I got pulled over the other day for the registration on my jeep being expired (I'm disputing a parking ticket with the county, they won't let me register till it's paid)... anyway, I gave the officer my license and told him that I had a concealed weapon permit and I was carrying my HK USP .40C at the moment.  By this time another NHP car pulled up and spewed forth another trooper, ostensibly to help the first. Trooper "A" looks like I slapped him when I tell him I'm carrying, and motions trooper "B" to hurry over.  Then they ask me to step out of the vehicle, very slowly (that much I can understand), but as I'm getting out they each grab a wrist and twist my arms around my back, and lifting me up a bit and tweaking my left arm... the one that I'm scheduled to have surgery on in a few weeks because of an accident a few months ago.  I kept asking them to go easy on the left, but they could give a shit.  They took my gun (a first, I've been stopped before), patted me down, took my benchmade folder and made me do the "criminal against the wall" stance while they checked me out... One looked me up, the other kept asking me questions like "why do you need a gun?" and "are you sure you don't have any drugs and explosives in the car?"  Doesn't everyone keep their drugs and explosives in the car?  I don't think he liked it when I asked him why HE thought he needed a gun.  Once they found I was clean they told me they were going to let me go, but they were impounding my Jeep, so I'd have to walk off the highway, in a bit of a ghetto neighborhood.  I asked for my gun back and they complied, grudgingly, and handed me a weapon with the slide locked back and a zip-tie through the mag well, an empty mag and a handfull of hydrashok's. I asked for my knife to cut the zip tie while I started loading my mag... they told me to stop, that I'd have to wait till I got home to do that, and to put my gun (as it was), back in the holster and get my walk on. The weapon was no longer concealable as the slide stuck up way too high, and the zip-tie's end stuck straight out and kept lifting my flannel shirt.  I asked why, even though I have a license, I was made to be unarmed, and put in a legally compromising situation that exposed that I was carrying. Not to mention walking from the ghetto... all the cop would say was it was for their protection. What about my freaking protection?  A lot of you don't carry concealed, and so won't have to deal with these issues, but I'm sure some of you have, and I want to know what your experiences were like.

I got all my stuff back, including my jeep, but my arm still hurts some and I went through all that and never even got a ticket.

The only good thing that came of it was another guy in a jeep was taking the off ramp and saw me walking, so picked me up and gave me a ride home, plus I got the number of the local jeep club.

File a complaint. There's no excuse for that kind of treatment.

Oh, and next time you get pulled over, don't tell them you're carrying unless you are required to by state law or they ask you to get out. You probably spooked him. Was this a younger buzzcut guy by any chance?

It must have something to do with the stupid lookin baggy pants and the lame assed thigh-high boots.  Seriously, Hiwhway cops everywhere are assholes.  Its the way they are trained.  They even treat other cops with no respect, They seem to think they are the 'elite' in the police dept.  What they are is losers with no social skills, thats why they treat people the way that they do., and thats why they have to ride alone, no one else would work with them.

"Id rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother in highway patrol"

I've spoken to a LEO while carrying concealed about 3 or so times. When I told them I was carrying, I didn't even get so much as a raised eyebrow. Things are just different here in Arizona, I guess. You can carry OPEN in this state, without ANY licensing. You need a permit for concealed carry, but it's common to see people with holsters carrying open.

I always told them I was carrying as a matter of courtesy... to this point, the few times I've been stopped I've been asked to see my permit and the "why do you need a gun" question, but nothing more.

As for the guy being a newbie, he wasn't, he was wearing an FTO badge, though I suspect the other guy was a bit green. Maybe he was showing what he could get away with?

Sounds like another example of a few bad apples spoiling you on the bunch...  Oh well, how does it feel to be oppressed in our free country and not be able to do a damn thing about it?

I never tell I am carrying. I carry three so it should be funny if I am stoped.I bet they won't find them all.I have had them miss them laying on the seat next to me before.
 On the down side I have forgot to take off my North American Arms .22 mag before going thru a metal detector at a hospital.They allowed my ccp from one state above luckily.

