A rude or belligerent cop in a bad mood, or wanting to pick a fight, or just being a bully, can be a challenge. Other law enforcement (and other people) can be this way too. How do you deal with them properly?

Some people advocate standing up to them, or standing up for your rights.

Others lean toward backing down, agreeing, not arguing, and doing whatever they say.

Here are some compliant guys (the ones being pulled over):
[later note: the video also contains a bicycle accident in the background, and those who do not wish to watch an accident might not want to watch this one; it isn't too graphic, but it does show a cyclist flying through the air]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gu3oQwllD98

(There is a longer version of this same incident, also on youtube.com, which shows even more of the compliant behavior by the guys being pulled over.)

Here is someone who stood up for himself:

http://web.mac.com/stephanorsak/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

Here is an overview:

http://web.mac.com/stephanorsak/iWeb/Site/Overview.html

There are links (and other materials) that you can select by clicking on them (at the tops and bottoms of the Orsak pages).

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Another guy was touring California; in Los Angeles he was rudely threatened by a cop, who said that he would ticket him if he saw him again! Just for being there! (Largely because of his beard, and his nomadic (temporary) lifestyle, which the cop did not like.)

An article this guy wrote describes how it changed the whole tenor of his trip, and his plans, and how he headed home to SF.

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What are some other alternatives?

What are some good ways of dealing with these situations?