Hypothetical Question for any Police Officers out there
 

You just pulled a guy over because he was driving a little too fast. He's polite and cooperative, handing over his license when you ask for it, but as he reaches for his glove compartment to get his registration, he hesitates and puts his hands back on the wheel.

"Officer," he says, "I want to inform that I just remembered that I have a firearm in my glove compartment on top of my registration. I am licensed to carry concealed and I have all my documents of ownership with me."

How would you handle this situation from this point forward?

I am a police officer but a British one, so this situation would never arise for me. However being the kind of guy that i am I have looked into this sort of stuff, and firstly I have to say that the guy with the CCW should never start by saying that "I have a firearm" or anything like it. The more sensible response would be to first say that you have a carry permit and then that you are currently carrying a weapon. The officer should then ask you exactly where it is, and then ask you to show him your permit. If in the case you described you vehicle registration is inside the glove box with your firearm then it is likely that he would proceed with the stop without asking to see it, as he would have ran your number plate when he stopped you and assuming nothing is out of the ordinary all that he would have to do would be to confirm your identity from your license. In some States that allow concealed carry they have laws saying that you must inform the officer if you are carrying, but even if you aren't it is a very good idea to let them know immediately anyway.

I have a carry permit, and I was under the impression I had to tell an officer if I was carrying. It's never come up, since I rarely carry, so I'm not exactly sure how to bring it up.

Well depending on which state you live in. I live in Indiana so I don't have to inform the officer that pulled me over that I am armed unless needed like if I step out or if I left my gun in the glove box

I don't have to, but it's seen as "polite" to let the officer know

Jcordell would be able to give good insight on this one, I think.

If it were me as the individual being pulled over, I'd do like Commando said: tell the cop first that I have the CCP and then inform him where the gun is. I'm all in favor of a cop defending themself if they legitimately believe their life is in danger, but I doubt anyone wants the burden of an unnecessary shooting on their conscience. Hell, I think most sensible and upstanding LEOs would prefer to go their whole careers without having to shoot someone.

As for how the cop would proceed, I can't say.

I'm a retired LEO (31 1/2 years). I would just ask for the drivers license & CCW permit....If it looks good then its registration and proof of insurance. Its really that easy.

It's usually advised that you tell an officer if you're armed if he ever needs to stop you for something like that. Officers have to deal with an unfortunate amount of people who choose to quick draw and blow the cop's brains out through their window instead of potentially getting arrested for some kind of crime. Some people will even shoot the cop that pulled them over if they don't have any outstanding warrant or a risk of the officer finding illegal items during the stop. As such, many officers are quite wary when the guy they pulled over starts rifling under the seat or in the glovebox.

Telling the officer that you have a weapon and where it is (and if necessary, providing the documentation to prove that you can legally be carrying it there) not only prevents any awkward questions if you open your glovebox and expose the butt of a Glock, but it helps assuage their potential fear by letting them know beforehand that you're armed. It removes a lot of the "what ifs" in their mind if they know beforehand that the guy is legally carrying and admits it readily, rather than a thug waiting for a chance to fire.

It's also advisable to tell them if you have any replica guns in the vehicle, like airsoft. Some people may forget about their airsoft guns just because they're "toys", but a police officer won't be thinking that the AR-15 he just saw in the back seat is a toy first.

I have to go run some errands, but when I get back later today I'll tell you how I have actually dealt with similar situations in the past. Keep in mind this is how I deal with it and I'm an Idaho cop where guns and gun owners are just part of the scenery. Also I'm a gunowner and a card carrying NRA member.

Okay so lets get started.

1) First of all in Idaho when I run your driver license through my car computer (MDT) or through dispatch I will be notified that you have a concealed carry permit. In Idaho if you have a driver license the DL number is the same number on your concealed permit. So in Idaho I don't need to be notified by the permit holder. The state will notify me.

2) Second it would be a very good idea to tell me that you have a gun in your glove box. Permit or no permit if somebody reaches over, pops open the glove box and I see a gun just laying there my reaction is not going to be real fun. Sorry if you are a hard core Liberterian/Tea Party/2nd Amendment activist and you find my reaction to be unfair, unjustified, excessive,paranoid,cowardly or authoritarian.

I don't know who I'm dealing with and suddenly a gun has entered into the picture - a gun that nobody told me about. Remember that great line by Sean Connery in "The Untouchables" when he is talking to Costner at the beginning of the movie.
"Make sure when your shift is over you go home alive"
Not only do I take that advice to heart so does my family. So there is going to be a very good chance that you will be staring down the bore of my Glock 19 and while it only shoots the puny 9mm something tells me it looks huge when it's only fourteen inches from your head.

Also I don't want to shoot somebody and if a situation suddenly accelerates like that everything is up in the air. So yes tell me that you have a gun in the glove box. If I don't already I will quickly confirm that you have a permit. If you don't ,and that gun is loaded, then you are looking at a illegal concealed carry situation. A misdemeanor offense. If it isn't loaded then you're okay. Once again I'm speaking about Idaho - not the other 49 states.

3) Okay so the car isn't listed as stolen. You are the registered owner and you have no warrants. Dispatch advises me that you have a valid driver license and concealed carry permit. That last part is important. If your permit was revoked or has expired that will also be in the database. If that's the case see paragraph 2. So now what? You've told me about the handgun in your glove box. "Thank you sir for letting me know that". You've been cooperative and polite - as have I. But you are keeping the actual hard-copy of your vehicle registration along with proof of insurance coverage in the glovebox. Two ways to go here depending on the situation.

In the past I gave the driver the benefit of the doubt that the insurance was current and let him go - after advising him that if he was going going to keep the handgun in the glovebox he needs to keep the documents in a different location so that in the future there are no chances for misunderstandings that might lead to a tragedy - for everyone.

However if I really want to look at those documents I would probably ask for another unit (this would all be based on my gut feeling - which over the past 13 years I've learned to listen to) to assist. Once the other unit arrived I would ask the driver to step out of the car and please stay with the other officer. I would then walk around to the passenger side. Explain to the driver that I am going to reach into the car to get the documents from the glovebox. I would explain to the driver that I am not conducting a search (4th Amendment issues) nor do I intend to run the handgun's serial number or even touch the handgun beyond moving it to get the documents. After looking at the documents and making sure everything is in order I would put everything back, thank the driver for his or her's cooperation, explain to them why I did what I did and send them on their way. I would also recommend that they keep the gun and documents separate in the future.

4) So that is how I work. I have no doubt that there are folks who would find issues with what I have done in the past and how I would deal with such a situation. For whatever reason. There are always people who take issue with how cops work. Monday morning quarterbacks - some of the worse are other cops. Oh well. It's my life and my tactics.

So does that tell you what you wanted to know 2wingo?

Just remember I'm only one officer. I can't speak for other officers and I'm going off of being an Idaho cops. In Idaho guns are common as are concealed carry permit holders. Many cops are also gun owners which will effect the way we work. But you still find officers here that are anti-gun and anti-gunowner.

I, personally, keep everything important separate from my car gun just to avoid any trouble that those things being together could cause

Wise policy.

Yup, Texas Highway Patrol and HPD don't mess around. It's best not to do anything that could cause a problem. They are pretty understanding about car guns, though, and are grateful if made aware of its presence


Speaking of car guns, I just swapped out the 6906 for the FNX-45