PotatoJudge
Member
This might be a bit OT, but I was just visited by the local PD and had a pretty good experience. Thought I'd share.
About noon I'm in the laundry room folding clothes with some music going. My wife is out of town with the dog so it's just me and two cats, living like most of us would when the wife is out of town i.e. playing with guns and making a mess. The doorbell rings and I'm not expecting anybody. We live in a hit or miss neighborhood and every so often we get a person at the door working their con. I grab the closest pistol (CZ-52) and stick it in my back pocket on the way to the front door. At this point I decide to walk past the front door, on creaky wood floors, to look out my dining room window in case it's the neighbor so I don't freak them out having a gun in my pocket if they end up coming in for something. What I saw was three cops (vests, cargo pants, all that) on my steps. I drop my gun in the couch and answer the door. They ask me if they can come in and talk and I say sure (I know I could have left them on the steps). One officer starts with the small talk, introductions, anyone else in the house and all that while the other two kind of start milling around (looking for probable cause). I inform the cop nearest the couch that there's a pistol in the cushions because I didn't know who was at the door. He drops the mag and unloads the chamber, placing it all on the coffee table. They tell me there's been reports of drug dealing, so I say "What, like in the neighborhood?" and they respond "at this address." Okay.
At this point I should mention that I'm an M.D. and my wife is almost done with her Ph.D. We have the nicest, best kept house on the street, and there's an Audi A6 in the driveway. Everyone knows us and we get along with everybody. We're the least likely people around to be dealing drugs to the point that it's comical.
At this point the cop asks if it's okay if they search the house. I think about it for a second as the officer tells me they're obligated to check out the tip and if they can have a look around they can drop the whole thing. I tell them it's fine, and let them know there's guns and gun stuff all over the place, that it's a hobby of mine. While they search the house I'm still talking to the same officer, he gets my ID, asks what I do for a living and all that kind of stuff. Wants to know if we've made enemies that would try to set us up or if we have guests over at odd hours. I tell him I don't think I've even made anyone mad recently. Another officer says something like "what's with all the guns?" so I told him "for when it's not you guys" and they have a pretty good laugh. One of the officers comes out of the bedroom with a big smile on his face and says "Hey, is that all your reloading stuff. Do you hunt? How many guns do you have anyway?" About then everyone starts to leave and the officer that unloaded my gun picks up the chambered round and hands it to me saying "here's your round back" and they all leave. They were nice as could be, friendly, and pretty straightforward about the whole thing.
I went out to explain to the neighbors what was going on as they'd all gathered on their lawns. One of them stops her car as she's leaving and is laughing as she tells me that they asked if I was a drug dealer and she told them no, we were doctors. Apparently they had been talking to the neighbors while they were at my place. Pretty well run for a little 5 or 10 minute operation.
Some things I'm glad I did:
1. Checked to see who was at the door. Things would have been very different (not the outcome, but tension) if I had had the gun in my pocket.
2. I let them in to talk and let them search the house. I know what the lawyers will say and the paranoid folk, but I've been searched while armed now a couple of times and honesty and cooperation have been the things that keep me out of cuffs.
3. Explained myself to the neighbors, and got the whole story. Apparently the tip was for XXX Jones St (empty lot?) while I live at XXX E Jones. Another good chance to come together as a community as I let the lady across the street know I will be out of town so she can keep an eye out.
Anything I overlooked, did wrong, or could do better next time?
About noon I'm in the laundry room folding clothes with some music going. My wife is out of town with the dog so it's just me and two cats, living like most of us would when the wife is out of town i.e. playing with guns and making a mess. The doorbell rings and I'm not expecting anybody. We live in a hit or miss neighborhood and every so often we get a person at the door working their con. I grab the closest pistol (CZ-52) and stick it in my back pocket on the way to the front door. At this point I decide to walk past the front door, on creaky wood floors, to look out my dining room window in case it's the neighbor so I don't freak them out having a gun in my pocket if they end up coming in for something. What I saw was three cops (vests, cargo pants, all that) on my steps. I drop my gun in the couch and answer the door. They ask me if they can come in and talk and I say sure (I know I could have left them on the steps). One officer starts with the small talk, introductions, anyone else in the house and all that while the other two kind of start milling around (looking for probable cause). I inform the cop nearest the couch that there's a pistol in the cushions because I didn't know who was at the door. He drops the mag and unloads the chamber, placing it all on the coffee table. They tell me there's been reports of drug dealing, so I say "What, like in the neighborhood?" and they respond "at this address." Okay.
At this point I should mention that I'm an M.D. and my wife is almost done with her Ph.D. We have the nicest, best kept house on the street, and there's an Audi A6 in the driveway. Everyone knows us and we get along with everybody. We're the least likely people around to be dealing drugs to the point that it's comical.
At this point the cop asks if it's okay if they search the house. I think about it for a second as the officer tells me they're obligated to check out the tip and if they can have a look around they can drop the whole thing. I tell them it's fine, and let them know there's guns and gun stuff all over the place, that it's a hobby of mine. While they search the house I'm still talking to the same officer, he gets my ID, asks what I do for a living and all that kind of stuff. Wants to know if we've made enemies that would try to set us up or if we have guests over at odd hours. I tell him I don't think I've even made anyone mad recently. Another officer says something like "what's with all the guns?" so I told him "for when it's not you guys" and they have a pretty good laugh. One of the officers comes out of the bedroom with a big smile on his face and says "Hey, is that all your reloading stuff. Do you hunt? How many guns do you have anyway?" About then everyone starts to leave and the officer that unloaded my gun picks up the chambered round and hands it to me saying "here's your round back" and they all leave. They were nice as could be, friendly, and pretty straightforward about the whole thing.
I went out to explain to the neighbors what was going on as they'd all gathered on their lawns. One of them stops her car as she's leaving and is laughing as she tells me that they asked if I was a drug dealer and she told them no, we were doctors. Apparently they had been talking to the neighbors while they were at my place. Pretty well run for a little 5 or 10 minute operation.
Some things I'm glad I did:
1. Checked to see who was at the door. Things would have been very different (not the outcome, but tension) if I had had the gun in my pocket.
2. I let them in to talk and let them search the house. I know what the lawyers will say and the paranoid folk, but I've been searched while armed now a couple of times and honesty and cooperation have been the things that keep me out of cuffs.
3. Explained myself to the neighbors, and got the whole story. Apparently the tip was for XXX Jones St (empty lot?) while I live at XXX E Jones. Another good chance to come together as a community as I let the lady across the street know I will be out of town so she can keep an eye out.
Anything I overlooked, did wrong, or could do better next time?