You carry three?  I am in NO way taking the side of the NHP cop(s) from above but,

WHY DO YOU NEED A GUN????


Dude, I think you should seriously think about why you are carrying a gun.  I doubt the reason is for self defense.

Actually, in most states you will automatically lose your carry permit/ concealed carry permit if you do not let the cop know that you are carrying a weapon at the start of your interaction.

DArkhelmet
I never have that kind of luck.
Once time I had the paid updated registration and sticker in my jeep glove box but forgot to put the sticker on the plate. CHP gave me a ticket anyway.
My fault. Couldn't he just have let me put the sticker on and gave me a warning?

I keep saying the next American Civil War is going to start in Kali.  

Sorry you had trouble dude, but a police state acts like a police state, after all.  Hope you get your car back before they sell it at auction to fund their indoctrination centers, er, I mean schools.


As for the guy carrying three guns, well, it reminds me of "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" when they ask Max to disarm and he pulls out like 40 different weapons and lays them on the table.  Hilarious!  Imagine the kind of fear and intimidation you could create in the cops.  Make sure to let them know your body is also a lethal weapon.  I would also consider hooking up some dynamite to your gas cap in case anyone tries to steal your fuel.

I wouldn't say MOST. More like a handful, mostly in recent shall-issue states like TX where your permit is friggin useless anyway because of the laundry list of prohibited places.

I have been licensed in MA and VA. No requirement in either, and I have never informed during (friendly) conversation or the 2 times I've been stopped for speeding while carrying. I just don't see the need for it.

Who cares why he is carrying a gun. He does not have to justify it to anyone but the issuing authority. Better yet, why do you care? If it is lawful, more power to him. He notified the officer and that was that.

I got busted for blowing a red(orange) light(accidently [;)]), handed the officer my licenses (ccw & dl) along with proof of registration/insurance and he did not even blink an eyelash.

If a cop had the balls to ask me why I am carrying, I will ask him why is he carrying!WTPHUK?!?!

I think that part of the problem with "overzealous" cops is that they forget who they work for: the citizens who pay their damn salaries! I respect leo's and the law. I know what it is like to do a thankless job in a hostile enviroment (active duty army). The position does not justify the "God Complex" that is all too common in some of those sworn to PROTECT and SERVE the community.

Incredible.  I'd contact the cops, the state's attorney general's office and (gag!) a lawyer.  Make them pay for mistreating you.
I got pulled over here in Virginia about a year ago on I-81.  I understand that the Virginia State Police have available to them in their cruisers' computers info about whether or not the person whom they have stopped is legally carrying.  I have a license and was packing at the time but unconciously didn't even think about it and did not declare it.  The patrol officer was extremely polite and did his job efficiently and without any fuss at all.  Only later did I learn that he knew all along that I was most likely carrying.  During the time it took to give me the ticket, which I deserved, he never said a word about my gun.  Had he become rowdy over it like the NV guys and jacked me up...I would have been really suffering since I had just had major shoulder surgery about a month before I was stopped.  Twisting behind the back would have put me back in the hospital for sure.
I shoot on a regular basis with another Virginia State Trooper and he is the same way.
Those guys in NV were way out of line.  Too much Rambo.  They forgot who they are serving and protecting.

[soapbox]

Regular LEO have a job and often do just fine at it.  Hopefully they get the bad guys before the BG gets us.  I respect that.

Hwy Patrol, on the other hand, are worthless POS tax collectors.  They exist only for revenue and rarely hassle those who truly desrve it!

Complain LOUDY and offically to the jerks commander and the State AG.  No excuse for their behavior, they are a disgrace to decent cops.

The failure of cops to root out the jerks in their midst, hiding behind the "blue wall of silence" has a large effect on the loss of respect they have suffered.

