Got pulled over today...

[amd6547]

I have a good driving record, but I got caught last summer doing 45 in a 25 zone. When the officer informed me of the reason for stop, I replied "You got me fair and square, that's how fast I was going".
He went back to his car and checked me out. When he came back, he said he was issuing a warning, and thanked me for my honesty. He said he gets tired of people arguing that they weren't speeding.
I wished him a good day and thanked him.
Honesty is the best policy.

 

[Rickstir]

I believe in MO the CCW permit is actually ON your Driver's Liscense. SO - you better let the officer know right off the bat. The only thing with that is - it is also legal in MO to carry concealed in your vehicle WITHOUT a CCW permit. I still think it would be a VERY good idea to inform the officer right off the bat so that he knows the situation.

Actually, the MO CCW endorsement does not have to be on your DL, you can get a MO State ID card with the endorsement, which is what I have. Although I agree with most here that it is proper to notify the officer, in MO it is not required. You can bet if he runs your tag through MULES, he will know you have a CCW endorsement before he comes up to the car.

I must lead a boring life. I drive the speed limit, signal to change lanes, don't tailgate and worst of all, come to a complete stop at stop signs. Haven't been pulled over in 30 years. But I am ready!

 

[WC145]

You should be pissed not happy.

Having a CCW should never effect the judgment of a LEO.

enforcing the law on personal feelings violates the USCONS in so many ways its not even funny.

I'd much rather have a officer write a ticket to every one, then not write tickets to a single group...

So TAB, what you're saying here is that if I pull you over in my town for say, 8mph over the posted limit, I should immediately write you up with no consideration of the totality of the circumstances?

What if I were to use my discretion and choose to not write you up based on any one of numerous possible factors - you're not from around here, you're unfamiliar with the local speed limit, we like vacationers and I want you to enjoy your visit so maybe you come back again or tell your friends so they come to vacation too, it's your birthday, I like the breed of dog you have in the car, you're a heck of a nice guy, you have a CCW permit, you DON'T have a CCW permit, it's almost lunch, I used to have a car just like yours, or who knows what other reason - are you going to look that gift horse in the mouth and INSIST that I write you a ticket? Are you going to tell me I'm not doing my job and that since you pay my salary I'd BETTER write you a ticket or you're going to call my supervisor? OR, are you going to say thanks, be happy you dodged a bullet, and pay more attention to your speed? I'm hoping it's going to be the last choice because rather than punish you, I want to remind you that speeding can get you in trouble and you should slow down and obey the law. If giving you a break means you are more attentive and make a point of trying to stay closer to the speed limit then that means I will have done my job and made the streets of my town safer thanks to VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE. That's how officer discretion works.

Of course, if you're a jerk about getting pulled over even though you were speeding and you piss me off, all that goes out the window and you get a ticket. Officer discretion works that way, too.

 

[TexasRifleman]

You should be pissed not happy.

Having a CCW should never effect the judgment of a LEO.

I have seen no proof here that happened. Maybe the LE was going to give him a warning anyway.

I've gotten tickets while showing my CHL and I've gotten warnings while showing my CHL.

I doubt the presence of a permit makes much difference.

I hear all the time about how they are "good guy permits" but that's not usually from LE's. Good guys still speed, run red lights, and violate driving laws.

I just don't see any connection between them. I challenge anyone to show proof that it does if they believe it to be true, I'd love to see it.

 

[joe817]

joejoe, you get the atta boy award for the hour!

"I asked him if I handled it correctly and he said "text book and thanks" "

Courtesy and respect pays off again!

 

[33-805]

Well...

When I was still working behind a badge, I tried to be as fair as possible. However, I never heard anyone complain that they were not getting a ticket. Never. I heard all sorts of people griping because "that guy right there" or "their neighbor" deserved a ticket and "how come I never get those people?" sort of stuff. If they were seriously pissy, I stayed official and wrote it/warned them (whichever the case was) and left them alone. If I thought they could handle a little humor, getting written up or not, I had something I used to ask a lot.

If they were cool, I asked them if they ever went fishing. Then I asked if they ever caught them all? Most folks got the point and seemed to enjoy a little levity.

I did have a personal policy taught me by an older guy when I started. He taught me that he always had his mind made up before he got to the window whether or not it deserved a ticket, or whether he could cut them some slack. If there were other circumstances, so ably described above, he could adjust. But he always told me that barring any unforseen circumstances, having a good idea where he was going in advance prevented him from writing too many "attitude tickets". This system worked well for me.

 

[TAB]

So TAB, what you're saying here is that if I pull you over in my town for say, 8mph over the posted limit, I should immediately write you up with no consideration of the totality of the circumstances?

How does having a CCW play into me going 8 mph over the speed limit?

it doesn't, so it should not be consitered.

You should know rather or not your giving them a ticket before you ever get up to the window... basing it on trival stuff is unprofessional.

If you pulled a car going a 100 in a 65 and it ended up being your mother or wife, would you write that ticket?

 

[Sniper X]

I have been asked if I had a firearm only once when pulled over, and that was because he saw my empty holster. BUT, he did treat me with repsect after I handed over my cleared weapon, that had been residing in the center console since I was in Texas, and was from NM. He brought it back after running the numbers and gave me a ticket for only the expired insurance cert, and not the 5mph over in a 60mph zone. The exp ins was a fixit, and he said nice .45 after handing me my Springer Champ back to me!

