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Recent LEO encounter

3K views 23 replies 20 participants last post by  LeadHead 
#1 ·
The other day my wife called to tell me that someone rear ended her while driving (nobody was hurt). I hurried to help her and arrived before the Police did.

When the LEO arrived my wife told him right away that she had a CCW and had a firearm in the car ( notification is required by law in Ohio). The officer immediately stopped what he was doing, waved off the other party and stared at us both carefully. He asked where the firearm was and my wife replied that it was in the car in a zipped black bag. The LEO stared at us some more and skeptically replied "OK".

Now, to give you some back ground I would consider my wife and I to be very respectable people, well dressed and groomed, etc. Also, I do not begrudge officers being very, very cautious when encountering someone with a firearm. There are a lot of nut jobs out there and the LEO's primary concern should be that he can go home to his family at the end of the day. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if he took possession of the bag until he was done.

Therefore, I see absolutely nothing wrong with his actions up to this point.

He asked my wife for her license, proof of insurance and registration to which she told him was in the car. He told her to get it, and then turned his back on her to talk to the other pary as my wife walked to her car. huh ?? He's just been told that there is a firearm in the car, acts very concerned about it and then turns his back as my wife walks to the car ?

I dont get it. He could have simply asked the other party to come around to his other side and he would have been able to keep an eye on my wife.

Just seems very inconsistent to me.
 
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#2 ·
Yeah, that seems kind of silly of him. Maybe he decided your wife seemed trustworthy enough but could have been a fatal mistake. He could have done better and he certainly could have done worse.
 
#7 ·
I own a car rental company and I can count on one hand and have fingers left over how many people have been honest with us. Several times people who have told us the truth on how the accident happened and it was their fault we have not charged them for the damage. The look on their face is priceless when you tell them No charge. Mom alsways told you to tell the truth right? Yes. Have a good day.
 
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#5 ·
I'm not sure where any inconsistencies become evident. Many LEOs in Ohio have yet to have their first official encounter with a CHL holder, so he may very well have been momentarily surprised at having his first one. Even though we have had CHL here since 2004, there are still only about one in thirty-eight Ohio residents who have a permit. Combine that with the knowledge that we have to be law-abiding citizens to carry in the first place, and that we are probably more mindful of all laws when we are carrying, and the likelihood of official LEO encounters diminish significantly.
I was involved in a motor vehicle accident near Findlay, Ohio last September. The first responder, a Findlay city police officer, was surprised when I did my must inform, as was the state trooper who showed up a moment later. Neither had encountered a legally-armed motorist before.
 
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#15 ·
[L]ooking at you skeptically is probably pretty normal. I'm skeptical of just about everyone for the first points of contact. First impressions are valuable..... It's never a guarantee, but you can usually size someone up pretty quickly to determine if they will be a threat. You obviously did not pose a threat in his eyes. If you did, he would have held onto the gun bag, or at least walked away with his eyes on you. (I do that when I stop a car. I just about walk backwards back to my car with my eyes on the stopped car most of the way....traffic and other environment permitting of course).
Seems to me he was a reasonably cautious policeman who made his observations and correctly assessed the situation as zero risk with regard to your wife and her legally carried firearm. I find no fault with this man.
Seems to me that he did what all cops do, which is try to make a quick decision on the people he was dealing with, realized that you had followed the law in announcing a CCW permit and told him where the gun was, probably figured from your demeanor and of your wife that there was most likely no threat, this was not a disturbance call, and turned his attention to getting the accident investigation going.

The other party could also have very well seemed more of a threat to him than you and your wife.

I know people think that once a firearm is announced, police will always get froggy, but remember, criminals usually do not tell you they are armed, and guns in and of themselves are harmless. It is the person using the gun that is the issue.

There were also lots of variables here, like: Were you still in a lane of traffic? (Most cops would rather wrestle a porcupine naked than turn their back on vehicular traffic)

Was the other person acting suspiciously and needed more careful attention?

Is the cop a staunch second amendment proponent and realizes that you and your wife are just exercising your rights, so no big deal. (We do exist, after all)

Had it been a disturbance call, I am sure the announcement of a weapon would have had a different handling of the situation.

Anyway, apparently the incident passed without issue and everyone went on their way. Sounds like how our country SHOULD be run. Police too often get a bad rap for being heavy handed when what they are actually doing is controlling the scene as best and safely as they can.
I want to add that the cop might have been running through his mind recent BOLO's.
 
#8 ·
One of the more basic rules in the field is to separate everyone. It goes for a crash, a domestic disorder, pretty much anything. I'm not going to ask "ok, what happened?" with the other guy listening. I ask one at a time. Otherwise, people will argue, or at minimum, talk at the same time, trying to talk over each other. I can only listen to one person at a time, and usually, separating people is the only way to do that. Also, looking at you skeptically is probably pretty normal. I'm skeptical of just about everyone for the first points of contact. First impressions are valuable. From what i'm reading, you notified of the gun, he said OK, and that was that. As far as him turning his back to walk to the other car, I dont see a problem. It's never a guarantee, but you can usually size someone up pretty quickly to determine if they will be a threat. You obviously did not pose a threat in his eyes. If you did, he would have held onto the gun bag, or at least walked away with his eyes on you. (I do that when I stop a car. I just about walk backwards back to my car with my eyes on the stopped car most of the way....traffic and other environment permitting of course).

