I'm sure this has been discussed before so forgive me. The last time I was pulled over for a traffic violation was over 15 years ago. The other day I was on my way into work (plain clothes LEO) when I was pulled over for speeding (84 in a 65).  I was polite to the officer and he was polite to me. I didn't tell him I was armed or a LEO. He wrote me a ticket and we were on our way. Some of my coworkers said I should have told him I was carrying my duty weapon to alert him that I was a LEO which would most likely get me out of a ticket. I'm not the type of person that uses my shield to get special treatment and knew I was at fault and accepted the consequenses of my actions. For those that work traffic, would I have been out of line to mention my duty weapon? My coworkers said it gets them out of a ticket every time. My license info is redacted so I figured that would have come back during a check and if he chose not to give me ticket then that was his decision. When he came back with my ticket, he never asked if I was a LEO so maybe there's no mention of redacted info during the checks.

You did what was right and I commend you.  Anyone who has avoided a ticket based on their social position, whether it be a police officer, government official, or celebrity etc should be ashamed.

"When one undertakes to administer justice, it must be with an even hand, and by rule; what is done for one must be done for everyone in equal degree."  Thomas Jefferson

For cops and non-cops, I recommend telling the officer you are armed. What he does on the citation is up to him. I rarely cited someone with a CCW permit anyways. Figured a good person with a gun isn't someone that needs a citation.

This will not end well for some people.

You also have to remember that not everyone runs DL info on tickets.  Some just write the ticket and move on, so your 'redacted' info might not even have been found out by thre issuing officer.

IBTHTTATLSS

In Before The Holier Than Thou Above The Law Shit Storm

I don't think I have been stopped since being an LEO; however, I would tell the PO I am armed.  Mainly because while I work patrol, I don't like finding any surprises.  I appreciate and expect CHL users to and therefor expect other LEOs to.  You never know when dispatch is going to screw up and say someone with the same name comes back with a warrant, but fails to see the DOB.  

Had that happen, had someone in cuffs, sat in the car and read everything over and was about to leave when I saw the DOBs didn't match.

I don't tell uniforms that I have my gun to get out of a ticket. I tell them because it's safer for both of us.

Guns on traffic stops that you don't know about are not welcome surprises.

I hate it when I ask for someone's DL and they hand me a badge.  That is not what I asked for.  I have no problem cutting a brother in blue a break on a stop, but don't act like you "deserve" it and don't dare "demand" it.  If I ask where you work(part of the citation) and you tell me you are a cop(or military, Fire, ect.), I have no problem voiding the citation and sending you on your way.  But I don't "owe" you a damn thing and I wouldn't "demand" it if I f'd up in your city.

Off the soapbox.

If I'm carrying my weapon, I'll tell him as I know that I don't like surprises during traffic stops. If he decides to stroke me a ticket, so be it. I broke the law. Discretion is a great tool, though.

 

Concur.
My dept. commanded that you identify as LE in any LE contact...you also had to notify the dept. of any LE contacts you had, on either side of duty.
Still have to now, even as an old retired guy...and yes, I've been written tickets even so. Had them coming, I did.

THIS.  If I get cited, I get cited.

I was stopped one time it was around 7am had just got off work an hour before and was making my 65 mile run to the nearest walmart for the month. All of my fellow Texas LEOs know that for highways there is a day time speed and night time speed. Day time speed was 75mph night time was 65mph. I was pulled over for doing 78MPH in what the deputy said was 65mph (Texas law is that "Day and night laws. One half hour before sun down on half hour before sunrise.) The sun was up but I had out of state plates coming from an area that has its fair share of drugs coming up from Mexico. First thing he asked me was "Did I know how fast I was going?" I said around 77MPH. He said "78MPH in a 65MPH zone." Had my Lic and insur card out for him gave it to him. At that time I told him I had a XD45 loaded on my hip. He asked why I showed him my badge. He made me place in in the arm rest of my truck when he asked me to come outside and talk to him.

I did what he asked. he told me he was only going to give me a warning and let me go. I was pissed because I had worked with this guy a few times in my county. What pissed me off more then that was he was trying to enforce a law that an hour and a half ago with sunrise had changed and he did it because I had out of state plates.

I have given other officers tickets because of how they acted. I have also let many people out of tickets because of how they acted.

