Folks here seem to like funny police encounters and funny range stories, so here is both:

I take a friend out pistol shooting at the club, and he is loving life, he even got into the mag of 230 gr hydrashok I let him shoot from my officers, on top of all the other rounds of 9 and 45.

It was a weeknight and we were winding down with some close range stuff at the empty pistol range, having gone downrange to 7 yards for real fun.
These three guys pull up, so we start packing it in.
I ask them for a few minutes to pick up the downrange brass and they nod.
Then the vests come out and they strap on their duty belts and glocks like they are going to raid the targets or something.
One of them figures he needs to put the smack down or show his place in the pissing order, so he starts making deep voiced cracks about us (my bud and I) bending over and picking up our brass so they can shoot over our heads.
I fake considering that for a few seconds, and tell him I am concerned about that plan because we (my friend and I) wouldn't have a good safety backstop. The light comes on over their heads one at a time.
Then they see my CCW and holster and put two and two together because I was not silent in the face of the he-manness and their stylish black vests and gear, and start assuming we are cops and then start telling us how to get hi caps cheap at the police supply place about an hour away.
They are surprised when I tell them I am an attorney, cause only cops are cool or can handle guns I guess.......

It was funny, I treated them like mall ninjas, and they were cool (leaving aside their stupid outfits), until they found out I wasn't one too.

Would you prefer if they left the Glocks at home?[;)]  

Seriously though, I don't see anything wrong with practicing in real world environments.  If you are working daily with a vest and a duty belt, it's only smart that you practice in that same condition.  Hell, there are plenty of non-LEs on this board that practice in a hell of alot more gear than you described.

Yeah, the guy made a stupid joke, and joking about unsafe and potentially life threatening gunplay is NEVER funny, but I don't think anyone was trying to intimidate you or hurry you up.  I could be wrong though...