Got pulled over tonight--almost charged

[Virginiashadow]

Well I can't blame the cops for pulling me over tonight after work, I have an expired emissions sticker. But.......as I opened the middle console on my truck, one of the cops saw one of my old throwing knives....the guy went ballistic. I told him I was a law abiding citizen and he raised his voice and said "obviously not!". Man I started to get pissed them realized that they just do not understand, that I do not need them to protect me and nothing I say will make them realize that so I told him that I used it to cut my fishing lines(which I do). Everytime I would reach around my middle console to get my registration, the cops would put their hands on their guns and saY..."what are you reaching for!". These guys were college campus cops. My god I was just leaving work and these guys were all in my face.

I told them that I was a special education teacher and didnt have any problem except that I hunt and fish and that i sometimes carry knives...he said "I don't care what your bumper stickers say"(in reference to my hunting and fishin stickers) and said I could not carry a knife like I had.

I told him "you have him(pointed to his cop buddy) to protect you when things go bad....who do I have?"

vashadow(almost arrested)

[TreeDoc]

What the hell kind of knife was it? Is it real big or something? From a safety standpoint, I could see their beef that you are reaching around an area where a weapon is present but what are you allowed to possess?

[denton]

We need fabsroman over here to comment... but in some states, having a concealed knife can be a problem. That includes a knife in your console, out of sight, but where you can reach it easily.

Here in Utah, technically, if you put your sheath knife on your belt, and then put your jacket over it, you are carrying a concealed deadly weapon. That's a big deal, unless you have a concealed carry permit.

Now would any reasonable cop do anything about it, if he saw you in hunter orange, with camping stuff in the back? I don't think so.

You may have to store your knives in the trunk to be strictly legal.

All you need is some overeager, can't be proved wrong cop, and you might be surprised what he can make stick.

I miss the old days.

[fabsroman]

The laws are different from state to state. In Maryland, I believe the knife has to be over a certain number of inches before it qualifies, but having one of the requisite length in the glove compartment, console, or hidden on you will get you arrested. I believe the blade length is somewhere in the 4" range.

With that said, I know a friend of mine that was working for the State's Attorney's office and they prosecuted a guy for having a knife in his backpack that was over the allowable length. He said the only reason they went forward with the prosecution is because the guy was on school property.

By those rules, I am in violation of the statute almost every time I go hunting because I carry a Buck knife in my backpack that is well over the allowable length. I will worry about it when I get the citation. Some of these laws are just completely stupid and you can bet that I will be able to make a pretty darn good case in court.

However, you can rest assured that I will never argue with a law enforcement officer in the field or on the street. I let them write me up for whatever they want to and then I take it to court where the State's Attorney and Judge tend to be more realistic and level headed. Also, if you are courteous to the LEO, the LEO will usually let you off since they have charging discretion. I haven't had any real run ins with the law over the last 7 years, but I did get out of some things earlier in life by just being nice.

[iwerk2hard]

Fabs is very right about attitude. Courtesy goes a long way, indignant and/or cocky attitude will almost guarantee a not-so-pleasant relationship. That goes BOTH ways. This time it sounds like it might have been the one in uniform who was having a bad day and got a bit jumpy.
Be glad you weren't taking your carving knife to be sharpened.



Glad to hear everything turned out OK.

[Virginiashadow]

It was an old throwing knife I used to take out with me into the woods and throw it at trees and such....it was very very dull and the blade was about 4 inches. The guy actually took the knife from me and called another car. He tried to make me mad on purpose to see how I would respond I believe. Just bustin my balls but I stayed calm.

vashadow

[TheeBadOne]

Originally posted by fabsroman
The laws are different from state to state.

However, you can rest assured that I will never argue with a law enforcement officer in the field or on the street. I let them write me up for whatever they want to and then I take it to court where the State's Attorney and Judge tend to be more realistic and level headed. Also, if you are courteous to the LEO, the LEO will usually let you off since they have charging discretion. I haven't had any real run ins with the law over the last 7 years, but I did get out of some things earlier in life by just being nice.

Good Post

[Valigator]

Well, I guess I have been pretty lucky......

[gspsonny03]

You know, I have no clue what the law reads on knives here in Wyoming. I've never thought about it. I don't carry a knife, except for hunting season and even then it's on my fanny pack. I suppose that's something that I should look into.

[Steverino]

In Illinois, I believe the maximum length allowed on a knife is also 4" and I concur with the above posts with respect to attitude playing a large role in dealing with law officers.

With that being said, I think that you do have to look at things somewhat from their perspective. They are pulling folks over that they have little to no idea (save DMV-arrest records) of who these people are. I would not want their jobs at all. I have been with a friend a couple of years ago that was pulled over for speeding and I recommended that after pulling off to the shoulder, to keep both his hands on the top of the steering wheel, in plain sight of the cop approaching his vehicle and to announce when he would be reaching into his glovebox for his insurance info.

