LEO encounter/motor accident

[INccwchris]

So i went to the movies to go see Mac Gruber. My friends and I had a great time and we left. My friend that rode to the theater with me went home with a girl and I went to get in my truck. The guy next to me was in a Grand Marquis. I went to pull foward to exit the space and as I cut my wheel, I felt myself slowing down, turned to look and saw his car moving. He was not in the car, so i figured i must have hit him now my 07 Silverado has a massive dent in the side that will probably cost around a thousand bucks to fix. I called police and requested an officer for a report. I notified the dispatcher that i have a license to carry and was doing so at the time. She said ok, I will let the officer know. We hung up and I waited by my truck. The owner came out of his movie with his girlfriend and I introduced myself told him what happened and the first things out of his mouth were, what are you going to do about your truck. We talked and laughed about how I had a massive dent, and he only had a cracked headlight. Then about 10 minutes after the original call, I got a phone call from the police. They asked me if I had a license to carry(which I already told them I did) and then they asked me to secure my firearm before the officer arrived. I did so and when the officer arrived I presented my permit and he asked where it was. I told him where my gun was and he said ok, lets make sure it stays there. I said ok. After he got both licenses and registrations he went to the door of my truck and told me to unlock it. I did so and he retrieved my firearm. I told him that I cleared it but that he should probably do the same. As i was saying this, he was already clearing my firearm, and he put it in his car for "officer safety" After he took an hour for paperwork, he brought the papers back up to each of us. He then went to his car, brought me my firearm and handed it to me piece by piece. He said he always field stripped handguns before returning them and that it was his choice to do so, not department policy. I understand the reason for him taking my weapon, sort of. But the fact that I had secured it, unloaded it, and locked it in my truck showed I meant no threat, and I even offered that the officer could take my keys so i could not get to my weapon. Not to mention the fact that he started by saying, lets leave it where it is. I am mad that he field stripped my weapon, possibly damaging it and rendering it useless in the future. I understand removing the weapon from the situation. But i was sitting on his hood, with my gun locked in my truck and the ammo in my pocket.

Treo, I think I might have misjudged you once or twice.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[carryad]

I think this is the first time I have heard of a gun being field stripped after being taken. Most of the time, I've heard of the mag being removed and round removed from chamber, and sometimes all of the rounds removed from magazine.....But really, most of the time the officers leave it where it is, either in the vehicle or on the person's body.
I can understand, to a certain extent, the officer taking the firearm...But field stripping seems odd to me

[dukalmighty]

Sounds like a buncha BS,he might have the right to secure my firearm,but I would draw the line at him deciding he can field strip my gun,especially after it was already secured in the vehicle without my access

[deafdave3]

I think you should contact his superiors and see if what he did really is protocol.

[tacman605]

Geez....that is a little much even for me. Next thing will be giving you a receipt and you can pick it up at the PD. Secure the weapon or whatever or let you keep it but come on this guy is a little full of himself.

[DIABLO9489]

I would never field strip someones weapon or for that matter take it. I would ask where you secured it, have you lock your car, and possibly hand me the keys. I would say that was a little over the top.
What were you carrying at the time? Did you examine it when he gave it back to you to make sure there was no damage?

[akapjr]

Since when do you have to inform in Indiana? Why would you do so if not law?

[CajunBass]

Yea, even I think that's a little on the dumb side. He said it wasn't dept policy, just something he did. I'd contact his boss and discuss it with him.

Wait until he runs into something he can't figure out how to field strip, and he will. He'll at best look like a (bigger) fool, at worst damage someones gun.

[Treo]

You do realize that you precipitated all of this by unnecessarily informing right? I am not trying to bust your chops I just want you to remember that the next time you interact W/ a cop. You don't know when it's your turn to win the lottery until you win it.

[bunker]

the vehicle is a dangerous weapon also... maybe he should have torn the engine down to the block..... Bunker

[hellhound94]

Obviously this particulat LEO was way over the top!

[Keltyke]

But i was sitting on his hood, with my gun locked in my truck and the ammo in my pocket.

I can't count the illegalities this "officer" committed. First, unless your state is different, the officer only has the right to search a place that you could have reached without moving when he confronted you. If you were sitting in your car, he could only search the interior, not the trunk, unless he conjures up PC or you consent. If you were outside a locked car, I doubt he had legal rights to search the interior, unless you consented.

Field stripped my weapon, huh? That would win him a complaint to the department chief, AND a long talk with a good attorney. If there's one teeny little scratch on my weapon, the department owes me a new one.

Officer safety is one thing, but I'm tired of these Billy Badass "Barney" types thinking they can do anything with a LEGALLY CARRIED gun. When one officer confiscated my gun at a traffic stop, I told him, as was said in The Godfather, "If I'd wanted you dead, you'd be dead already." The BGs hide and don't tell and half the time, they get away with it. We carry legally and follow the rules and get bullied around for it.

One bottom line I've learned when dealing with street cops: never tell anything but the bare minimum you're required by law. NEVER consent to a search without a lawyer present or a warrant shown. NEVER give up a right.

[SIXTO]

First is wasn't a search, and according to the OP, the officer retrieved the weapon in accordance to federal standards. Read up on case law before spouting off. Agree with it or not, it was within the law.

Second, while I certainly don't agree with the way the officer handled the incident, the OP did make things a little more complicated than he had too.

A minor vehicle accident on private property needs not to involve the police. All you need to do is exchange insurance info with the owner of the other car and you are done. The police are not your insurance company's secretary's. If they want a report, they can take one themselves as could you. Police officers are not report takers for the sake of taking reports.

It was a good idea to secure your pistol in your vehicle prior to arrival... but I would have ended it there. No need to tell anyone anything in Indiana.

Just my 2 cents.

[goldshellback]

I think that may have been ego induced. That officer knew enough about your sidearm to field-strip it, so he did.

Now, he may have had other reasons for doing so as well. We don't have the full measure of this officer's past to critique he intensions completly.

Having said that......the field-stripping of your sidearm seems a little much.

[Treo]

I'm curious, suppose the weapon in question is a pristine ( Intsert high dollar firearm of choice here) and the cop puts a ding on it field stripping it. Is the dept. on the hook for refinishing your gun?

Again, the best way to find an anti cop is to tell him you have a gun when you don'ty have to.