I have been stopped one time since I have been a LEO.  I mentioned to the LEO that I was armed just so there would not be a surprise as I was reaching for my wallet and he saw a print.

Honestly, this is what I think as well.

It's up to the officer whether he writes the ticket or not.

I do notify the Officer who stopped me that I am armed, and I am armed because I'm an LEO. Both times I have been stopped, I said something to the effect of "I just want to let you know before I go digging around my car that I have a firearm on my right hip because I am a Police Officer." I would hope that anybody with a gun in the car (LEO, CCW, or anybody else) would tell me when I stopped them, so I do.

I DO NOT do it to get out of a ticket. I broke the law, I deserve to be issued a citation, just like anybody else. That being said, have I gotten a ticket? Nope. That's the Officer's decision to make at his discretion. (or in my case, both times it was a Trooper)

I happened to stop an Officer from a neighboring jurisdiction just last week. He did not identify himself, but I found out through my normal line of questioning (where are you coming from, which happened to be his work) that he was a PO. I asked him for his work ID, he showed it to me and he was on his way

I usually do the same as Redbone.  Just hand over my license and insurance and wait for my ticket.  Sometimes they ask where I work and sometimes they don't.  I prefer for the officer to not know so he won't think my agency is full of a bunch of dickheads who speed around in his town.  I usually get a warning even when they don't know where I work but I have been cited a couple of times over the years for speeding.  I just signed up for defensive driving and paid the court costs to get them dismissed.

Shoulda told him you were LEO. Sure, I'll give LEOs breaks.       As for the trolls....... I'll give you a break too depending on your attitude !!!     We are ALLOWED to.

I have always said I was armed, before I was a LEO CCW and after I became a LEO.   I simple say Officer I do have a firearm on me or in the car.  For my safety and his.  I never state I am a LEO only if they ask if I am.  I was never cited when I advised I was armed as a CCW holder.

I know that when somone does not tell me they have a weapon on a stop and then I see one.  I get very nervous and depending on where the weapon is,  I might pull my firearm out.  Its just a safety thing.

I always inform another cop I am armed and tell them I am an LEO.  Nothing to be ashamed of and it is not flaunting your authority if you are proper about it.  I have NEVER written another cop a ticket.  In fact, my department administration advises us to always inform another officer that you are a cop when off duty and involved in the tail end of an enfrocement action (traffic stop).

I have been a cop too long to screw around with the "should I or shouldn't I" tell him routine!!!  Just be Honest!!  

Furthermore, YOU ARE A COP!!!  If you get a TICKET, that means you appear in court with people who may be past, present, or future suspects!  YOU as a COP do not need to be going into a court room (traffic court) and exposing your personal information to the general public or even the staff at the building.

It's Ohio law that a CCW permit holder notify an officer on a stop.   I've only been stopped once since being an LEO and I notified the officer due to that... especially since my CCW is expired and he'd know that from running my plate.



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Here's my thoughts on it.  A LEO has to have integrity, right?  They need to take responsibility for their actions for doing something that would get them a ticket.  Also, an officer should "flash his badge" to get out of a ticket.

This.

A Trooper I work with puts it like this " you work at a pencil factory ya get free pencils".

Its policy that i identify myself as LEO in any LE encounters by my dept.  "Just to let you know sir, "i'm a ************** Police Officer, and my sidearm is on my ____________."  and we go from there.  I would never ask for a break of any kind.

See, this is something I have a hard time with.

Just because someone is armed does not make them a threat, unless, of course, you're LEO and they're not.  LEO is trained and indoctrinated to automatically assume that any weapon in the hands of non-LEO is an immediate threat.

My opinion is that, absent any other indications on the part of person stopped, is that a weapon is just an inert hunk of metal and plastic.

Well let me put it to you this way if someone starts reaching for something and you see a gun its not going to pretty for either side.  But if your upfront about it things are a lot safer!

If you are an armed off duty cop and you get pulled by an on duty cop, YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO TELL HIM YOU ARE A PEACE OFFICER AND YOU ARE ARMED WITH A FIREARM!  PERIOD!  We are RIGHT, They ARE WRONG, That is the end of the STORY!  (Andrew Wilkow)

Same here, I'm required to ID myself.