Traffic Stop AAR

[Treo]

Got pulled over tonite,by the Co. State Patrol. The Trooper was a pretty decent sort, he certainly could have ticketed me & he didn't . I wanted to do a little AAR ( after action review ) & see what you all think I did right & what I could work on .
First of all I WAS speeding ( I was also going down hill on a 7% grade) I came up on the cop from behind & slowed down to 5 miles under the limit. he slowed to TEN under the limit & started flying formation on my right rear bumper. At this point I pretty much knew he was going to pull me over, but I found the fact that he tailed me all the way down the pass before lighting me up to be needlessly intimidating.
As soon as he got behind me I knew what was coming so I took my piece off the seat & locked in the glove box. when the cop walked up to my car I handed him my DL registration & POI, saying NOTHING about the weapon. He then asked if I had any weapons I put my CHP in his hand and THEN told him I had a pistol in the car. He then got a little huffy & told me he shouldn't have had to ask for my CHP & that I was REQUIRED to inform him that I was armed. (this statement was a total falsehood no such law exists in Colorado)
Rather than get in a roadside pissing contest I replied " Officer I am not aware of that law". he then asked me where the piece was , when I told him I got a lecture about how unsecure a glovebox was for storing a handgun. He seemed please when I informed him that I have a lockbox to secure my weapon when I'm required to leave it in my car unattended.
At this point he asked where I was going & told him I was heading home from work

At this point the tone of the interview changed for the better. The cop told me that he was going to run my information & if everything checked out he'd " warn " me and let me go. everything checked out & he actually made some small talk (real small talk not a fishing trip

 

[Retired Grunt]

Glad it turned out OK. It has been my experience that respect gets respect.

 

[mappow]

Not being familiar with Co Law, I can not comment on the weapon on your seat or why if you have a CWP you do not CC while driving. I would say that stuffing anything in the glove while an LEO is behind you would make me suspicious and a bit on edge if I was the LEO. Just my view of it.

 

[Treo]

Not being familiar with Co Law, I can not comment on the weapon on your seat or why if you have a CWP you do not CC while driving. I would say that stuffing anything in the glove while an LEO is behind you would make me suspicious and a bit on edge if I was the LEO. Just my view of it.

IAW Colorado law carrying a weapon on your seat is legal with or w/out a permit. I don't Carry Concealed while driving because my job does not permit me to carry at work I leave work, take my piece out of the lock box and put it on the seat.

Given that I drive a station wagon I doubt he saw me stuff anything in the glove box

 

[oldbanjo]

He's right I wouldn't have put the Gun in the glove box. In SC you only have to show CWP if you are CC Don't know your law. Showing your CWP would have helped a nervous Cop, sense you had put something in the glove box.

 

[Treo]

He's right I wouldn't have put the Gun in the glove box. In SC you only have to show CWP if you are CC Don't know your law. Showing your CWP would have helped a nervous Cop, sense you had put something in the glove box.

The cop knew I had a CHP w/in one minute of stopping me and as soon as he found out I did he started busting my chops about breaking some non existant law. I imagine I would have got an earfull of gun had I left my piece on the seat

Given that I drive a station wagon I doubt he saw me stuff anything in the glove box

To clarify this statement I drive a '98 escort wagon I was able to pick the weapon up and put it in the glove box w/out really strecthingso I doubt he saw what I was doing

 

[mappow]

The cop knew I had a CHP w/in one minute of stopping me and as soon as he found out I did he started busting my chops about breaking some non existant law. I imagine I would have got an earfull of gun had I left my piece on the seat

Given that I drive a station wagon I doubt he saw me stuff anything in the glove box

To clarify this statement I drive a '98 escort wagon I was able to pick the weapon up and put it in the glove box w/out really strecthingso I doubt he saw what I was doing

A well trained LEO will notice any shift of you shoulders during the initial stop. NOT saying that you don't have the right to place the weapon in the glove box. BUT if CO Law states that's it's legal to carry on your seat. Why add a mystery (PC) to the situation? What else could you be hiding in the glove box? Just playing devils advocate but in real life, this is what will be going through the LEO's mind.

 

[Treo]

A well trained LEO will notice any shift of you shoulders during the initial stop. NOT saying that you don't have the right to place the weapon in the glove box. BUT if CO Law states that's it's legal to carry on your seat. Why add a mystery (PC) to the situation? What else could you be hiding in the glove box? Just playing devils advocate but in real life, this is what will be going through the LEO's mind.

Clearly I couldn't have known this beforehand but this particular cop was very jumpy when he asked me if I had any weapons in the vehicle I handed him my CHP when I stuck my hand out the window he literally almost jumped back into traffic to get away from my hand.

While I can only speculate on this I suspect that the stop would have gone much, much worse had he seen a gun sitting on my seat.

What else could you be hiding in the glove box?

I could have been retrieving my POI and registration as well

 

[rappini]

I thought I would chime in on an experience I had leaving Little Fahlujah (Dearborn,Michigan) a couple of years ago. Christmas time on the way back to Indiana took 94 west to M60 to get to Indy 69 had it locked on cruise control 70mph in a 55. I saw this Michigan State Trooper coming from in front of me but it was to late so I just pulled over and waited for him . When he approached he said thanks for pulling over and I handed him my DL and Permit to carry he thanked me again and said if he gives me a warning will I slow down, and I said you betcha. Nice guy although I did get the feeling when I told him I was carrying he seemed to be in a hurry. Nice guy though.

 

[Badman400]

Pulled over with gun in SC

I am in the home improvement business, (sales for the last 15 years), so I do a LOT of driving. I used to get a speeding ticket every year or so, then as I got older it went to every other year. I got to the 3 year without a ticket mark, about a decade ago with only the occasional ticket.

Well, that all changed this year. Just last month I got a speeding ticket. As SC law dictates I showed my CWP and informed the officer I was carrying when handing over my driver's license. He said, "Thanks, give me a minute." He proceeded to write me a ticket, but was nice enough to cut it in half so it would cost me half the money as well as half the points.

No sooner had I paid the ticket online, than a day or two later I ran through a good ole fashioned country speed trap on a winding rural road where you rarely see a cop any other time of the year. Same thing, I handed him my CWP along with my license and told him I was armed. He asked me where it was and I told him it was in my front pocket where it stays at all times. He said, "Keep it there." I thought that was a bit sharp but just wrote it off to him being a younger officer and said, "Yes Sir."

He came back a few minutes later with my second ticket, but instead of speeding, he made it out as "negligent driving" so it wouldn't take more points from my license. He even seemed genuinely sorry he'd stopped me to begin with. Small town speed trap raising money for the "Toys for Tots" program for Christmas. I was only too happy to pay the reduced fine in lieu of the points and a larger fine.

Point is, both officers seemed to respect being informed in a calm, responsible manner, that I was armed. After that, they appeared to forget about it...Here's hoping those two are my last tickets. :biggrin: