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First time getting pulled over while carrying

3K views 19 replies 18 participants last post by  ayce2 
#1 ·
Well I like to drive fast and I knew it was only a matter of time and today it happened. Got pulled over going 76 in a 65 by a state trooper on the highway today while carrying. He said he was going to give me a warning straight away as I handed him my license and CC permit. He immediately casually asked if I had a firearm in my possession which of course I said yes, on my right hip. He told me to make sure I don't reach for it so we don't have any "misunderstanding" and told me he would be right back. Coming back to the car I noticed him unlatch his strap on his holster and walk back hand on pistol till he could once again see my hands. He gave me the warning and leaned in my passenger window to tell me that I wouldn't believe how many people when asked if they had a weapon immediately reach for it. I said that is one mistake I was never willing to make. He then told me to "be safe" and reached in and shook my hand.

I have never had a police officer shake my hand after pulling me over (yes it happens often). The tone of his voice and his gesture while he didn't say it I could tell was in relation to my carrying. Overall a good experience and the officer was extremely professional. While in Wisconsin you are not required to notify police while carrying I feel that it is a matter of courtesy to the officer. Had he asked me to get out of the car for any reason it would have only complected things if I needed to tell him at a later point that I was carrying.
 
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#4 ·
Had this happen myself a while ago here in MI. Here we are required to notify right away and in doing so, I asked the officer if he would like to disarm me for the duration of our interview. (I know I didn't have to offer this, but did it as a courtesy and because I have heard that some LEOs prefer this and feel safer). He seemed a bit, well, I don't want to say confused exactly, but I kind of guessed that he either hadn't seen this exact scenario before, or that he wasn't expecting me to be armed or to offer to let him disarm me. Anyway, he asked me where the firearm was, and then reached in to remove it from my holster at 3 o'clock. I wouldn't have done it that way with him reaching across me, but I wasn't about to reach for it myself with his partner watching from the other side of the car. Anyway, he took such a long time I was sure I was going to get a ticket, but when he came back he just gave me a warning and thanked me. Not sure what he was thanking me for, but his partner left my pistol behind the passenger seat and just asked me not to retrieve it until they were under way. They never unloaded it, which I half expected them to do.

Anyway, the long and short of it is that I felt that he treated me differently than I had ever been treated by a LEO during a traffic stop before and the one thing that was different was that I was carrying. I think it helped that I was very respectful because he had to have clocked me at +12 psl. I also have a very clean driving record so he must figured it was a fluke. That was my assumption because we didn't talk about my speed at all except at the end when he said to slow down, almost as afterthought.

Interesting, anyway.

Cheers,

Gav
 
#5 ·
I'm glad it went well for you but I agree with the others... slow down! CC means acting more responsibly than others. It's possible that your speeding could be perceived as an escalation of sorts. And speeding just doesn't save you any time. The time you were saving was lost when you got pulled over. End of lecture!
 
#9 ·
Sounds like a good stop.

People need to realize LEO's are like us, 99% are out there doing their job the right way. It's the 1% who are bad apples everyone hears about.
 
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#10 ·
They already know

I can tell you that, at least in Tennessee, there is a very, very high probability that the officer approaching your car already knows you have a concealed carry permit. When an officer pulls you over, before he approaches your car, he calls in your tag to Dispatch. This allows him to find out if the car is stolen, if you have any outstanding warrants, etc. Here in TN, carry permits are linked to our Driver License which is, in turn, linked to our license plate. The dispatcher will tell the officer if the car they have pulled over belongs to a carry permit owner.

It is my belief that it is best to volunteer your ID whether required to or not.
 
#19 ·
I can tell you that, at least in Tennessee, there is a very, very high probability that the officer approaching your car already knows you have a concealed carry permit. When an officer pulls you over, before he approaches your car, he calls in your tag to Dispatch. This allows him to find out if the car is stolen, if you have any outstanding warrants, etc. Here in TN, carry permits are linked to our Driver License which is, in turn, linked to our license plate. The dispatcher will tell the officer if the car they have pulled over belongs to a carry permit owner.

It is my belief that it is best to volunteer your ID whether required to or not.
Same here in Ohio. If they run my plate before they come to my car they already know the driver could have a ccl. We have to inform right away. Heck the officer already knows lol.
 
#11 ·
Boy, you are lucky. The FL state troopers are well known for giving their mothers tickets. Never even heard of one of tehm giving a warning. They feel if they have to stop you, they're writing a ticket. "Over 9 and you're mine" is their saying.
 
#14 ·
I think most State Troopers are similiar. A very large part of the job is highway traffic enforcement. I'll be on the interstate, on my way to a call, in my marked car, and still have the initial :gah: instinct when I see one sitting in the median. :embarassed: They probably write more tickets in a week than I do in a year. I probably work more domestics and dope cases etc... Just different dept's that have different focus of responsibility.
 
#12 ·
My take is that LEO's are out there helping protect the safety of my family. In the course of keeping society safe they walk up to pulled over cars, in the dark, often alone. That would scare the crap out of me to do that, and the least I can do is show respect and courtesy by informing.
 
#13 ·
Glad this went so well for you.
 
#16 ·
My intent is to notify... Not required in Iowa... and permit not tied to anything (DL, plate, whatever).

I will have my permit and my license ready to hand the officer when he approaches the vehicle... He'll know I'm armed when I reach for the registration and proof of insurance. (I doubt I could get all the docs I need before he got to the car... but maybe... most of the times I have been stopped there probably has been enough time before he even gets out of his cruiser... he's probably doing "best out of three" coin flips to determine if I'm getting a ticket or a warning)

That last was a joke, son... a joke, I say... Just to see if you were payin' attention.

Glad your stop worked out... I would feel uncomfortable with him reaching across me like that... but I'd let him... especially if there was another LEO watching the passenger side.
 
#17 ·
Yes those were good stop's, glad you guys ran into excellent officers. There are lots of them out there, naturally we only hear about the bad ones in the news.
Your attitude and honesty with the officer does make a big difference.
I hold one permit now for quite a number of states, but don't have the Maryland one yet. We have our fingers crossed with the legal actions going on to change from a NO issue, to a shall issue. I still don't know if Maryland LEO's will require being notified during a stop nor do I know if the permit will be tied to our DL's.
 
#18 ·
This is my first post.
Our son is a leo in California and his advice to me if pulled over: Stop, take keys out of ignition and place them on dashboard. Both hands on the steering wheel. If the stop is at night then turn on your overhead light. Tell the officer you have a concealed carry permit and you have a weapon on your person. Then follow his instructions. And our son has said on many occasions that cops get lied to every day and they really hate it---never lie if pulled over.
 
#20 ·
Wisconsin doesn't link the DL to the CC, there is no duty to inform; even though the DOJ website suggest that you do. I have made the decision not to inform, unless they ask me to step out of the car.
 
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