 

[Sniper X]

This brings up a question. Who has been pulled over and had to surrender their firearm without clearing it? I mean, you never hand anyone a loaded handgun, you always want to clear it first....fishing a bit here but isn't this a catch 22 to any one else?

 

[FiREhAwk]

Last time I was pulled over (running railroad xing and passing with 2 solid lines) I was let off with a warning. I have never recieved a warning in my entire life for doing lesser infractions so I think the ccw had something to do with it. And I think these threads are revelent as we can all share our experiences to see if we did right or for other people to learn from incase they find themselves in the similar situation.

 

[D94R]

That's how I got "made" after almost a year of carrying without people knowing. Got pulled over with a couple friends and had to explain where it was when he asked if any of us had weapons.

Are you in a location that dictates you must tell the officer you are carrying? Otherwise, when he asked that question it was time for you to shut up and reaffirm why you were being pulled over. You weren't pulled over because he thought you had weapons, make him stick to the situation, not phishing for something else.

 

[bearmgc]

Your CCW prolly didn't get you out of trouble. Your politeness and honesty prolly did.

 

[shotgunjoel]

Boy Scout uniforms work well too

So do crying little kids.

 

[mcdonl]

bearmgc has it on the money. The OP could have said something like... officer, I have dangerous snakes in the trunk or something along those lines... that type of courtesy is what made the officer treat him with an equal level or respect.

And he could have said... I have had enough of these mother @#$%@$%^ snakes... in my mother R%#@%&^@$^ trunk... (Sorry... couldnt resist and having a bad night....)

 

[ganymede]

I think if your traveling with a concealed weapon via interstate highways and you arn't sure of the law in the state your in, it's better just to let the LEO know about your ccw and gun right away. (unless your ccw isn't valid in that state, but in that case you shouldn't be traveling through there anyway.) As far as i know the Utah CCW is valid in more states then any other. 34 i think in all, and you don't have to be a utah resident to get one. but if you are in Utah and you get stopped by a police offcier you are to immediatly notify him that you have a ccw and weather or not your armed. If you dont do that, the cop might get pissed when he runs your plate and see's that you are ccw holder.

 

[PT1911]

I personally love getting tickets because I was going 5 over the limit while driving to the emergency room barefoot while flicking a booger into the wind and carrying an icecream cone in my back pocket... that would be a wonderful way for an alabama resident to get one hell of a ticket in TAB's Terminator cop world....

 

[Crash_Test_Dhimmi]

Ok, to those of you who say what happened to joejoe was UNFAIR....

Whats unfair, is that he, and most of us weren't born blonde haired, endowed females when we are pulled over. Ive heard more stories than I care of, of female friends who say they cried or flirted their way out of tickets.

The CCW is in a way an equalizer, creating equality among the sexes.
Thats my story and im sticking to it.

 

[djs764]

i never had understood why people put up threads like this.

Because we can...or maybe you'd rather live in a communist censored country

 

[PT1911]

all I can say to those who are so against breaks is to check out this site...

http://www.dumblaws.com/

find your state and figure out what it is you could be charged with on a daily basis... (or as some may see... not charged with on certain days)

some will say they are silly laws that do not pertain to this conversation, but seeing as the complaint was made against leniency, then people should still be charged with breaking any and every law listed on this site. No matter how rediculous.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

enforcing the law on personal feelings violates the USCONS in so many ways its not even funny.



what part of the constitution do you imagine it violates

 

[PT1911]

I see nowhere where it mentions ENFORCING the law on personal feelings.. it is the choice to let things slide based on current circumstances (some more honorable than others)

Where in the constitution does it say a LEO cannot use some common sense and personal judgement?

a wise man once said, only a sith thinks in absolutes....or maybe it was obi-wan....either way... doing anything with no thought behind it is a one way ticket to chaos.

 

[Crash_Test_Dhimmi]

I think many states say that a Police Officer has discretion when deciding to cite or let off with a warning.

like its not economically viable to pull over and cite EVERYONE speeding (like 1 or 2 (or even 6 or 8 )over the limit).
There are court costs associated.

It becomes a cash cow to pull over people doing more than 10+ over.

It was said: Discretion is the better part of Valor.

 

[hso]

I was pulled over for speeding while in Colorado on vacation and provided my DL with CP and other paperwork to the State Trooper. He never asked about the permit or the whereabouts of a firearm and professionally dealt with the speeding violation.

 

[AKElroy]

TAB enforcing the law on personal feelings violates the USCONS in so many ways its not even funny.

I'd much rather have a officer write a ticket to every one, then not write tickets to a single group...

Ridiculous. Every LEO has to pass rigorous testing to determine whether they possess JUDGEMENT. You suggest they need none. 11 years ago, my wife, 9 months along, water breaks, 3am. We get in the car & drive to the hospital. I stop for every red light, never seeing another car, and then drove right through each. An officer falls in behind me, no lights, and follows me all the way to the hospital (my flashers were on). When we pull up, he orders me out of the car. I walk around to my wife struggling to stand. He yells again for me to stop as I take her by the arm. I told him I would accept the ticket as soon as I got her inside, and that he would have to shoot me to get me to let her go. He shouted that I should have been more carefull & took off. I doubt the DA, or the chief, would have applauded this idiot's lack of judgement.

 

[win71]

Fortunately there arn't too many TAB's with a badge.