In your case, things seemed to have gone smoothly. As always, its appreciated when someone notifies, even when they dont have to (yeah, I know, you dont HAVE to in some spots...and some people will refuse to just because they can...however...if you notify, even when you dont have to, it is appreciated, so thanks! Run-on sentence over / :embarassed: Glad nobody was hurt!
 
#9 ·
I dont get it. He could have simply asked the other party to come around to his other side and he would have been able to keep an eye on my wife.

Just seems very inconsistent to me.
Seems to me he was a reasonably cautious policeman who made his observations and correctly assessed the situation as zero risk with regard to your wife and her legally carried firearm. I find no fault with this man.
 
#10 ·
Sometimes an officer will just give the look for a second or two just to see what else you are going to volunteer. People have trouble resisting the urge to fill an awkward silence. Especially nervous folks like someone who has something to hide.

She passed the test so he decided she was no longer in need of close observation.
 
#11 ·
Seems to me that he did what all cops do, which is try to make a quick decision on the people he was dealing with, realized that you had followed the law in announcing a CCW permit and told him where the gun was, probably figured from your demeanor and of your wife that there was most likely no threat, this was not a disturbance call, and turned his attention to getting the accident investigation going.

The other party could also have very well seemed more of a threat to him than you and your wife.

I know people think that once a firearm is announced, police will always get froggy, but remember, criminals usually do not tell you they are armed, and guns in and of themselves are harmless. It is the person using the gun that is the issue.

There were also lots of variables here, like: Were you still in a lane of traffic? (Most cops would rather wrestle a porcupine naked than turn their back on vehicular traffic)

Was the other person acting suspiciously and needed more careful attention?

Is the cop a staunch second amendment proponent and realizes that you and your wife are just exercising your rights, so no big deal. (We do exist, after all)

Had it been a disturbance call, I am sure the announcement of a weapon would have had a different handling of the situation.

Anyway, apparently the incident passed without issue and everyone went on their way. Sounds like how our country SHOULD be run. Police too often get a bad rap for being heavy handed when what they are actually doing is controlling the scene as best and safely as they can.
 
#16 ·
I have encountered the same level of carelessness from an LEO.

Back in Virginia our neighbors called the police on us because they figured I was beating her, in fact we were having love makin' time to ourselves. Which ended up called the police about numerous times during our stay in those apartments, even when we were trying to be quiet. This being the first time the police had been called on us I was not expecting it. I grabbed my Glock 31 and made way to the door, after checking the peep hole I noticed it was none other than the Richmond Police Department (none of the guys I knew either, and I knew most of them in that precinct) so I put it down on a side table and opened the door. They said they heard a disturbance and asked to come in, I consented just to prove all was well. Immediately I said "Officer, I placed my gun right there." One of the officers stayed with me unloading the gun and conversing with me about what had happened. Before the second officer made his way to my bedroom the other officer asked me if there were more guns and I said "Yes, in the top drawer of the night stand" he made his way into the bedroom where my gf had gotten dressed to talk to her, according to her all he did was ask her "Are there guns in there?" to which she replied "Yes.". He spoke to her for a few minutes and from what I could hear he was trying to ask if I beat her and telling her that it didn't have to keep going and blah blah blah. I also began to her that angry tone my girlfriend gets when you ask her a question too many times. Finally he leaves, no guns in hand, never asking her to exit the room so he can unload them, nothing. I was shocked and even asked him "Where are the guns?" The second officer looked shocked and seemingly grilled the other officer on the way out. I could understand if the other officer was in training but that was not the case. It was poor thinking.
 
#17 ·
Your wife was being honest and upfront with the information. She told the officer even before the officer even thought to ask about the possibility of weapons.Criminals lie cheat and conceal their evil intentions. They dont confess they have a legally carried firearm. The last thing they want is confrontation or being discovered.Your wife is honest and the officer percieved correctly that she is just regular honest citizen. Cheers to your wife for handling the situation properly.
 
#18 ·
The LEO didn't come 'unglued'...he didn't take the firearm, unload and disassemble it and then put it in the trunk...I'd say that there was no problem.
Sounds like a fair encounter to me!:yup:
 
#20 ·
The LEO gave you the ocular lie detector test and you passed.

And I hate to hear people say LEOs should go home safely at the end of their shift, therefore they will take/unload your gun. Who DOESN'T deserve to go home safely at the end of their shift? Who else takes you gun during a customer interaction? Unless something weird is going on, car crash victims are NOT criminals.
 
#22 ·
I was pulled over on 75 in Cincinnati for speeding. I also informed the officer immediately, he was completely uninterested.
 
#23 ·
I've thought a little more about this, and it finally hit me why I was bothered by the whole thing. I was nervous that the LEO would suddenly realize that my wife was rooting around in her car where a firearm was present and then he would draw down on her.

Ultimately, I was the one that was uncomfortable in the situation.

Please dont read too much into this, I'm not whining or complaining that somehow I was treated unfairly, I'm simply exploring the feelings I had during my first (semi) armed encounter with an LEO
 
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