A Field Manual · Est. 2026 Launch price ends —00:00:00 Say This · No. I
Michael EllingtonA Field Manual

The words that keep an ordinary stop from becoming a case.

Most people charged after a small traffic stop are charged for something they did during the stop — not for the reason they were pulled over. This manual walks through 108 encounters and gives you the exact words to say and the exact way to act in each one. 468 pages. Every rule tied to a named case or a cited statute you can read yourself.

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Michael Ellington

Not about beating the charge. About never giving them one.

Michael Ellington · Say This
I.
The Manual

One book. 108 encounters. The exact words for each one.

The road, your door, on foot, questioning, your phone, carrying, and what to do after it happens. Every situation gets the same four things: what to say, word for word — how to act while you say it — how the officer will most likely react — and what to do when he pushes back.

SAY THIS — The Police Encounter Field Manual
Digital field manual · 468 pages · First edition

Everything to say, and everything to do, in one place.

The 108 encounters people actually run into — with the words in bold, the physical instructions beside them, and an honest note on what each one does and doesn't do for you. Read it through, or open straight to the page you need tonight.

$47$77Launch price — ends this month
What's inside for $47:
SAY THIS — The Field Manual — 468-page ebook, 108 numbered encounters, the exact words to say, the way to act while you say them, and a named case or cited statute behind every rule $47
The words themselves, printed in bold — every situation opens with the sentence to say, short enough to remember and calm enough to use when your hands are shaking $39
Your State — the six things that genuinely vary where you live, verified state by state, including the nine places where saying nothing while armed is itself a crime $29
The Law, Plainly — eighteen Supreme Court cases retold in plain English, what each one actually means for you, and a link to read the opinion yourself $29
After It Happens — how to get the bodycam footage, whether to file a complaint, the first twenty-four hours after an arrest, and how to find a defense lawyer $24
The Printable Cards — a separate file to print and cut: one card for your wallet, one for the glovebox, with the twelve sentences on them $19
Lifetime updates, free — this area of law moves, and when it does the page gets rewritten and sent to you straight away. Every correction and every future edition, at no extra charge, for as long as the book exists $21
Total value $208
You pay today$47

For comparison: one hour with a criminal defense attorney typically runs $150–$400 — and you would be calling one after the encounter, not before.

Get the manual — $47

Instant download · Pay once · Yours forever

II.
The Math

What one wrong sentence costs.

You did nothing wrong. You answered a friendly question at the window. Here is the bill for a single first-offense DUI — the most common way an ordinary stop turns into a case — set against what it costs to know what to say instead.

If you say the wrong thingOne first offense
Criminal defense attorneyA private lawyer, first offense$3,500
Car insurance increaseCumulative, over three years$3,700
Court fines and costsFines, fees, surcharges$1,800
Ignition interlockInstalled and monitored, one year$1,000
Mandatory DUI programCourt-ordered education$1,000
Bail bond feeNon-refundable, whatever happens$1,000
Towing and impoundPlus daily storage$300
License reinstatementAdministrative fees$250
One sentence at the window$12,550
If you know what to sayOnce, forever
The manual468 pages, 108 encounters$47
The words for the roadside28 situations on the road aloneincluded
The words at your door16 more, from the knock onwardincluded
Your state's six variationsWhere the national advice is wrongincluded
The printable cardsWallet and gloveboxincluded
Corrections for lifeEvery fix to this editionincluded
Attorney fees avoidedIf it never becomes a case$0
Refund if it isn't for youSeven days, no questions$47 back
Knowing what to say$47
The gap you are betting on
$12,503
The difference between the two columns — for one encounter, one time. Most people have more than one traffic stop in their life.

Some of these mistakes don't cost money. They get people hurt.

This is what most "know your rights" advice online gets dangerously wrong, and it is the first thing in the book, before a single script. Comply physically. Assert your rights with words. Resolve it in a courtroom, never on the roadside.

