Weapons in a Vehicle Accident...thumbs up to Polk County S.O.

I’m glad you’re ok

Unless you’re in a very anti gun area most officers understand that those who have a conceal carry permits are not a threat to them. So typically they’ll act as you experienced if you treat them with respect, don’t do anything sudden and follow their instructions.

What funny is my former next door neighbor who is a deputy and I were talking about conceal carry a few weeks ago and he was very clear that he and his coworkers were appreciative of those who carry legally. It’s not us they fear, it’s the meth head strung out with a gun, or the domestic where people are angry, screaming and unpredictable.

Never had a prob with the good guys.

Can't say anything bad about Polk County Sheriffs! I always thought they have their priorities straight. Most guys I've spoken with are indeed "good guys". Glad to hear your experience was a good one, at least so far as your interaction with the PCSO and not the REASON you needed to do so.

Back in 1987, three months before I landed "the job" myself, I was broadsided by a stop sign runner. I was driving a pickup truck I'd bought new only nine months earlier. I was delivering pizzas at the time, headed back to the store after a delivery, and had been keeping a Taurus M66 revolver in a holster in the glovebox.

No one was injured, but both vehicles were disabled and had to be towed from the scene. A female LEO who was investigating the accident told me she needed the odometer readings from both vehicles. When she approached mine (I was not in it), she asked me "where's your gun?" I was surprised by the question, but told her where it was. She asked me if I minded if she unloaded it, and I suggested she put the rounds in the ash tray, which she did. Not another word about it was mentioned.

Two things I never figured out: how she knew I would have a gun, and why she told me she needed the odometer reading (I started on the job in another city three months later, and never saw a space on an accident report for a mileage reading.) Regarding the first, maybe cops just figured pizza drivers went armed...

Regarding the Polk County SO, and its leader, the agency does have a good reputation, and Sheriff Judd has been largely a staunch 2A supporter, often being criticized for encouraging PC citizens to go armed. However, he has gone on record after Las Vegas as supporting accessories that can permit a firearm to be fired in a manner simulating a full-auto weapon ("bump-stocks.")

i was in a car crash on Interstate 5 near Sacramento, CA in June. The CHP saw the whole thing happen as he was setup on the side of the road to intercept a driver that had been reported by another motorist as driving recklessly. Of all the luck the guy plowed into the back of me going 101 miles per hour (CHP had him on radar). After checking the other driver the CHP came over to me. I already had my license and ccw out because disclosure is a condition of my permit. He took both and never asked where my firearm was, it was like he could care less. Officer did seem more concerned with the other driver as he asked me to backup my car closer to his cruiser because he wanted to keep an eye on the other driver, i later learned they arrested the other driver for DUI. I did ask a friend of mine who is also a CHP why the officer wasn't that concerned with where my gun was. His response was we don't care, we assume everyone is armed.

Another positive shout out to Polk CO SO. Too often only the negative comments get in the public

After Hurricane Irma I was involved with a group delivering relief supplies and volunteer workers to south Florida. We were in convoy with 3 tractor trailers, 3 pickups pulling trailers along with 4 Georgia sheriff's vehicles. While in Polk county a drunk driver ran a red light and hit the patrol car bringing up the rear of our convoy. The patrol car was running lights. It was a minor scrape with no injuries but the drunk ran, and was caught a block away.

While getting that sorted out one of the other patrol cars AC compressor locked up and broke the serpentine belt. They towed both of our patrol cars to their shop and repaired the one with the broken AC compressor at no charge. We picked them both up 3 days later on our way back north. The car that had been hit wasn't damaged badly, but could not be driven so we towed it behind one of the pickups on a car hauler we rented.

I was coming off I40 in Nashville and a 20 year old girl in a big jeep ran a red light and totaled my car, and the one next to me. I awoke in a gurney in the intersection with no clue what happened. At the hospital my pistol was given to my 18 year old son to hold for me till I was released. Then my son was 6'2" 230, and easily looks old enough. No issues with Nashville PD, they were very polite and professional in every encounter I have had with them.

Been there twice. In one case, the officer asked if he could disarm me until they determined was was up. I didn't protest. I could see their point. Second time, the officers aid - This is TX, not California where you run around saying - He's got a gun! I kept it on me.

In both cases, no panic and they were very polite. Also very supportive of me as the victim of two evil drivers.

MedWheeler said:

Back in 1987, three months before I landed "the job" myself, I was broadsided by a stop sign runner. I was driving a pickup truck I'd bought new only nine months earlier. I was delivering pizzas at the time, headed back to the store after a delivery, and had been keeping a Taurus M66 revolver in a holster in the glovebox.

