When they showed up to write up the accident report this AM. Some genius decided to pull right out in front of me (and I mean RIGHT out in front) and stop today, testing my tires on the wet pavement (test failed), so I got to call Columbus's finest to stop by and kibbutz. When the one cop was walking back from looking at my car, he casually asked me if I was carrying my weapon. I was really surprised by this, said no, and asked why. He said when they run your plates it comes up. Now this really made me think, because when I took my CCW class they told us that if you were carrying in your car, place your hands at 10 and 2, tell the cop you're carrying, and ask for instructions. If the cops already know you could be carrying, I'm starting to think you need to do this any time you get pulled over, because they're going to approach the car assuming you're armed.

Anyone else run into something like this?

As a sidenote, if you ever are unlucky to have someone suddenly pull out in front of you in traffic and you hit them, regardless of the circumstances you will apparently be charged with failure to maintain a safe distance. As usual, unless the cops see it happen, they will default to citing you, regardless of who's at fault.

Yes your CCW status pops up when they run a plate registered to you...  In theory anyway.  My favorite was the terrorist warning for a guy who used to be in a motorcycle gang and went to prison for a murder coverup.  He was out on a jet ski when I stopped him!

First of all, I would hope that all cops approach every vehicle assuming the occupant(s) is armed. If they only prepare to react to armed confrontations when the plate comes back with a possible CCW, we'll be seeing them dropping like flies.  And 99.999% of the time, they'll be dropped by criminals who don't bother and can't get a CCW license anyway.

Technically, one is not required to inform police regarding his CCW status unless he is armed.  However, I believe one should plan on informing the LEO and present a "hands in plain sight" posture even if he's not armed.  Why give the LEO any excuse to jump you or shoot you?

Quoted: Technically, one is not required to inform police regarding his CCW status unless he is armed.  However, I believe one should plan on informing the LEO and present a "hands in plain sight" posture even if he's not armed.  Why give the LEO any excuse to jump you or shoot you?

...because cops are always looking for an excuse to shoot or "jump" innocent people.  

Quoted: As a sidenote, if you ever are unlucky to have someone suddenly pull out in front of you in traffic and you hit them, regardless of the circumstances you will apparently be charged with failure to maintain a safe distance. As usual, unless the cops see it happen, they will default to citing you, regardless of who's at fault.

The crash should have been written up as an angle crash. It is not a rear-end caused by ACDA. The other motorist should have been cited with Failure to Yield or Failure to Stop. The officer needs re-trained.  

OHIO OH-1 Traffic Crash Report

Quoted: ...because cops are always looking for an excuse to shoot or "jump" innocent people.

If you are going to quote me, do it accurately.  Where exactly did I imply "innocent"?  If I'm a contributing factor in causing a LEO to shoot me, I am no long innocent.  If I didn't place my hands in plain sight and the cop shot me, tough shit.  That would be justifiable excuse for the LEO to use deadly force.  Got it?

I rarely run into CCW holders since they are normally good people.  It is true when I run your plates it will come back tht you are a CCW holder.  Even if you are not carrying, it would be curteous to let the officer know you are not carrying.  

I had a very bad experience with a state trooper. I was pulled over, paraded in front of 4 deputy sherriffs for left of center and speeding (41 in a 35 going downhill). I was trying to tell him I had a weapon when he blurted out that he knew and to keep my hands out the window where he could see them.
 He opened my door and asked me to step out of the car, when I tried, I realized my belt was on and I told him that I would need my hands to unbuckle my seat belt. Thats when he reached in and TOOK my weapon from my holster and then let me get out of the car. He dropped the mag from my pistol, racked the slide back to release the round chambered, and asked me where the safety was. LoL, this pistol was a GLOCK19 and I told him Glocks don't have a safety.
 After about 20 minutes of harrassment on why I am shouldnt be carrying a loaded handgun, he let me go and didnt even give me a citation. Normal people would be happy they didnt get a ticket but my take was.... If it were so important to pull me over in the middle of the night on my way home from work...... then why didnt I get a ticket ???? Makes me think he ran my plates and saw that I was a CCL holder and wanted to play Barney Fife on me.

I ended up filing a complaint and talked to the shift supervisor but I am sure they didnt do anything about it.

I've found stops usually goes smoother if you have your hand and 10 and 2(dome light on at night) and keep it that way unless directed to do otherwise.   It just seems to be the best sop whether you have a ccw or not.

Quoted: I had a very bad experience with a state trooper. I was pulled over, paraded in front of 4 deputy sherriffs for left of center and speeding (41 in a 35 going downhill). I was trying to tell him I had a weapon when he blurted out that he knew and to keep my hands out the window where he could see them.  He opened my door and asked me to step out of the car, when I tried, I realized my belt was on and I told him that I would need my hands to unbuckle my seat belt. Thats when he reached in and TOOK my weapon from my holster and then let me get out of the car. He dropped the mag from my pistol, racked the slide back to release the round chambered, and asked me where the safety was. LoL, this pistol was a GLOCK19 and I told him Glocks don't have a safety.  After about 20 minutes of harrassment on why I am shouldnt be carrying a loaded handgun, he let me go and didnt even give me a citation. Normal people would be happy they didnt get a ticket but my take was.... If it were so important to pull me over in the middle of the night on my way home from work...... then why didnt I get a ticket ???? Makes me think he ran my plates and saw that I was a CCL holder and wanted to play Barney Fife on me. I ended up filing a complaint and talked to the shift supervisor but I am sure they didnt do anything about it.

I'm sure he was drunk hunting.  I'm sure the next time you run across him he will cite you though.  He was rather stupid about the CHL.  Now that is something I would be chewing his ass about.

Quoted: I've found stops usually goes smoother if you have your hand and 10 and 2(dome light on at night) and keep it that way unless directed to do otherwise.   It just seems to be the best sop whether you have a ccw or not.

That's a good policy to follow.  It always puts me at ease a little more, not that I relax by any means.

Quoted: The crash should have been written up as an angle crash. It is not a rear-end caused by ACDA. The other motorist should have been cited with Failure to Yield or Failure to Stop. The officer needs re-trained.

That's what I tried to explain to the cop, but he insisted that because he was not there to witness it, it was my word against the other guys, and if I tried to fight it in court I'd lose. It's a REALLY hard pill to swallow, especially after my own insurance company told me the same thing. I guess the only upsides here are that this will force me to drive like granny for the next three years to make sure I don't get anything else on my license, and Thank God I didn't buy the Porsche I was looking at, as I would likely have beaten the other guy bloody...

I have been stopped several times leaving our property (just after we aquired) at nite (it is a gravel lane out of a field) to verify who I was.  I notified them and the officers (all different) said 'Yeah, I know from plates, I don't care" or something to that affect.

Dan

Quoted: Unlicensed folks carrying concealed handguns are exempt from the provisions of this law.  Yes, that's really as stupid a law as it sounds.

Chuck, I believe this is rooted in the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution.  

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.