Traffic Agents with Guns

This is absolutely true.  I used to work for a retired CT state trooper and the above description couldn't be more accurate.  You left out unintelligent, though.  Maybe not all county mounties are dumbasses, but the guy I worked for must have had his head filled in with concrete.  Here's an actual conversation we had, verbatim, while putting beer coolers in the back of his car:

Ex state trooper (Tom):  You know how many times this cooler has been to Giants' Stadium?

Me: (because I know what's coming)  I don't know Tom.

Boss: guess!

Me: I don't know Tom, three?

Boss: No! Five!  Five times!

         *end of conversation*

That was a typical conversation with my ex-state trooper boss.

Here's one of his stories:

Boss walks up to me and some co-workers, all of whom are my high school friends:

Boss:  I went to a dinner party last night, the house was huge!

      *end of conversation, boss walks away, and we are left looking at each other realizing God has a sense of humor*

Did you get badge numbers?

Put in a complaint like SGB said. Explain it to them just like you explained it here.

Good luck.

Edited to add: In answer to your question, No, Texas Highway Patrol is very professional and courteous.

I don't know about in MA or VA, but in Texas, you are REQUIRED to give your CHL and inform an officer during a traffic stop that you are armed.  They cross reference your DL with your CHL, so if you get stopped, give your DL, and say nothing about being armed when you are, the officer can tell, and then would have the ability to get your CHL suspended or revoked.

And the answer to the "why do you need a gun?" question from ANYONE, especially any official should be something like "I don't have to NEED a gun, or even THINK I need a gun, to have one.  It's a right"

M@

I got pulled over in March on the way back from a match.

He pulled me over for a cracked windshield.  I informed him I had a "rifle" in the vehicle.

"Is it yours?"
"Yes"
"Is it loaded?"
"No"

"Doesn't bother me then.  Can I see your license and insurance card"

"They are in my wallet in the stool next to the rifle"

Don't worry about, just try and get the windshied fixed in the next couple of weeks or after the snow leaves."

Can you say civilized?

SRM

I think There are good and bad in all walks of life.  I've been pulled over many times, never had a problem with the Troopers here.  An employee of mine had a trooper save his life, from the local cops.  The guy was RIDING with his girlfriend, and she hit a cruiser, turning a corner.  The Local cop in the car was unconscious, and the guy called 911, then adminstered what 1st aid he knew.  By the time the Police showed up, the EMT's were already working on him (the cop.) Without even asking, what happened, the several cops that showed up started pushing, the guy around, then started trying to cuff him.  He kept trying to explain that he wasn't even the driver, but they considered this an escalation, and it got worse.  About this time, A state trooper shows up,(it was just off the highway) and breaks it up.  He detained the officers and called for their supervisor to come to the scene. He sorted out the truth, and calmed it down. The guy was suing the city, but I don't know what ever became of it, because he doesn't work for me anymore.

Unfortunately, we don't have CCW here.
AIRBORNE

I actually live in one of the more free states in the union, Trickshot.  Nevada gives me my ccw with no questions asked, allows me to own class III goodies (I'm working on getting one soon!) and is generally a good place to live.

I'm more pissed about the behavior of the NHP. This is the first time I've been pulled over by them and it's not leaving a good taste in my mouth.  Our metro cops are pretty good, in my experience (so what if they shoot a fleeing felon or two on the back... it happens, right?), and have never given me a problem about my CCW.  But now I've got a grudge against NHP.

By the way, where Are all the LEO's on this board.. C'mon guys, I wanna know what you think!

i did write what i think, go back a few posts.  I think that highway cops are full of themselves.  Got kicked around by the other kids when they were young.

Got it... ya didn't specify that you were (or had been) the fuzz.

Many of us have had dealings with l.e. types who are trying to make up for their little ego.

Still, let's hope that these guya are the exception in your state, who need a little straightening out.

But first, get medical attention for your arm.

Then send their IA section a copy of the the bill along with your letter of complaint, via certified mail.

These guys need their every misdeed made part of their records, so that when they really screw someone up, their chances of getting booted or losing their lawsuit will be a notch better.  