Typical US figures, not worst cases. Attorney fees and fines vary by state and by case. The insurance figure is the cumulative three-year increase after one conviction (ValuePenguin, 2026). The federal government's own estimate for a single DUI is "upwards of $10,000" (NHTSA). None of the above counts lost wages, missed work, or the roughly 16% reduction in annual earnings that follows a misdemeanour conviction (Brennan Center, 2020). This manual is educational and is not legal advice; it does not create an attorney–client relationship, and it is not a substitute for a licensed lawyer in your state.

III.
What's Inside

Exactly what you get for $47.

108 numbered encounters across eight parts, plus everything around them. Each one is a few pages: the words in bold, the physical instructions, how he will most likely react, and what to do if he pushes back. Read the parts that apply to you — you don't have to go cover to cover.

The Road28 situations

From his headlights to your driveway.

  • 01"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
  • 02"Where are you coming from?"
  • 03"Where are you headed tonight?"
  • 04The thirty seconds before he reaches your window
  • 05Documents — what you must hand over
  • 06"Have you had anything to drink tonight?"
  • 07"How much have you had?"
  • 08Field sobriety tests
  • 09The roadside portable breath test
  • 10The breath or blood test after arrest
  • 11"We smell alcohol"
  • 12"We smell marijuana"
  • 13"Step out of the car"
  • 14The pat-down
  • 15"Mind if I take a look in your car?"
  • 16"I'll call a K-9"
  • 17The dog alerted
  • 18The trunk
  • 19Locked containers, the glovebox, the bag on the seat
  • 20"Hand me your keys"
  • 21Passengers
  • 22Can a passenger consent to a search of your car?
  • 23When your kids are in the back
  • 24The stop that won't end
  • 25"Am I free to go?"
  • 26The ticket
  • 27DUI checkpoints
  • 28Pretextual stops, and being followed
The Door16 situations

The one place you have the most power.

  • 29The knock
  • 30Talking through a closed door
  • 31"Can we come in for a minute?"
  • 32"We got a call"
  • 33The welfare check when you're fine
  • 34A welfare check on someone else in your home
  • 35"Slide the warrant under the door"
  • 36What makes a warrant valid
  • 37They do have a warrant
  • 38Who else in your home can let them in
  • 39Your spouse says yes and you say no
  • 40They're at your door about someone else
  • 41The porch, the yard, the driveway
  • 42Your trash, your windows, your mail
  • 43"We'll just wait right here while we get a warrant"
  • 44Landlords, inspectors, code enforcement, utility workers
On Foot & In Public12 situations

Where "am I free to go" gets decided.

  • 45Consensual encounter, or detention?
  • 46"Can I see some ID?" — when you're not driving
  • 47Which states are actually stop-and-identify states
  • 48The Terry stop and the frisk
  • 49"So what are you doing around here?"
  • 50Sitting in a parked car
  • 51Sleeping in your car
  • 52Loitering and trespass
  • 53At a protest or demonstration
  • 54"Move along"
  • 55On a bus, a train, or in a station
  • 56"You match the description"
Questioning12 situations

The exact words, and when they stop working.

  • 57"We just want to talk"
  • 58"Come down to the station"
  • 59Voluntary or custodial — the line everything turns on
  • 60Miranda: when it applies and the many times it doesn't
  • 61Invoking silence — the exact words
  • 62Invoking counsel — the exact words
  • 63What they can still do after you invoke
  • 64"We just want your side of the story"
  • 65They are allowed to lie to you
  • 66Written statements
  • 67Recorded interviews
  • 68Being questioned as a witness, not a suspect
Devices & Recording10 situations

Your phone is the whole case now.

  • 69"Unlock your phone"
  • 70Passcode, face, or fingerprint — the legal difference
  • 71They took my phone. Now what?
  • 72Recording the police in public
  • 73"Stop recording" and "step back"
  • 74They deleted my footage
  • 75Your doorbell and home cameras
  • 76Your car's data and your dashcam
  • 77Location data, plate readers, and what gets collected anyway
  • 78Your accounts, your cloud, and your passwords
Carrying8 situations

Where silence is a crime in nine places.

