LEO Stops Me on My Evening Run:Asks "What Are You Packing?"

Status
Not open for further replies.
I sort of have to go with treo on this. There was NO reason for the cop to be inquiring about what was in your pocket in that manner.

With that in mind, I can't see where he had called for backup if he hadn't even gotten out of his car to do the interview. Why would it be serious enough to call for backup but to then bail out on all other safety procedures?

I can't believe he thought you had a gun there if he let you draw it and stick it through his window.
 
Funny story dude. Next time it looks like rain and you are going to run get one of those umbrella hats. LOL Kidding of course. Wait if he saw you in one of those you would have been frisked for sure!
 
giving the officer the "Are you charging me? Am I free to go?" line would have most certainly been the poorer of the options available to the OP.
Click to expand...

Honestly a straight up " Officer are you detaining me? " probably wouldn't be the best bet. How about we ammend that to " Good afternoon officer, is there something I can help you with / is there a reason you're stopping me?" If the reply is " I was just wondering about that thing in your pocket." then you know where to go "It's an umbrella would you like to see it?"

If however the reply is along the lines of " I need to ask you some questions" or " Why are you in this neighborhood" or even "What are you packing?" then we do the "Are you detaining me dance" .

I'm sorry but that is just not a question conducive to opening a friendly conversation, that's one of those questions (IMO) that you hear in a felony stop.

There just isn't anyway I'd take that as just random conversation.
 
Last edited:
DNS and treo,
as previously stated the officer is young 22,23.1st or 2nd day on the job,wants to start out making a good impression.
Sees middle- aged guy slowly jogging down the street with bulge in his left rear shorts pocket.Maybe thinks to himself, "that could be the Unabomber II.I might be making the collar of a lifetime.Be Chief of this Dept.before I'm 30!"And, as Sergeant Sabre has pointed out ,I could have been wrong about the backup.It could have been coincident in this small space.
The good news ,which will not be on any Cable News Network is that I just completed another 6 miles with Mary's umbrella,passed 2 cruisers,they waved,I waved ,got home safely and am not in the lockup.
The same as every day for 14 years except for yesterday.
See,it was just a once in a blue moon anomaly.
So,in the immortal(?)words of Rodney King(1992) to sum it all up:"Can't we all just get along?":D
 
So,in the immortal(?)words of Rodney King(1992) to sum it all up:"Can't we all just get along?"
Click to expand...

Sure we can ( I 'll even forget the nasty things you said at the begining of the thread) But I would like you to do me a favor, head over to Youtube and look up "Never Talk To The Police" parts 1 & 2 Part one is a criminal defense attorney & law professor part 2 is a cop. Just watch them if they don't give you a new perspective nothing will.
 
But I would like you to do me a favor, head over to Youtube and look up "Never Talk To The Police" parts 1 & 2 Part one is a criminal defense attorney & law professor part 2 is a cop. Just watch them if they don't give you a new perspective nothing will.
Click to expand...

I'll be most happen to watch those treo, and let you know you my impressions. I didn't mean to grate on you.Just felt you were being somewhat abrasive in your judgement.Some following posts proved you were in comparison, fair and balanced.:)

Funny coincidence!
Click to expand...

abrink,the town measures 3/4 of a square mile.There are 3 patrol cars out at that hour.In that small area it could(I'm not completely convinced and I'll never know for sure)have been a coincidence.The good thing is, whether the young cop or I made some mistakes, and we both probably did ,no harm was done at the finish, and I at least have learned a lot from the experience through this thread.
The good,the bad, and the ugly.
 
"After being away over 4 hours ,celebrating the birth of a new grand -daughter(7lb ,7 oz)..."

Congratulations!
 
By the way...

NO STOP WAS MADE.

At least not according to the facts presented:

OP was running along...
LEO pulls along side, leans out window and asks a question...
at which point you naturally stop...
but that does not a "stop" make.

And no, it is not mere symantics.

That an officer, let alone a relatively new one, pulled it off from a moving vehicle is heartening.
 
I sort of have to go with treo on this. There was NO reason for the cop to be inquiring about what was in your pocket in that manner.
Click to expand...

How do you know that? Answer: You don't.

Citizens call in crazy stuff all the time. It's entirely plausible that somebody called in and said the original poster had a bulge in his pants that looked like a gun. In that case, the cop probably rolled his eyes, then went to do a cursory drive-by and have a word so he could clear the call.

Police, just like anybody else, can go ahead and strike up a conversation with anybody we feel like chatting with for no reason at all.
 
Police, just like anybody else, can go ahead and strike up a conversation with anybody we feel like chatting with for no reason at all."
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone is objecting to the stop itself, the objection is more to the way the cop asked the question.

"What are you packing?" is a very flat and accusitory question. As stated previously it would put me on the defensive immediately.

And yes a cop has every right to strike a conversation W/ me, but I have as much right not to engage in the conversation.

I don't like to be rude to people, but a cop is not there to be my buddy. I have NEVER in my life had a cop just stop and shoot the breeze W/ me. If I interact W/ a cop I am polite & gaurded.
 
Two words - Katrina - New Orleans.
Where were the high fives and friendly waves when they were beating the hell out of little old 80 year old women Patricia Konney (sp?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4
Click to expand...

Yeah, that one cop really was a tough guy with a 95 lb old lady, Patty Konie, wasn't he? Big tough BAD boy. What a piece of work that turd is.

I generally have a high level of respect for LE members as a group. But those depicted in the video you cited are simply criminals.

