[url]http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1266701&nav=0RaMFfK2[/url]

Columbia officer draws weapon on Lt. Gov. at traffic stop

(Columbia) May 6, 2003 - The traffic stop happened shortly before noon in the 1500 block of Assembly Street.

Officer J.L. Vanhouten caught up with a vehicle he says raced through two red lights at Calhoun and Assembly and Assembly and Blanding. The officer says the driver, Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer , had been traveling at speeds up to 60 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone.

The officer's report says once the vehicle was stopped, the driver ran back toward the patrol car, in what Vanhouten says, was "an aggressive manner."

The officer, unable to get out of his car in time, drew his service revolver and ordered the man to stop and raise his hands. The report says the man complied, at which time, Vanhouten frisked the driver.

It was only then that the officer recognized Bauer.

The Lieutenant Governor was issued a ticket for reckless driving. Vanhouten saying Bauer's actions showed, quoting from the report, "a total disregard for public safety."

Bauer's Chief of Staff Randy Page issued a brief statement early Tuesday evening. In it, Bauer says he, "wants to be treated as any other citizen would be treated."
    
Bauer was on his way to the Senate, where he presides as president.
    
Police Chief and interim City Manager Charles Austin says police will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether the officer acted properly by drawing his gun.
    
Bauer himself has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The police report says the officer found no weapons when he frisked the Lieutenant Governor.  

when you got some guy rushing your car you don't really have time to see if he is a politican.

The guy didn't go to jail; which is probably what would have happened to one of the little people.

Here in the south, elected officials and political appointees are a protected species. A clerk of court in Lexington, SC, recently beat a DUI charge by refusing a sobriety test and requesting a jury trial. Six of his peers (that's right, six) found him not guilty. It is the second time he has beat the rap for DUI.

About 12 years ago a lot of state congressman and senators were rounded up in a sting called operation "Lost Trust" for excepting bribes to vote in favor of para-mutuel betting (whatever the hell that is).

The good old boy system is alive and well here in the south.

Panzer Out

It's not that uncommon for cops here to draw during a traffic stop.  It's not exactly news.  I think the bigger story is that the politician ran two red lights in downtown.



Once again, the polictically connected get permits while the average people get the shaft.  That's standard procedure in this state since the state police control the concealed carry permits, they have no oversight, and can deny anyone without cause.z

Well horray for the cop! That LT Gov's lucky his ass isn't nursing a sucking chest wound! As far as the good old boy system...yep it's alive and well. Long may it live!

Sure let's make a big deal about it. I'm sure people will tak a while to digest the fact that the 2nd ranking person in State Govt. Doesn't think that traffic laws apply to him, 60/35 and running red lights.

If this guy is a CHL holder or a reserve LEO, he should be seriously self-evaluating his conduct. Running back at a police car that has just initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle you were driving is [:O)]    [rocket].

I hope he goes to the [smash] and gets [slap].

[wave]

It's here in the Northwest too, my friend.

A Wa State Justice was cought DUI (She was so drunk she didn't know she was driving.) What happened to her? Well, Iraq sure took the heat off her, and it has slipped quietly into the background.

She wasn't arrested, charged or anything of the like.

She should have lost her job and sat in the Drunk Tank for 60 days.

Isn't there some sort of law about not arresting senators or representatives while in session? Also I do not know about SC but here in Mo. all those special folk (Reps and Sens)have easily recognized special license plates.
Just wondering...

Yes, there is such a law in South Carolina, and am not sure if it applies to the Gov and Lt Gov.

The purpose of the law goes back to times when police would delay a state senator or representative on trumped up charges in order to keep him from getting to the capitol and voting.

South Carolina doesn't have shall-issue? [:O]

[url]wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1266701&nav=0RaMFfK2[/url]

UPDATE, more at the link

Bauer's Chief of Staff Randy Page issued a brief statement early Tuesday evening. In it, Bauer says he, "wants to be treated as any other citizen would be treated."

The Lieutenant Governor told WIS Tuesday evening he meant no harm, "My intention was just to go back and apologize and say, 'Hey, I apologize, I'm running late.' Looking back at it now I wish I hadn't gotten out of  the car. I can't tell you how horrified and actually trembling I was to have a firearm pulled on me on Assembly Street on my way to session. It definitely got my attention."
   