I know this from a past co-worker whose father retired as a state trooper and used to talk about guys automatically reaching for stuff when he used to approach their cars. To say that it used to make him uneasy was an understatement. He also hated when guys would immediately get out of their cars to confront him and the worst was very dark tinted windows on vehicles-the kind that restricted movement inside of vehicles.

Anyhoo. my buddy was let off with a warning (he was only going 5 miles an hour over the limit) after a barrage of "yes sir officer"'s and I saw for myself that this particular officer respected his requests before making sudden movements or reaching.

Just my .02.

[iwerk2hard]

I've been stopped for minor BS like a burned out license plate light, suspicious activity, (driving up and down every street in a neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning, [that's the way to get all of your morning newspapers delivered to all of your customers on time.]), and the most effective approach that I've found is to get my wallet out of my pocket and onto the dash before I even get the car stopped, then patiently and politely wait with my hands on top of the steering wheel while waiting for the LEO to get it over with. It's always been more effective than something like "I'd think you guys would know my information by now, do I have to show you again?" (Yes, that line got me a $72.00 fine in 1976, and he took the 2 cans of beer that he saw under my front seat. It didn't help when I told him he'd have to put them in the refrigerator for a while because they were warm.) [ What he didn't know was that I had a cold case of Pabst in the trunk. After the encounter I felt safe because he made his bust, it was after hours and I couldn't get any more beer. HA HA, the joke was on you too Dave.] It's the truth and my dad can vouch for me on this one.
Courtesy is great, sincerity is better, and when you learn to fake that, you've got it made!

[fabsroman]

Yeah, I wouldn't want the officer's job either. They don't know anything about the driver, and sometimes the driver isn't even the owner of the car so they have no idea what the drivers DMV records show.

When I get pulled over, I usually have my license and registration in my hand before I stop and I put both hands on the steering wheel with the license and registration in them when the LEO is approaching the car. I understand that routine traffic stops are a way of life.

I also have to correct the above statement. The last time I was pulled over was 5 years ago for speeding. Everything went well there. I was going 48 in a 30 at 12:30 at night coming from visiting a friend that just got out of the hospital. The officer wrote it down to 39 in a 30, I requested a hearing only on sentencing (i.e., the officer didn't have to come to court), and asked the judge for Probation Before Judgment, which he readily gave me.

I was involved in a traffic stop last winter when my fiance got pulled over with me in the car. That one went smoothly too because as she was looking for a place to pull over I got the registration out of the glove compartment and she had her license out before the officer got there. That was in Winchester, VA and she went to court on that one. The judge wasn't very friendly. She also got a ticket in Fairfax, Va a couple of months later, but the judge was much friendlier and he waived the fine but still found her guilty. She did put up a good defense for a non-attorney (i.e., she is a pharmacist).

[d-2]

Well, I may as well make my first post on something I do know a little about. Anything, here in Arkansas, can be considered a concealed weapon or a prohibited weapon. A knife in the console or a brick laying in the floorboard of your veh could be considerd a prohibited weapon. But as was stated above it is all about your attitude and wether or not you have been drinking or in possesion of drugs. "Shtuff" will immediatley start rolling down hill if you are drunk or doped up or start showing your butt. You must put yourself in our place. We stop someone that we do not know usually in the middle of nowhere and a long way from some help if we needed it. 99.9% of the time we never have a bit of trouble and being as we are in such a rural state just about everyone here carrys a gun in their veh. and nothing is ever said about it. With the emergence of "meth" you never know who or what your fixing to pull over next or what state of aggitation they are in. And these meth heads sometimes are awake for 6-7 days and usually dont have a clue as to what planet they are on so one never knows what is happening next. I love my job and very seldom am ever scared and when I am it is usually for someone else and not me. Let me say this. I have a family at home that needs and loves me and at the end of every shift and I walk in the door at the house, I had a good night at work...d-2

[gregarat]

The guy actually took the knife from me and called another car.

You were not arested.

Did you fill out any paperwork with the oficer, when he took the knife? If not I think the cop may have STOLE your knife...?

[Lilred]

Yep ya'll..the laws here in the ole dominion says that iffin you got a knife w/ a blade over 2 in. long (might be 4) and it's "hidden" or concealed, it is a concealed weapon.

IMHO, that can be a deadly thing to a cop..slip one out from under the seat and wham..effective weapon. Most cops never write you up fer one tho, unless yer already in trouble fer somthin else perty serious. I've been pulled over several times (go figger lol) mostly fer speedin..and I've never had a cop take one from me er write me up fer it. Dont git me wrong, they dont like it none..but they dont go off over it.
In transition to that..all guns must be in sight. So you can ride around w/ yer gun in the back winder all day, er in the seat. As long as it is where the law can see it..unless you have the CCW.

Frankly, the way things are nowadays..I dont blame em iffin they're touchy bout knives and such. You never know nowadays who yer up against. I'd be bout as nervous as a 1-legged hen in a fox den..I dont see how they do it.