During the Katrina emergency, New Orleans police wilfully trampled all over the rights of good citizens.

The clip is labeled as being produced by the NRA. It is well done. The NRA has made the Katrina/New Orleans debacle a big deal and have properly and effectively used the police lawlessness to push through new laws prohibiting future confiscations and to educate police forces on the constitution. The NRA has been superlative in its efforts in this area. All gun owners, even those who "hate the NRA," owe a debt to them for their persuasive efforts in depicting the lawlessness of the post Katrina police actions. It's pretty angering to see that NRA video. Even a lib ought to be able to see that the police violated the constitutional rights of good citizens with no authority or even comprehensible reason.


Jack booted thugs.
Click to expand...
That's a very charged term. But it is perfectly accurate. Jack booted thugs is what they are. Those non-thinking and cowardly knuckleheads brought down the reputation of regular LE officers by a significant amount.
 
I have NEVER in my life had a cop just "

no? what is about your persona that causes this ?
Click to expand...

I don't know maybe the same thing that makes you drop baited questions on the internet
 
Citizens call in crazy stuff all the time.
Click to expand...

So? Since when does that constitute probable cause to stop a citizen who is not engaged in illegal conduct?

We need to be ever vigilant to protect our cherished freedoms, and one of them is the freedom against unwarranted police intrusion into our lives. The question: "What are you packing?", is one of those intrusions.

We have a situation here in NM where the state is going to start mailing out letters to the registered owners of cars that have been reported via an anonymous "Drunk Busters" hotline. It is one thing for law enforcement to be on the lookout for an erratically driven vehicle on the basis of one of these complaints and investigate for impairment, but it is entirely un-American to send a letter stating "your neighbor thinks you were driving drunk". It is a very small step to the issuance of no-knock warrants based on neighborly suspicions.

On this Independence Day we should all remember that the Declaration of Independence was a response to governmental intrusion into the affairs of free men.
 
:scrutiny: Mentioning LEO in the thread title guarantees at least 4 pages of bickering.
 
I've read through most of these posts and just want to add my two cents.

1st cent-
I work in a very small town and often stop to say hey or shoot the breeze when I see people out and about especially if I am out in an area where it is just summer homes and camps. We have alot of people from away that own property and don't expect to see anyone on their dirt road so I like to introduce myself and let them know that I'll be around.

2nd cent-
From what I've read here, it doesn't sound to me like he called for back up. More likely the two cruisers just happened to be in the same area. I'm the only LEO in my town but I'll often stop to chat with somebody from another agency if I see them stopped somewhere or if they have someone pulled over I'll drive by very slowly to make sure they're okay.
 
Solo Flyer ...

Sorry I didn't have time to read through all the posts ... but if I could ask ...

What kind of rig were you using when you were jogging to conceal your weapon?

I'm looking for one myself.

Thanks!

-slob
 
So? Since when does that constitute probable cause to stop a citizen who is not engaged in illegal conduct?
Click to expand...

Nobody was stopped (don't need probable cause to stop, anyway). If somebody calls for service, we're obligated to respond. If that's what happened, the cop in the original post made a cursory check, had a little conversation, and cleared the call.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Solo Flyer ...

Sorry I didn't have time to read through all the posts ... but if I could ask ...

What kind of rig were you using when you were jogging to conceal your weapon?

I'm looking for one myself.

Thanks!

-slob
Click to expand...

Hi slob!
My carry rig for casual jogging is a Milt Sparks IWB Versa Max II.Excellent retention and holds the firearm very firmly close to the body.S&W 340PD .357 Magnum 5 rounds.
15 oz. loaded. I carry a 5 round Bianchi wallet/speed strip as a backup.With this combo holster/gun rig there is no weight factor and with a casual jogging speed of 6 miles an hour no physical discomfort.With a loose t-shirt its completely invisible.(no umbrellas please!:D)
A heavier gun and a faster pace might prove more difficult with the Versa Max.Here is the link:

http://www.miltsparks.com/

If you need any more help let me know.Good luck.
 
If somebody calls for service, we're obligated to respond.
Click to expand...

Does that include any and all calls? I would think that the 27th call from some nosy bitty, or a call from someone who obviously has a screw loose would not require an obligation to pry into the lives of others.

Sorry, but "what are you packing?" directed at someone who is simply occupying the public streets is an illegal invasion of privacy and an abuse of power.

About 10 years ago I had a Border Patrol agent at a checkpoint 125 miles north of the Mexican border ask me: "Sir, are you traveling on business or pleasure?" When I responded: "Officer, I don't believe that is any of your business" a little light bulb went on in his head and he responded: "You know, you are right, thanks for the reminder."

All of us should be in the "reminder" business.
 
The light bulb was the confirmation that you were unlikely to be what those types of check points are set up to find. At which point in time, the reason for momentarily impeding yor travel, absent other factors, was removed.

---

Again... NO STOP WAS MADE. No intrusion. No violations. Just a question. Nothing, nada, zip more than that...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

5
  • Locked
Run in with LEO last night, not too happy....
2 3 4
Replies
94
Views
5K
Justin
Justin
C
  • Locked
First LEO interaction while packing
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
Templar223
T
1
  • Locked
Run in with a nice LEO
Replies
15
Views
1K
twoblink
T
8
  • Locked
Encounter with LEO's while carrying concealed..
2 3 4
Replies
80
Views
4K
*8*
8
A
  • Locked
LEO encounter
Replies
24
Views
2K
TonyB
T
Back
Top