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My mother sends out a lot of email she gets without fact checking and my wife received the infamous *77 one. This is the one where you can dial *77 and get confirmation if there is a police officer pulling you over. But here is a copy of her message.

I have received this email a LOT and I thought it was a great thing to know and was ready to email this out to all my friends and family… UNTIL I found out… Although this story is partially true (IE: Sometimes bad people try and pass themselves off as police officers) the best way of reaching Highway patrol, etc… is by dialing 911! As a woman with kids (when I first read this I also lived in a not so nice neighborhood too) I wanted to make sure a lot of people knew this great new tool … No holding for 911, no hoping they get thru to the right person in a reasonable amount of time.. Just straight to the source…. HOWEVER…Read More Below...

This story becomes false when it tells you that *77 is the right thing to dial. Depending on your cell provider and the state you are in is what you would dial. Some states are *77, *HP, *47, *55, etc… Rather than trying to remember in a panic what to dial, the police recommend that you do the following:

If you have cell service and are worried about pulling over,

• Turn on your hazards to notify the potentially official cop you see him and are willing to comply (usually ok in the dark of night when its hard to tell a true cop car)
• Slow to 35 mph
• Dial 11 and ask them to verify that you are being stopped by a legal officer. As the officers are required to call in when they begin pulling a car over they will be able to do this easily…

If you do NOT have cell service and are worried about pulling over, but know the area you are in…

• Turn on your hazards to notify the potentially official cop you see him and are willing to comply (usually ok in the dark of night when its hard to tell a true cop car)
• Slow to 35 mph
• Proceed slowly to the nearest police station, honk loudly when you get there, until someone comes out of the building

If you do NOT have cell service and are worried about pulling over, and do NOT know the area you are in…

• Turn on your hazards to notify the potentially official cop you see him and are willing to comply (usually ok in the dark of night when its hard to tell a true cop car)
• Slow to 35 mph
• Proceed slowly to the nearest well lit, occupied and public area you can find and honk loudly until someone comes out and can be there with you…

There are a lot of true stories that get passed around the internet, but because there are a lot of not so nice people with too much time on their hands, a lot of false ones get created and passed around by caring people who want to help their friends and family. I recommend for every email you receive like this that you try visiting a place called: Snopes http://www.snopes.com this company spends all their time verifying (if possible) the origins and validities of all the emails that seem to circulate through the internet. Should only take a moment or two and could make a huge difference! Take Care!

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