't
have any idea how much it was, my son still pimps me about it watizname - 8-12-2019 at 07:31 AM
Lesson is: make them work hard for their money![/rquote]
Years ago, maybe 30, we were staying in Rosarito for Thanksgiving. We were pulling out of Puerto Nuevo after a nice lobster dinner and a few? drinks.
As we pulled out, after about 100 yards the cops lit us up, and we pulled over. He said we were speeding--which we were not. After that denial, he
said we had been drinking,--which we had. Sooooo, after amiable negotiations, 20 bucks was settled on, at which time Meany our driver asks "You got
change for a 50????? He did, and we were on our way
