First off, stay calm. The police are there to help you, and unless you’re actually shooting at them, nobody’s gonna get hurt. If it’s a traffic stop, they probably thought you were a minority and you’ll soon be back on your way. In the mean time, just do everything the officer asks. If they ask if you’ve been drinking, the correct answer is “No sir. Not a drop.” Not “Just a beer…” or “I had some wine with dinner…” They don’t want to hear that. Five words - remember them: “No sir, not a drop.”
If an officer stops you on the street it’s because they thought you were poor or, in rare cases, because you were actually doing something wrong. Either way, this is why it’s important to always carry a passport. Having a passport indicates that you may have money and they’ll usually let you continue on your way. Still though, ask yourself why the policeman bothered to stop you: Do you have long hair? A lot of tattoos? Are you shabbily dressed? These are all indicators that you may be poor, which in white neighborhoods is tantamount to being Black or Latino. Again, flashing a passport, preferably one with a couple of stamps in it, should be enough to let the officer see their mistake and let you on your way.
Okay, let’s say you’ve done everything right and for some reason the cop still wants to ticket you. Remain calm. This is a nation of laws and you’re allowed your day in court. If you really didn’t do anything wrong you are entitled to appear before a judge and listen in disbelief as the cop flat out lies about everything that happened. So it’s best to spare yourself the grief and outrage and just pay the fine. If you really are innocent of the charges and the officer was abusing their authority or just generally being a menace, it’s best to let the police take care of the problem internally.
Of course, filing a complaint is worthless and will only put you on an enemies list. Instead, go to Google Images, type in “actors headshots” and pick a picture you feel is appropriate for the officer in question. Print it up nicely on 8 1/2 by 11 glossy paper and sign it to the officer (their name is on the summons) with the words “You’re my Good Cop/Bad Cop…” like so:
Discreetly drop it in the police station parking lot or anyplace else where one of their colleagues is likely to find it. You may have to do this a couple of times before it reaches the right hands, but once it does you can be sure that said officer will not last much longer on the force. Please note this method is only effective for male officers in jurisdictions where law enforcement is predominately homophobic. For your convenience I’ve included a map below.