Maybe it will help if you explain that the fear of future mistreatement is making you question the wisdom of being up-front in order to put the officers at ease.

"These guys need their every misdeed made part of their records, so that when they really screw someone up, their chances of getting booted or losing their lawsuit will be a notch better."
Thank you Reverend Al Sharpton (Prk?) for that little gem of wisdom.  Is it any wonder no one wants to be a cop anymore?  Is it any wonder that cops attitudes suck?  Why does it seem that alomost every single person I arrest or write a summons to is screaming about the injustice, how unfair it is, how he is going to sue me and take my house.  (I cant afford a house, I can barely pay my rent).

I agree 110% that cops who do bad shit, like stick a plunger up someones ass, should go to jail.  But for 30 years w/o chance of parole, no that is NOT fair.  But who cares, right?

I wasnt there when they stopped the guy in the Jeep, and there is 2 sides to every story.  Maybe the cops did overdo it, and maybe they didnt.

God, you think you have a problem now with police? hehehe, wait for five or ten years from now.  With what cops are getting paid, noone is taking the tests anymore.  Noone.  Add to that the bullshit like this that we have to deal with every day. The constant scrutiny. We used to have 60,000 people taking the police test every year, now its down to 6000 or 7000.  The people that they are hiring just to fill the academy classes are scary.  There are some rookies whom I have met that I would classify as mildly retarded.  Seriously.  I wouldnt trust them to pull my car around to the gas pumps.

Think about it, out of 60,000 people, there would be 40,000 people who passed, if they needed  2,000 to fill an academy class, they have their choice of many, many qualified people.(1 in 20 to choose from).  Now there are 6,000 people taking a test, and only 4,000 pass.  They still need to hire 2,000.  (Thats 1 in 2 get hired).  Almost everyone get hired.  You take the test, and boom, youre a cop.

It used to be competitive, it took me 6 years to get this job.  Now they are hiring people 3-4 weeks after they take the test.  I mean they are in the academy before they are investigated.  The applicant investgations unit is actually going into the police academy to arrest Cops (Yes they are sworn in) who are wanted persons (One for murder last year).

Just wait and see how bad it is going to get.  Keep bashing, keep the trend going.  The bright ones, the people who would have actually made good cops dont even bother taking the tests anymore, and most others, like myself, are waiting for the right opportunity to "get out".  I plan on leaving as soon as I become eligible for a 5 year partial pension in 5 months.

And those old timers who stayed on till they died, they are all afraid of becoming a political pawn for some DA or IAB loser to move up in their dept.  They dont want to risk losing their secured pension or even end up in jail.  They arent staying a day longer than they have to.

This creates even more empty spaces that must be filled by unqualified persons, those who wouldnt have made it past the first interview, but now we actively seek out those individuals.  We are actually going to the homes of those who were medically / psychologically / or Character Failures from 5 years ago.  Did their moral character change?  Who cares, we need to fill uniforms.

Like I said, what is going to happen when these incompetents are training more incompetents 2 years from now.  If you think that it is bad now, just wait....

I have been told by my LEO friends that if they have to put there hands on someone, that person will be arrested, no matter what the charge they have to use. They are of the understanding that this will help protect themselves’ from legal problems later. In TX LEOs don’t want to touch, because of the possible lawsuits.

My wife has been given a ticket for ‘allowing me to ride were no seat is provided’ (top of car, no ticket for me), we got a little lecture; otherwise the stop was all business. This was Houston PD many years ago and the officer had been on the job awhile. His younger partner keep his hand on his gun until I crossed my arms, moving my hand away from the buck knife on my belt.

Keeping a LEO relaxed is as easy as simply have your hands were the LEO can see them AT ALL TIMES. I have had LEOs thank me for me asking if I can open my glove box to get documents.

I have decided that a mix of respect for the officer and tame/wimp in my attitude when dealing with police during a stop works nicely (no tickets, many no tickets).

AND remember LEOs are doing a job that I and many, many others (U?) do not want to do.

