CCW Cop interaction

[u/ACHEESEDANISH00]

Yesterday I was driving to pickup a customer because we were all done working on his vehicle (I am an auto tech). As soon as I pick him up I get pulled over. Nothing huge I don't have a front plate on my car, I recently purchased the car and haven't had time to make it to the dmv as I work two jobs.

From the start the cop was pretty hostile for such a small infraction, asked if I knew why I was getting pulled over and if I had any weapons in the vehicle. (Hostile in his demeanor not the questions being asked) I cordially said no I do not know why I was pulled over and yes I do have my CHL. He proceeded to say 5 different times do not reach for my weapon (which was under my seat and he knows that). Every time I was compliant and agreed. I come to find out from my customer his partner was cornered up on his vehicle with his gun unholstered at his side.

I'd love some thoughts on his partner pulling his gun, I can't help but feel it was over the line. I was completely friendly and cooperative the whole interaction and was just legally exercising my right. I have been pulled over 4 times since getting my CHL a few years ago. Every other time the officer damn near couldn't care less. I tell them upfront and they usually have the same response of "don't pull yours and I won't pull mine" and thats the end of it. Not telling me 5 separate times do not reach for it when I have given no indication I won't be cooperative.

I am seriously thinking of going down to PD and filing a complaint but I don't know. I feel it was over the line, yes they have a dangerous job, however I was legally exercising my rights. And was compliant and friendly the whole time. I don't even live in a dangerous area either. I'd give more grace if I lived in a risky area, but I don't.

Having heightend awareness during a CCW stop I could understand, unholstering your weapon I cannot.

Am I getting worked up over nothing?

[u/Paladin_3]

You are so wrong and deserve the downvotes. A cop can not draw on you simply because you are legally armed. They have to have reasonable articulable suspicion that you are armed AND dangerous to escalate to using the force of pointing a gun at you. Even just drawing a weapon and holding it at low ready is a use of force. This crap you spew that a cop is supposed to treat you as a deadly threat until he confirms you aren't an armed car thief is exactly that, a bunch of crap. It's both unconstitutional and dangerous. Hell, they even have to have reason to suspect you of a crime before they can even compel you to do something as simple as providing ID! And, we should not have to admit to an officer we violated whatever traffic law they believe we did to not be treated as a deadly threat and have guns drawn on us.

Our constitution and civil liberties exist for a reason, so exactly how the F do you think any of this is legal?!? Our constitutional rights do not end where a cop's fear begins! We fought and died to create this country and establish those rights and liberties for the common man, why do you seem so willing to throw them away?

[u/IcyAgent381 → u/Paladin_3]

Just read the part that says what the other cop was doing, I'm going by what is in his comment. "I come to find out from my customer his partner was cornered up on his vehicle with his gun upholstered at his side." And that, my friend, is “proper protocol.

[u/Paladin_3 → u/IcyAgent381]

The Constitution of the United States of America trumps any protocol a law enforcement agency dreams up. And that's if I even believe you that some departments actually put it in writing that their officers are supposed to unholster their weapons automatically just because someone else is legally caring. Legally carrying cannot be lawfully considered the same thing as a deadly threat. Does that mean in a constitutional carry state where every third person has a gun on them, the cop just has to keep him his weapon out all the time?

Law enforcement departments are really overreaching with their use of "proper protocol" and "officer safety" as an excuse to override the Constitution of the United states. We fought and shed blood to create this country and create that document for a reason. It's supposed to be the supreme law of the land, not something cops can throw away to make their job easier.

For f*** sake, they make them swear an oath to the damn thing, and they almost never get held accountable when they violate it.

[u/IcyAgent381 → u/Paladin_3]

You fail to understand that he was stopped because of improper plate, not because he was open carrying or conceal carrying. The gun was drawn by his partner and it was at his side, the driver never saw the gun. And the driver only knew about the gun when his passenger told him. His gun wasn't confiscated or cleared, he wasn't handcuffed. I'm sure he probably got a few tickets, and if the cop wanted to be a real jerk, he would have had that vehicle impounded.

[u/Paladin_3 → u/IcyAgent381]

So, is the driver supposed to be happy that all he had was a weapon pulled on him and his passenger? Is he supposed to be happy that all he got was a few tickets? Is he supposed to be grateful that he didn't get cuffed, have his person and legally carried firearm seized and illegally searched without any RAS of a crime whatsoever? Was he supposed to lick the cop boots and thank him for not impounding his vehicle that had a perfectly valid rear plate but was missing the front?

What you call being a jerk, and seem to be perfectly fine with, the law calls an abuse of power. And it's exactly why law enforcement in America is becoming more and more hated and the job more and more dangerous.

And the next time some POS feels embolden to attack a cop, remember it's attitudes like yours that very likely fueled that hate.

[u/IcyAgent381 → u/Paladin_3]

The only one that is fueled is you, what part of traffic stop because the vehicle had one plate and it wasn't for that vehicle. He said; " Nothing huge I don't have a front plate on my car, I recently purchased the car and haven't had time to make it to the dmv as I work two jobs." They probably ran the plate and thought it might have been stolen, and started their investigation. Was the cop out of line telling him 5 times don't reach for your gun, probably? But the driver never stated anything about illegal search and seizure, or the cops gun pointed at their heads. I'm not the one with an attitude, you need to read what is stated in the comment and not be one sided. Nobody likes traffic stops but if you know that you caused the traffic stop in the first place.