Originally Posted by
edzo
but if one cop did need to stop me and talk to me, I would say yes sir, sorry sir, what do I need to do now, and thank you. in the meantime the rest of us will just do as told, and not cause a fuss
Don't be such a worm. There's no point in precipitating conflict with cops, but if you assume that cops always have everyone's best interests at heart, always know the law, and are always right, you're on a path to disappointment (at best) and a police state (at worse).
In this case, I'd guess the cop probably did have the legal authority to do it, as it happens - as I understand it (and IANAL), cops are generally given pretty wide authority in directing traffic of all stripes.
Know your rights and responsibilities, and protect/fulfill them. Doing whatever a cop tells you and prostrating yourself in the process is not one of the latter. Trying to act butch and threaten people with "wood shampoos" (honestly, how crass) is one step worse.