No one was injured, but both vehicles were disabled and had to be towed from the scene. A female LEO who was investigating the accident told me she needed the odometer readings from both vehicles. When she approached mine (I was not in it), she asked me "where's your gun?" I was surprised by the question, but told her where it was. She asked me if I minded if she unloaded it, and I suggested she put the rounds in the ash tray, which she did. Not another word about it was mentioned.

Two things I never figured out: how she knew I would have a gun, and why she told me she needed the odometer reading (I started on the job in another city three months later, and never saw a space on an accident report for a mileage reading.) Regarding the first, maybe cops just figured pizza drivers went armed...

Regarding the Polk County SO, and its leader, the agency does have a good reputation, and Sheriff Judd has been largely a staunch 2A supporter, often being criticized for encouraging PC citizens to go armed. However, he has gone on record after Las Vegas as supporting accessories that can permit a firearm to be fired in a manner simulating a full-auto weapon ("bump-stocks.")

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She may have seen your CCW in wallet when you grabbed your license and the odometer reading was probably for the tow slip.

FWIW: I work as a professional paramedic and we have a gun case (plastic/foam lined), in the ambulance, locked in the narcotics "safe" for anyone that happens to be carrying whom we transport by ambulance. No big deal. The gun will be locked up until you come to get it back when you are released from the hospital.

10 years ago, or so, I was driving to work and had a Nevada Highway Patrol car get behind me and he followed me for about 20 miles. I had no clue as to why. Finally, he lit me up and we pulled over. He gave me the standard: "do you know why I stopped you ?" and I said I have no idea. He said my registration was expired. I thought for a second and said, no, I just haven't put the sticker on the plate yet. I was waiting until I washed my car so the plate was nice and clean. The sticker is in the glove box right under the pistol. He told me to keep my hands on the wheel and then asked me if I had any other guns in the car ? I said, yes, there are a couple rifles on the back floor and another pistol in the center console. He went around, unloaded the pistol in the glove box, looked at the registration and told me not to load the gun until he left. No big deal. I have never had a problem with law enforcement for having a gun in the vehicle nor have I seen it professionally. But, I never really worked in a liberal state.
FWIW: I lived in a rural area and shot all the time. Plus I would take pot shots at stuff like coyotes when the situation came up. The guns I had in the car were simply there because I shot almost every day and just left them in there. Only the one was loaded. In other words, these wern't there for self defense or anything.

wickedsprint writes (in response to my post no. 5):

She may have seen your CCW in wallet when you grabbed your license and the odometer reading was probably for the tow slip.

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Florida's CWFL program was, at that time, only two months old, and I did not have such a carry license. Few, if any, people in the state did. Under the previous system, individual counties issued them, but hardly anyone not in the "in" in Palm Beach County was "awarded" the privilege.

I even looked later in the truck to see if I had left ammo, spent cases, or other firearms "paraphernalia" about, but found none. My only guess remains that cops assumed pizza guys toted guns ( I knew at the time of a couple who did, but no one I knew had a carry license.)

Tow slips were filled out by the wrecker operator, not the LEO. No wrecker was on scene yet. At the moment, we (the cop and I) didn't even know my truck would need one; a broken tie rod end was only discovered later when I tried to move it.

Three months later, I was sworn in as a LEO myself in a neighboring town. I never had to retrieve an odometer reading for a vehicle involved in a collision.

Just one of those things, I guess..

MedWheeler said:

Back in 1987...

...I never figured out: how she knew I would have a gun...

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Maybe she was good at what she did?

^^^ I'm pretty sure she was. But, that still doesn't answer the question I had. When someone asks "How did you do that?", they want to know specifics regarding technique, not simply "I'm good at it."

MegWheeler,

Up in Tallahassee in 1979 FHP was teaching that one in three Florida plated cars had a gun in it and that driving professionals, such as a pizza delivery guy where more likely than that to have a gun. This 1 in 3 number came out in the debates about CWL and terrified some of the antis, BTW. Glove box carry with no permit was legal under state law, though many agencies taught the "two step" rule where the officer was told to arrest you if you could get to your gun in less than two steps......in a glove box and in a snapped holster was generally OK even around Miami and Tampa.

Wells Fargo's Pony Express took away our Model 10 HBs and RNL ammo in January 1977 while I was driving the Tallahassee- Perry-Cross City route week days with return up north through Madison on the after noon leg (that was a lot of bad AM radio listening per day BTW) I got stopped twice by LEO and everyone was shocked that despite company policy, when I explained it, I did not have something stashed away. I got stopped by the Laird High Sheriff of Taylor county in the parking lot of one of his banks and told "have a gun" by that individual AND he checked the next week to see I had one and did not care if I got fired for having one or not as I had "keys to my banks". Just an exterior door key to each but he was bothered I had those keys and no gun. Oh and warm weather .38 snubbie and cold weather 1911-ish. Company never found out.

