OK, LEO's, Answer This For Me

[Ross]

I went a lot of years without getting stopped for speeding (just lucky, I guess). Then, in the past year, I've been stopped three times, twice by small town officers, and once by Texas Highway Patrol. Now, I have almost NEVER gotten a warning when I was speeding, almost always a ticket.
But, the past three times I have gotten a warning. I think it's because of the way I handled the concealed handgun issue. It's actually a pretty simple process, but I'm sure it makes the LEO feel a darn sight more comfortable when a driver does it right.
As soon as I am pulled over, I get out my wallet and remove my driver's license and handgun license. I take my insurance card from the sun visor, and I have all three of them waiting to hand to the officer when he gets to my car. If it's night time, I have the interior light turned on, and I keep my hands on the wheel where they can be seen, day or night.
As soon as the officer gets to my car, I look him in the eye, hand him all of the stuff and say very calmly and politely, "Officer, I have a concealed handgun license and I have a handgun in a holster on my right hip."
All of the officers have seemed very happy to have me simply do what the law requires anyway, and I think that may have something to do with me getting only a warning three times in a row.
OTOH, maybe all three of them were just having a good day and I got lucky. What do you think?

[SergntMac]

You're doing it right, Ross. Showing a little courtesy earns a lot in return.

[seans]

The professional way you are handling the stop has a lot to do with it. I like the part about turning your interior lights on at night before the officer approaches your vehicle. I wish that more people would do it.

[Hotrauder]

Ross, you are right on. thanks for sharing your great ideas for handling a stop. Dennis:D

[DEFYANT]

Seems like you've gotten the right answer.

Yup, right on! When 75% of the stops deal with an attitude, when we get one like you, who treats us right, we feel obligated to treat you right.

Just watch out cuz, you may get stopped by a P/O who remembers giving you a warning and may stroke you twice: Once for the warning (yes he can do that) and once for the current violation.

Be safe.

[hitchhiker]

I went a lot of years without getting stopped for speeding (just lucky, I guess). Then, in the past year, I've been stopped three times, twice by small town officers, and once by Texas Highway Patrol. Now, I have almost NEVER gotten a warning when I was speeding, almost always a ticket.
But, the past three times I have gotten a warning. I think it's because of the way I handled the concealed handgun issue. It's actually a pretty simple process, but I'm sure it makes the LEO feel a darn sight more comfortable when a driver does it right.
As soon as I am pulled over, I get out my wallet and remove my driver's license and handgun license. I take my insurance card from the sun visor, and I have all three of them waiting to hand to the officer when he gets to my car. If it's night time, I have the interior light turned on, and I keep my hands on the wheel where they can be seen, day or night.
As soon as the officer gets to my car, I look him in the eye, hand him all of the stuff and say very calmly and politely, "Officer, I have a concealed handgun license and I have a handgun in a holster on my right hip."
All of the officers have seemed very happy to have me simply do what the law requires anyway, and I think that may have something to do with me getting only a warning three times in a row.
OTOH, maybe all three of them were just having a good day and I got lucky. What do you think?

Obviously Texas hands out way too many CC permits!

:D

[SergntMac]

Obviously Texas hands out way too many CC permits! Dude...You got this man so wrong...

[Ross]

Actually, I was making a little bet as to how long it would take David to post here!:P

[hitchhiker]

Dude...You got this man so wrong...

It takes a while to forget the kind of reception given me by Ross and
his Texas buddies when I joined the site, but I guess it is time that I did.

OK Mac,

You seem like a gentleman and an all around good guy ...

I'll take your word for it one Scot to another.

:beer:

Ross, you are hereby officially off of my '***** List'

BTW - I really did know about the sword, just seemed
like a good way to get a reaction out of you.

:beer:

Have a great weekend.

You too Ross.

Regards,

Dave

:D

[ParkRanger]

You have been very LUCKY. Most LEO's are type A personalities who joined the force to do that exact thing - give tickets! It's what they like to do - especially when their beat is real slow that shift. It's the second best thing they like to do (putting a scum bag in jail is the first thing). :D
BTW, if the gun is on your hip is it still considered a concealed weapon?

PR :burnout:

[MM2004]

OK Mac,

You seem like a gentleman and an all around good guy ...

I'll take your word for it one Scott to another.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Dave

:D

Originally Posted by SergntMac
Dude...You got this man so wrong...

Yeah Mac, I would agree. (What the hell is a Scott? :D )

Right when I was enjoying the quiet, here comes David, making more noise than a busted chainsaw.

Go smoke a "phatt" one and chill,...

Enough already.

Mike.

Sorry Gents,....Carry on..

[Ross]

You have been very LUCKY. Most LEO's are type A personalities who joined the force to do that exact thing - give tickets! It's what they like to do - especially when their beat is real slow that shift. It's the second best thing they like to do (putting a scum bag in jail is the first thing). :D
BTW, if the gun is on your hip is it still considered a concealed weapon?

PR :burnout:

Yeah, that's why I posted, because I was wondering if it was just luck, or if I was being "rewarded" for making things easier and more confortable for them.
As far as concealed goes, if it's on my hip inside the car, and not visible to "ordinary observation", it's concealed. If I get out of the car, it better be covered up.

[hitchhiker]

Originally Posted by SergntMac
Dude...You got this man so wrong...

Yeah Mac, I would agree. (What the hell is a Scott? :D )

Right when I was enjoying the quiet, here comes David, making more noise than a busted chainsaw.

Go smoke a "phatt" one and chill,...

Enough already.

Mike.

Sorry Gents,....Carry on..

A typo! Now Corrected.

Good memory too I see!

No phatty's till I retire, but thanks just the same!

:D

[wsmylie]

You have been very LUCKY. Most LEO's are type A personalities who joined the force to do that exact thing - give tickets! It's what they like to do - especially when their beat is real slow that shift. It's the second best thing they like to do (putting a scum bag in jail is the first thing). :D
BTW, if the gun is on your hip is it still considered a concealed weapon?

PR :burnout: ParkRanger...buddy, I gotta disagree with the MOST are type A personality thing..... I've know hundreds of guys in the business and the different personality types seem to generally pretty much mirror those found in any large occupational/work group; running the gamut from being pretty near comatose to acting almost like maniacs with the vast majority being someplace in the middle. As far as traffic ticket vs warning I gotta agree with Mac and the other guys etc that you (Ross) handled it like a pro and were treated like one in return IMHO:D .

[SergntMac]

Park Ranger...I do my work under Illinois and Chicago statutes, where our ancestors seem to have taken a different approach to gun control.

A very long time ago, someone wrote a simple law...Guns bad. No guns of any kind, allowed anywhere, period. A gun laying in the middle of the street with no one around it for 100 miles, is contraband subject to seizure. May as well be a pound of pure cocaine, because no one can possess it.

Then "they" proceeded to create hundreds of exceptions to this law, exceptions excluding certain people under certain circumstances from restriction/enforcement, or, penalty under this law. The list of exceptions begins with a resident standing on his own real estate, and continues down the list to include Federal agents, military, state and city LEOs, security guards and private citizens with one kind of permission, or, another. It's not all that confusing, but it's not all that straightforward either.

Hence...Any firearm carried on the person requires an exception, an exception different from broken-down and locked in the trunk. If I were to stop Ross in Illinois, and he has his firearm strapped to his person in any way, or, in the passenger compartment within any occupant's reach, he would need an exception in his favor, or, he wins some new jewelery.

I know other states and most Federal territories see this differently, but in Illinois, "possession" is the key, not concealment.

I can't say if Ross' Texas "permission" is valid as an "exception" in Illinois, but if I met him under the circumstances he outlines in his opening post, I would be inclined to check all of his papers, give him a short lesson in packing the trunk, and send him on his way with my thanks for looking out for my concerns.

For any cop, all discretion is "situational". No cop would release someone wanted on a felony warrant, but in lesser matters, it's a sliding scale that leave enforcement decisions to the officer on the scene. If I were a traffic cop focused on highway safety, it's the rest of my tour to book Ross for U.U.W. That's three D.U.Is that slipped by me while I was off the road.

Over my past 30 years as an LEO, I have arrested many who have not met my personal standards on this. But, a few have, and I am equally proud of my decision at those times.

David...Mike...we're all 10-4 now, right?

[ParkRanger]

For any cop, all discretion is "situational". No cop would release someone wanted on a felony warrant, but in lesser matters, it's a sliding scale that leave enforcement decisions to the officer on the scene. If I were a traffic cop focused on highway safety, it's the rest of my tour to book Ross for U.U.W. That's three D.U.Is that slipped by me while I was off the road.



Copy that Mac and agree with your CCW assessment. My response was mainly to Ross' question of whether he was lucky to have been stopped so many times and not get scratched with a cite. You get pulled over in S. Cal X 3 and not get cited I say keep driving to Vegas and put it all down cause it's your lucky day!

Clear me and 10-8

[SouLRioT]

Ross arent you a member of the bar aswell? I know that sometimes helps.

[MM2004]

David...Mike...we're all 10-4 now, right?

Mac, that's a 10-4 ;) .

There are just some people that need to 10-7 instead of responding to a call.

BTW, I would practice the same techniques as Ross if I were pulled over while carrying...

Best,

Mike.

[jgc61sr2002]

[QUOTE=ParkRanger]You have been very LUCKY. Most LEO's are type A personalities who joined the force to do that exact thing - give tickets! It's what they like to do - especially when their beat is real slow that shift.



Where did you come up with that?

It's pure B.S.

[wsmylie]

Clear me and 10-8 =Miami translation..... "QSL and show me 09 please" :)

[Alan]

Ross is a true Texas gentleman of the highest order. I am quite sure his attitude goes a long way in how he is perceived by others and how they react to him...not to mention the way he handles LEO stops when carrying.

Ross - you're the man!

[Ross]

Ross arent you a member of the bar aswell? I know that sometimes helps.

Yep, I'm a lawyer, but I try not to reveal that unless absolutely necessary! Never know when you'll meet someone who hates all lawyers because of a bad divorce, or because someone he busted was acquitted because he had a good lawyer.

[GAMike]

The only thing i do differently......I hand all the doc's u mentioned to the officer, and then wait for him to ask me the firearm question. That way, I am responding to a direct question, and the chances of miscommunication are minimized. Who knows what kind of day an officer has had before reaching me. I don't want something said in advance to be misconstrued.

Same idea different technique.

Best regards,
GAMike

[Rider90]

You forgot to say "DRAW!"

[jgc61sr2002]

Yep, I'm a lawyer, but I try not to reveal that unless absolutely necessary! Never know when you'll meet someone who hates all lawyers because of a bad divorce, or because someone he busted was acquitted because he had a good lawyer.



Ross - Good move. :D