  • 79Do you have to tell him you're armed?
  • 80How to disclose without creating a problem
  • 81"Hand me the firearm"
  • 82In the car — glovebox, console, trunk
  • 83Crossing state lines armed
  • 84Permitless carry — what it does and doesn't mean
  • 85Getting your firearm back
  • 86You're a permit holder and you've been arrested
Particular People14 situations

When the standard advice doesn't fit you.

  • 87Your teenage driver gets pulled over
  • 88Your child was questioned at school
  • 89Your child is being questioned and you are not in the room
  • 90If you're deaf or hard of hearing
  • 91Autism, dementia, and conditions that change how you present
  • 92A medical emergency mistaken for impairment
  • 93If English isn't your first language
  • 94Questions about your immigration status
  • 95When you call for help during a mental health crisis
  • 96When you're the caregiver
  • 97Police at your workplace
  • 98If you hold a CDL
  • 99Driving for a rideshare or delivery platform
  • 100Federal property, national parks, and tribal land
After It Happens8 situations

The hours that decide the case.

  • 101The moment it ends — what to write down
  • 102Getting the bodycam footage
  • 103Filing a complaint, and whether you should
  • 104Arrested — the first twenty-four hours
  • 105Booking, bail, and the first appearance
  • 106Finding and hiring a defense lawyer
  • 107What not to do afterwards — phones, social media, jail calls
  • 108If they took your property — civil forfeiture in brief

And everything around them

  • The Foundation. Why good people lose, the three rules, the one word that costs you everything, and the twelve sentences that cover almost every encounter. About twenty pages — the only part meant to be read straight through.
  • The Law, Plainly. Eighteen Supreme Court cases in plain English — what happened, what the Court held, what it means for you, and a link to read the opinion yourself.
  • Your State, and the quick reference. The six things that genuinely vary where you live — firearm disclosure, stop-and-identify, breath-test refusal, recording consent, marijuana odor and juveniles — plus one table of everything he can and can't make you do.
IV.
From the Comments

What people say under the videos.

Unedited comments from the channel's public comment sections — the same teaching, in the same plain language, that fills the manual.

T
YouTube viewer
On the channel

Thank you for this information! That really means a lot! I took pictures to make sure that I memorized every single bit of this!

V
YouTube viewer
On the channel

This was very helpful, thank you for this education — to know and speak to my rights.

S
YouTube viewer
On the channel

So many people need this.

Michael Ellington
V.
About the Author

Michael Ellington.

I'm Michael Ellington. I spent my career on the defense side of criminal cases, and I watched the same thing happen over and over: people who had done nothing wrong talked themselves into a charge in the first ninety seconds of a stop. Not because they were guilty. Because nobody had ever told them what to say.

The advice online is worse than nothing. It is confident, it is free, and a great deal of it will get you hurt or charged — "I'm travelling, not driving," going limp, arguing the law on the roadside with someone who can put you in handcuffs. I made this book because the correct answer is almost always short, calm and boring, and almost nobody knows it.

Don't take my word for anything in this book. Every rule in it is tied to a real, named case or a real, cited statute, all of them free to read online, and the back of the book tells you exactly where. Where the courts disagree, I say so. Where I could not verify something, I left it out.

Comply physically. Assert your rights calmly. And resolve it in a courtroom, never on the roadside.

Watch the channel →
VI.
Order the Manual

$47 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

Instant download the moment you pay — nothing is shipped. Read it on any phone, tablet or computer, or print it and keep it in the glovebox. 7-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked — if it isn't for you, email and the $47 comes back the same day.

SAY THIS — The Police Encounter Field Manual
Digital field manual · 468 pages · First edition

SAY THIS — The Police Encounter Field Manual

The 108 encounters people actually run into — the exact words to say and the exact way to act, for each one. Read the parts that apply to you. Skip the ones that don't.