Bauer was on his way to the Senate, where he presides as president.

So how's it feel to be one of the common folk for a second.  Kind-of an 'Oh Shit' revelation?  Where the hell is the detail when you need them?

Thank goodness it was a cop.  What if a criminal with evil intent had done that.

Wonder what his voting history is on arming the peasants...

My understanding of it is that he has a CHL. So he might just be in favor of concealed carry.

If he wants to be treated like the little people, he should have been taken to jail like I would be if I did that.

He knows he won't be treated like the little people, saying that was just an attempt to act like the laws apply to him.

So does Diane Swinestein.  Doesn't mean she, or he, supports arming the peasants.  

Know whut I mean?.....


Regardless, in the near future the cop will probably be saying:

"Welcome to WalMart"

According to the poster that started a similar thread on Glock Talk:

The LT Gov. is a "straight arrow", formerly known as the hardest working State Senator, who is totally RKBA, and CHL kinda guy.

Cool.  He's on our side.

Pay his ticket like everybody else.  end of story.





Love that sig line BTW.  Encountered a manager in the company recently that was 'All Rules'.  Remember telling my boss she was too much Barney and not enough Andy.  When faced with management challenges, I sometimes wonder 'What would Andy do...'

No, it doesn't.  Just over a year ago, the state police even went over three months without processing new applications and without processing renewals.  They ignored a lawsuit and an order from the governor demanding them to do their job.

I've never been charged with a crime, much less convicted, and I've gotten my application turned down five times so far.  Out of nine others I took the CCW class with, only one of the others was granted a permit from the state police.  That one got hers because she worked for the coroner's office in Columbia, SC and had her boss carry the application by hand to  the state police.

Recently, I talked to the chief justice of the state supreme court about the issue.  He said attempting to get the state police to follow a court order was a losing proposition so he suggested not wasting the money.  He also said there was a chance the judge would rule against me, because no one has yet successfully challenged the state police for a permit.  He also suggested carrying without a permit.  I read in the paper that one local resident was sentenced to a year in prison for carrying.  I don't know how old he was, but he lived in a local assisted living facility, so I'd guess he was probably about my age.  I'm not taking any chances with a year in prison, so I don't carry.

My sister-in-law was turned down for a permit, but she carried a handgun in her car anyway.  She got caught by a cop (she opened her glove compartment where her pistol was stored to get to her "papers") and was fined $1,000, and she spent over $2,000 on a lawyer.  According to her lawyer, she was lucky she didn't end-up with jail-time.  She's in her late 60's, and could have been sent to jail for a year.  As part of the plea bargain, she agreed to give-up her pistol and to not buy another.

The local grassroots organization fights hard for changes in the details of the current CCW laws (like the height of letters on signs), but they haven't yet tried to get the law changed so that someone, besides the rabid anti-gun state police, has control over the permits.  They also haven't fought for oversight of the state police.  What's the point in fighting over details when people can't get permits in the first place?z

"The Lieutenant Governor told WIS Tuesday evening he meant no harm, "My intention was just to go back and apologize and say, 'Hey, I apologize, I'm running late.' Looking back at it now I wish I hadn't gotten out of the car. I can't tell you how horrified and actually trembling I was to have a firearm pulled on me on Assembly Street on my way to session. It definitely got my attention.""

Pussy (I WAS TERRIFIED)- only a MORON leaves his car on a traffic stop at that speed (just get it over with a and ask the cop to kill you- save yourself the run).

Zoom-
I received my CWP last November, 90 days after my class.  So did the other guys who were in the class with me.  I haven't heard of SLED witholding or denying permits arbitrarily.  Is this pretty common, or is it an isolated case?  I'll check with Grassroots SC and see if they know anything about this.  A police force with no accountability is a pretty scary prospect.

SLED sucks...I just wanted to get that off my chest.  I went to Furman.  I got to see how things in South Carolina work (btw I love the state and woul dmove back in a second if I could find employment there).

I don't think its so much the good ole boy system as it is general uneducated cops that get off on thinking they have special rights.  I'm sure there are some, but I have never met a SC officer that was not drunk on his authority (sort of reminds me of Cartman when I think about it).

Not true Zoom. Had mine since the law was changed. Zero problem. Right on time. You must have a skeleton in your closet or a common name. Re-apply.

1st degree scaring the shit out of a cop..[:D]