Is Being Pulled over Being Detained?

A traffic stop, commonly referred to as being pulled over, is a temporary detention of a driver of a vehicle by police to investigate a possible crime or minor violation of law.

What is considered being detained?

An officer's "brief and cursory" holding and questioning someone is a detention. An example is a cop stopping someone who is behaving suspiciously in order to ask a few questions. The suspect isn't free to leave, but he also isn't under arrest, at least until the officer develops probable cause.

Can you be handcuffed while being detained?

There is no general rule or requirement that a police officer must handcuff a person who is being arrested. ... Although, circumstances in which handcuffing may be deemed to be necessary is to stop the person from committing a further offence, or preventing the person from escaping police custody.