$47$77Launch price — ends this month
What's inside for $47:
SAY THIS — The Field Manual — 468-page ebook, 108 numbered encounters, the exact words to say, the way to act while you say them, and a named case or cited statute behind every rule $47
The words themselves, printed in bold — every situation opens with the sentence to say, short enough to remember and calm enough to use when your hands are shaking $39
Your State — the six things that genuinely vary where you live, verified state by state, including the nine places where saying nothing while armed is itself a crime $29
The Law, Plainly — eighteen Supreme Court cases retold in plain English, what each one actually means for you, and a link to read the opinion yourself $29
After It Happens — how to get the bodycam footage, whether to file a complaint, the first twenty-four hours after an arrest, and how to find a defense lawyer $24
The Printable Cards — a separate file to print and cut: one card for your wallet, one for the glovebox, with the twelve sentences on them $19
Lifetime updates, free — this area of law moves, and when it does the page gets rewritten and sent to you straight away. Every correction and every future edition, at no extra charge, for as long as the book exists $21
Total value $208
You pay today$47

For comparison: one hour with a criminal defense attorney typically runs $150–$400 — and the full bill for one first-offense DUI is around $12,550.

Get the manual — $47

Secure checkout on Gumroad · Pay once · Yours forever

VII.
FAQ

Questions people ask before they click.

Does it cover my state?

Yes — and it's specific about where your state differs. Six things genuinely vary in ways that change what you should say: whether you must tell an officer you're armed, whether you must give your name, what refusing a breath test costs, whether you can record without consent, whether marijuana odor still justifies a search, and how juvenile questioning works. Part Eleven gives you the verified list for each, names the states that are commonly reported wrong, and shows you how to look up your own in about twenty minutes.

Is this legal advice?

No. It's educational, it does not create an attorney–client relationship, and it is not a substitute for a lawyer licensed in your state. What it does is tell you what the law is, with the case or statute cited so you can read it yourself, and give you words that are calm and short enough to actually use under pressure. If you are charged with anything, hire a lawyer.

The videos are free. Why buy this?

A video gives you one situation, and you can't search it at the roadside. This is all 108 in one file, organised so you can find the page in seconds, with the physical instructions the videos don't have room for and the state-by-state variations no single video can cover. It also has the parts a video can't carry at all: eighteen cases in plain English, the after-arrest chapters, and printable cards.

Is this a real book or a download?

It's a digital PDF — 468 pages — plus a separate printable-cards file. Both arrive the moment you pay; nothing is shipped. Read it on a phone, a tablet or a computer, or print the whole thing at the kitchen table if you'd rather have paper.

I'm not in the United States. Is this useful to me?

Honestly, no. Every rule in here comes from US federal or state law, and following American scripts abroad could make things worse rather than better. Roughly one in ten people who watch the channel are outside the US, and this book is not for them.

I'm not good with computers.

You don't need to be. You pay, a download link appears on screen and arrives in your email, and you tap it. If anything goes wrong, email and you'll get the file sent to you directly. If you'd rather not read on a screen at all, print it — it's laid out for a standard page.

What if it's not for me?

You're covered by a 7-day money-back guarantee. Email within a week and the full $47 comes back the same day, no questions asked. You keep the file.

Do I get future updates and editions?

Yes — all of them, free, for as long as the book exists. That includes future editions, at no extra charge. This area of law genuinely moves: statutes get amended, courts reverse themselves, and a state can flip from one column to the other in a single session. When that happens the page gets rewritten and the new file goes out to every buyer straight away. You are buying the current answer and every answer after it, not a snapshot.

Last Call

Know the words before you need them.

$47 once. Instant download. 7-day money-back guarantee. 108 encounters, the exact words and the exact way to act, 468 pages, every rule tied to a case or a statute you can read yourself.

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