If you browse through the videos on Coffey Anderson’s official Facebook page, you’ll find a variety of performances from the popular country singer.
With the recent officer-involved shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota undoubtedly on Anderson’s mind, he decided to shift gears. Late last week, Anderson offered up some advice for how to deal with police pulling you over.
Anderson’s video tutorial has been shared more than one million times with actual views exceeding 30 million as of Monday morning.
In the video, Anderson recommends having a plan for dealing with stops long before they happen.“Most of the times when we get pulled over it’s a surprise, we’re not used to it, it’s not something that happens every day,” he explains.
He goes on to recommend keeping your hands on the steering wheel and keeping your license and registration easily accessible so that they can be ready.
“Do not sit on your wallet,” he says. “If you’re reaching down as he [the officer] walks up, you could be pulling a weapon, which could compromise his safety, which is going to make his adrenaline go up.”
While Anderson’s Facebook page has been flooded with comments, many people have pointed out that perhaps the onus should be on the officers to protect those who are being pulled over, not on the citizens to protect themselves from the officers meant to serve and protect.
Anderson agrees that people deserve respect but states that there is a larger issue at work.“At the end of the day the policeman wants to get home safely, we want to go home safely,” he says. “Even if the cop is having a bad day, you have to go home. You gotta make it home. You’re needed.”