-kBob

I just purchased a new truck during the summer and was heading home from a 1.5hr hunting trip through a small town i had a previous accident with another vehicle and was always on edge and it happened.

several years prior with the old truck I was going south and en elderly man traveling north when he turned left into a small corner store hitting my driver bumper and just giving some scratches and breaking plastic that was already broken. The man begged i not call the sheriff but i had to and come to find out they dealt with him several times before in the last year and he would be cited again and possibly lose his drivers license. The man was very sympathetic and offered to let my nephew and I hunt his farm but after getting him a citation i declined.

2yrs later passing the same store i was north bound and a south bound in a snow storm and a mini van turned left in front of me sending me into a slide and into a parked car and ricocheting off the parked car into another car. I had about 6 witnesses and she also attempted to flee but was blocked by a witness. My brand new truck was destroyed, me in tears cause i worked my rear end off with 2 jobs to afford it, the parked car belonged to someone burying a family member across the street at a funeral home and the car i hit when i ricocheted belonged to a guy who was driving his girl friends car and was going to propose to her that day. Ohio highway patrol showed up and before he exited the car i said hey, i have a ccw and its on my right hip under my bib overalls. he said okay, just keep it away. I said i didn't think to take it off and didn't want people seeing me put it away. 2 more troopers showed up and i had to sneak and tell them and one was a little POD cause i didn't tell him right away but i said look, i was just in a 3 car wreck and there is 3 of you here and everyone is asking questions i forgot. About an hour later the trooper that i forgot to tell says i need to get a ride and tow truck and i said look, i live almost 2hrs away, i don't have any money, anyone to give me a ride can i drive my truck home? Nope, the other trooper said let me drive it and the young one said no, too much plastic hanging off the truck. I figured he was pissed cause of the guns so the gentlemen who was burying a family member said look, let him drive home we will get the stuff hanging off the truck. The man went home for tools and we began cutting off bumpers, headlights, grills, etc and i told the troopers I'm driving it home regardless cause I'm far from home and don't want my truck sitting in some junk yard. After i was given my info and papers and she was issued a citation and the first trooper told me he wanted to talk to me at the cruiser and thanked me for telling him upfront and said one of the witnesses an older man and woman sat in one of the cruisers and he was wearing a 1911 and didn't tell the trooper until the trooper seen his license. the man told the trooper he forgot cause of everything going on and he said while it was against the law he just warned the other man.

I think they handled the whole situation very well. I was allowed to keep my firearm on me and I'm thinking that's cause to ease his mind a little i said i work for metro housing authority and an armored car carrier. Ive had a few get a little attitude for red lights or speed but 99% of the time they are okay about it.

ohihunter Sounds like you should find a different route or just paint a bullseye on your truck. Wow that is some bad luck there.
I have never had a problem around here with any LEO and firearms but a dose of respect and common sense do go a long way to make things go smoothly IMHO.

FROGO207 said:

ohihunter Sounds like you should find a different route or just paint a bullseye on your truck. Wow that is some bad luck there.
I have never had a problem around here with any LEO and firearms but a dose of respect and common sense do go a long way to make things go smoothly IMHO.

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I get all nervous going through that town now but going to the hunting grounds its the only way in and out.

kBob writes:

Up in Tallahassee in 1979 FHP was teaching that one in three Florida plated cars had a gun in it and that driving professionals, such as a pizza delivery guy where more likely than that to have a gun. This 1 in 3 number came out in the debates about CWL and terrified some of the antis, BTW. Glove box carry with no permit was legal under state law, though many agencies taught the "two step" rule where the officer was told to arrest you if you could get to your gun in less than two steps......in a glove box and in a snapped holster was generally OK even around Miami and Tampa.

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I figured as much, that LEOs would be likely to assume pizza guys, wrecker operators, and cab drivers would at least have something in their vehicles. It's even possible that the officer to which I was referring had encountered these "driving professionals" before. I only knew of one other pizza driver when I was one back then that kept a firearm, but he was the only one who happened to tell me about it.

And, yeah, I remember that old "three-step" rule rumor that, even today, still refuses to die. I believed it at the time but, as mentioned, I was sworn in as a LEO only months after my encounter and was quickly trained that that was/is not the case.

Thanks for sharing. It's good to hear what the perspective of other LEOs and agencies was back then, and that most street cops had little, if any, issue with it. No cops I ever worked with did, either.

MedWheeler said:

wickedsprint writes (in response to my post no. 5

Three months later, I was sworn in as a LEO myself in a neighboring town. I never had to retrieve an odometer reading for a vehicle involved in a collision.

Just one of those things, I guess..

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No idea then. We do our own tow paperwork and I have to get ODO for all our tow slips.