SSD

(Texas DPS has not caught me yet. [:D]  )

What part/city of NV did this happen?

OK, you're right.  It shouldn't be reported. That way these guys can continue their cowboy stuff with impunity. As we all know, they'll get better with practice.[;D]


Sincerely,

Al

Hunduh, thank you for posting that.  It's an interesting insight.  I will disagree with the fact that you mentioned Reverend Al Sharpton.  There is a large difference between being outraged over an illegal act by a LEO and Sharpton's efforts to create outrage.  Since the first time I saw an officer do something wrong, I have had the "punish the LEO" attitude you mentioned.   The officer broke my father's nose, because my father was driving a truck with several (legal) cases of wine to deliver to a local textile mill.  I was with my father at work, because it was the week before Christmas so I was out of school.  The officer was a Baptist preacher (nothing against Baptists, I'm one myself), and I assume he was trying to show what a good Christian he thought he was.  That was about 64 years ago, and my opinion has only gone down hill from there.  In the 60's, I set a broken arm and stitched three serious cuts for two black students of mine after they were attacked in broad daylight by two Columbia city officers.  I feel very strongly that there is a fundamental problem in law enforcement today.  Your post made me think about the consequences of my hostility.  It also affects the good cops.  So, how do we end this "us vs. them" problem and increasing number of criminals with badges that's been growing for decades without discouraging good people from choosing a career in law enforcement?  I don't have an answer.z

As someone whose sister-in-law married a South Carolina highway patrolman, I take a little offense to the above.  The HP officers I've known over the years are good, hard working guys.  While I don't trust a word they say about any citation they write, I trust them otherwise.  Glorified tax collectors does not describe the HP in this state.z

Believe it or not, the California CHP are very professional, courteous, and by the book.  I've had several stops where they gave me a bit of a break, and was grateful for it.  Since they work in one of largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., they've seen it all, but continue to have a very good reputation.  Come to think of it, I've never been hassled by any LEO - and I've *ahem* met more than my share I think.

Since only actors and politicians get CC permits here in CA, I couldn't comment on the rest.  

Oh, and Hunduh, I hope you find something more rewarding to do for a living- man, you've got "burnt out" written all over you.

Well, can't comment on NV, but it most certainly is not a requirement in FL to tell the officer unless he asks, and I NEVER EVER volunteer the information I am carrying.  If I were asked to step out of the car, I would tell him so as not to surprise him if he frisked me, but I would never tell him for just a routine traffic stop.  
As for HPs, I presume most are normal guys, no better or worse than anyone else, but I agree that in most states the Highway Patrol is nothing but a tax collection agency for the state and I can't see why any self-respecting police officer would join the HP if he could get a job as a cop ANYWHERE else....hell, even corrections would be better.

Las Vegas, on I-95 and Jones if you live in southern Nevada.

Thanks for posting that DScott.  Youve brought out one of my pet peeves.  Why is it that on this board when an LEO voices HIS opinion, he's
'burnt out'?

Do me a favor, go back and re-read my post.  Nowhere on that post do I say how much I hate my job, or how miserable I am (Im not).  All I did was point out the FACT that nobody wants to be a cop anymore.  This job used to be all word of mouth hiring.  A cop told his friends, cousins, sons about how great this job was and they took the test and became a cop too.  Nowadays, a cop would handcuff his son to a pipe before he let him leave the house if he knew he was going to take the NYPD test.  Im not exaggerating either.

Noone is taking the test anymore except the "rejects" that cant do anything else.  The problems in law enforcement are only going to get worse, that is all I said.  I am very shortly going to become eligible to become a Sgt. on my job.  Big pay increase and all.  But I still think that I would just like to leave and get a normal job.  


Now please DScott, please show me how "burnt out" I am...where did you read that?

Ummm, heehee, my brother is in highway[:D] And he is not one of "them".

Gunbert.....I can't figure out why they took your Jeep, did they say?  As the story was told, they were as*holes.

