First Time Stopped and Officer looked scared

[antgriff]

This does not make me feel too good about the officers in my area. I know (HOPE) all officers do not act like this. Here is what happened.

My wife and I were driving around looking for her a motorcycle last Friday, when we got stopped for having an expired tag on the car. She was driving and I was in the passenger side seat. We pulled over and the officer pulled up behind us. He came to the door hand on his firearm and very sternly (and rudely ) asked my wife for her license and registration. He told my wife to turn off the car. While my wife was finding the information, she asked him what she had done.

He gave a very rude, attitude filled answer, "I'll let you know when you give me your license and registration!" As we were getting the information, he called her tag in to find out the owner of the car. The dispatcher told him that she had a CCW permit, so he asked if we had any "weapons" (I hate that word.) in the car. So I told him I had a CCW permit and I am carrying my pistol on my right hip. He told us both to place our hands on the dash board. Then he asked me if he could secure my firearm for his safety.

I told him yes. When he came over to my side of the car I told him it was on my hip. As I lifted up my shirt (grabbing my shirt around the underarm area with the opposite hand), he started reaching to pull it from the my IWB holster. I was carrying my Kimber SLE like I always do (cocked and locked). He saw the firearm and froze. As he stood there, he looked very shocked and confused about what he was just presented. I got the impression he did not know how to handle the firearm. So, then he backed away, leaving my firearm in my holster. He told me to keep my hands to the dash.

I guess he thought it was safer for my Kimber to be in my holster than for him to handle it. He went to his car and wrote my wife a ticket for the expired tag and then came back to my side of the car to present the ticket. We have our hands on the dashboard, the car doors are closed, the electric powered window is up and the car if turned off. He comes back to my window and asks me to roll down the window. So I opened the door, he gets worried, and starts repeating, "Roll down your window." I finally got him to listen to me say, "They are power windows and you had me turn off the car." He then replied, "Okay.", and then he stood there with the door open as he explained the ticket.

One good thing about him when he came back to the car is he had a completely different attitude. He started being very friendly and helpful with our questions.

This small event did not make me feel like the officers in this area are being trained good enough. I don't feel they should be as scared as he seemed just form seeing a firearm. And I really don't understand the rude attitude when he first pulled us over. Unless you know I just performed some violent crime, there is no need for the rudeness.

I do not feel any safer knowing there is officers like this on the roads.

Thanks for reading.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JD]

If he didn't know what to do with a 1911, good on him for not trying to figure it out at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Many "new" officers aren't gun people, and with the 1911 fading from most duty selections, I'm not suprised if all of them don't know how it works.

[HowardCohodas]

How old was this LEO? Sometimes the younger and/or just out of training tend to be very rough around the edges.

[k6gixx]

I guess I'll ask the begging question...why were you looking for her motorcycle?

[Kerbouchard]

I agree with JD, at least he didn't try to take possesion of a weapon that he did not know how to operate. Seems like that hammer being cocked through him for a loop.

Perhaps he was just having a bad day, and I won't comment on his training, but it does seem at least slightly positive that his demeanor changed towards the end of the traffic stop.

Sorry to hear about the ticket...Get your registration ya freeloader!

[SIXTO]

The initial contact is seemingly "rude" by design, I wouldn't worry about that to much. After all, this was a police officer, not your friendly local ice cream man.
I also applaud the officer for not handling a pistol he might not have been familiar with, and it still makes me chuckle that people assume that LEO status makes one a firearms expert... its only about 1/2 of one percent of the job.

[cphilip]

You do know a NC Trooper was killed last week stopping a car with an expired tag and registration don't you? I think a little edgy would be my thought process this week...

Not making excuses but it hit home to a lot of the Patrolmen out there. The victim had just had a baby born prematurely and he died at the same hospital the baby was in. The perp shot him in the arm and hit a major artery. A vest did him no good. Tragic thing. And I am sure this is resting on their minds right now.

Cut the boys some slack. They are underpaid and under appreciated.

[Thumper]

The good news is, you were instrumental in providing this copper with a good encounter with a CCW'ed citizen!

I'll bet he ask someone about 1911's too.

[Ram Rod]

If he didn't know what to do with a 1911, good on him for not trying to figure it out at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Many "new" officers aren't gun people, and with the 1911 fading from most duty selections, I'm not suprised if all of them don't know how it works.

Ditto. Things probably went for the better in this instance. You wouldn't want the officer shooting you in the leg now would you? These days, it wouldn't matter who you are or what you're doing or haven't done or any of that. It's a dangerous job being LE. Just watch a few episodes of Cops or read the local/national news. Bad things happen. Look back on the situation and put yourself in the officer's shoes---then think of how you would have handled things, then figure out if you might need more training or preparedness to deal with those circumstances.

[rmarkob]

According to their website North Carolina Department of Justice, you must:

Disclose the fact that you have a valid concealed handgun permit when you are approached or addressed by any law enforcement officer in North Carolina

and

Inform the officer that you are in possession of a concealed handgun.

Even though you weren't driving, it's good he didn't freak out that you didn't inform him before he asked.

[obxned]

This makes me mad! This poor cop has not had enough training to be a meter maid. I hope he realizes that had you been bad people, he would have been a chalk outline on the pavement.

[JD]

This makes me mad! This poor cop has not had enough training to be a meter maid. I hope he realizes that had you been bad people, he would have been a chalk outline on the pavement.

So what do you think the better course of action would have been?

[cwblanco]

This small event did not make me feel like the officers in this area are being trained good enough. I don't feel they should be as scared as he seemed just form seeing a firearm. And I really don't understand the rude attitude when he first pulled us over. Unless you know I just performed some violent crime, there is no need for the rudeness.

I do not feel any safer knowing there is officers like this on the roads.

As the apparent rookie officer you describe gets more experience, we hope that he will be able to perform better. I will give him credit for messing with the 1911.

Your story differs from state to state and city to city. My experience is that when I produce my driver's license and CHL permit, nothing is said about the permit, and the drivers license and CHL permit are returned when the LEO is fininished. I am getting similar reports from others who have been stopped. In other words - no big deal.

A different story is when my wife produced her permit, the LEO asked her if she was carrying. When she said "No," he asked her why she was showing him her CHL if she was not carrying. She said "I did not want to pass up my first opportunity to display my CHL."

[bzdog]

If he didn't know what to do with a 1911, good on him for not trying to figure it out at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Indeed.

-john

[Hopyard]

I am going to get off on a pet peeve here. Your registration was expired. WHY?

Why on earth would you not keep that up to date. Failing to do so invites a stop, invites a ticket, and as far as I am concerned sends a signal to the officer making the stop that the person behind the wheel either: a) might be a general scofflaw; b) the car might be stolen. Or, maybe there were problems getting a title.

Renewing a car registration, at least where I live now, is as easy as logging onto a web site. The State kindly sends the renewal notice about 8 weeks ahead of time, and all you really have to do is go to the web site and fill in some information, and give them a credit card number.

Maybe other places aren't so modern, but it seems to me that not renewing your registration means you might be the sort of person who isn't careful about fulfilling your ordinary duties in life.

And three cheers for the cop for figuring out that leaving the gun in your holster was his best move.