Here we go again with the bullsh*t "I pay your salary". Are you kidding me, so I guess I pay for my own salary! Last time I checked half my "salary" was taken out in taxes.

hehe, sorry Palmer, at least it wasnt your sister in Highway!  Dont mind me, Ill just take my foot out of my mouth now.  How have you been?  



Oh yeah, dont pay my rantings any mind, Im just disgruntled and 'burnt out'

Steven

Jeep was impounded because the registration was expired.  I was/am fighting a bogus "parking in a fire zone" ticket.  Till that ticket was paid they withheld my ability to re-register.  That part of the deal they were justified in, and I have no complaint with... what I have a problem with is that the whole atmosphere changed when I said I had a CCW and a firearm.  Do people normally get frisked during a routine traffic stop?  Do two officers routinely "assist" people out of their cars (with wrists bent behind their back)?

and Hunduh, I've no problem with you, but in your posts, you do come across as a bit burnt out...  All that stuff about getting out as soon as you hit that 5 year semi-pension whatever it is. People witha high degree of job satisfaction do not typically take the first opt-out they can.


[edited because if I hadn't the spelling nazi's would've been on me like NHP on an expired tag.  no wait, that's not funny]

If you are carying concealed no one should know. If you get pulled over in a state that doesn't require you to tell the LEO you are carying then don't. Ther is no reason to. It shouldn't be an isue. Give him your license and do everything like you would if you were unarmed.  Just don't do anything stupid.  If you are about to be searched, arrested, cuffed or put in the patrol car that's another story.

Burnt Out????!!!! Burnt OUT????!!!!  ME?????

Its a good thing it wasnt ME who did that stop.  The wrist would have been the least of your problems!!!


okok, Im through now.  I have to put a disclaimer in here because I know that some jackass is going to take this seriously and quote only the bad part.....Gunbert, whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Normally get frisked, no. If someone tells me they have a carry permit, I would have them remove there firearm and safely hand it to me. I would take it with me back to my car and unload it until I was finished with the stop. I don't know you(person stopped) from a whole in the wall, I'am not going to let you sit there with a loaded firearm, CCW or not. However, I return the firearm loaded with the safety on. I have never had a problem with CCW.

Ahh, but Im the exception. The one tim eI got a speeding ticket I didnt have my new tags on my car and he gave me a few hours to go home and put it on and come show him. I only got nailed for speeding.

Well, Hunduh, if you loved your job so much, why get out at the first opportunity?  That pension must be pretty important when that's all you've got to look forward to every day you go to work.

You sound pretty unhappy about LE- the whole of that post was negative, you've got nothing good to say about new NYPD cops these days, and are raggin' on the HP as a whole.  

I've got nothing personal against you, but it sure gets my attention when I hear a cop being so negative about their own.  It's a stressful job, comes with a lot of costs, and isn't for everybody.  And I really do hope you find something that suits you better...

File a complaint immediately.  The stop may have been recorded on camera with audio.  If so, filing a complaint promptly will ensure that the tape is not erased for later use.

Go over their superior's head if you must.  Call the AG or the Mayor's office if you find no satisfaction.

We get CCW Permits so the cops will know we are NOT criminals...your stop sounds like a nightmare stop I went through.

Voice your complaints immediately & put it in writing.  Send copies to the Sgt., Lt., Capt., Col., AG's Office, & Mayor's office.  Make sure you note that you have sent copies to these other offices & staff.

You would think that if the FBI oks you for a CCW that a State Trooper would get it...but there are Rambo cops everywhere.

Just be glad you were not threatened to be shot like my speeding stop....now there was a guy with a definite attitude problem.

Good Luck...hope your arms feel better.  Maybe you should see a physician so you will have a medical record of the incident?  Do this immediately also, especially if there is any swelling or bruising so the physician's chart will indicate this.

Hate to break this to you, boss, but I did not get a ticket. I signed nothing, got no fine, except what the tow company charged me.  All I had to do was get my registration done.