Interaction with LEOs

Use this forum to post your experience with encounters with law enforcement, criminals, or other encounters as a result of your firearm or potential to be carrying one.

Moderators: Chuck, Mustang380gal, Coordinators, Moderators

User avatar
djthomas
Posts: 5961
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2006 11:09 am

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by djthomas »

JustaShooter wrote:Two other occasions where local law enforcement came to my door looking for someone who was not at my house at the time. In one case I was carrying openly, in one case I was not carrying, so I did not inform either time. I was not asked for ID in either case.
Just so you know even if you were to be carrying a regular concealed handgun you are not required to notify while within your own home as ORC 2923.12 (C)(1)(d) completely exempts you from that section (i.e. 2923.12).
User avatar
JustaShooter
OFCC Coordinator
OFCC Coordinator
Posts: 5800
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:08 pm
Location: Akron/Canton Area

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by JustaShooter »

djthomas wrote:
JustaShooter wrote:Two other occasions where local law enforcement came to my door looking for someone who was not at my house at the time. In one case I was carrying openly, in one case I was not carrying, so I did not inform either time. I was not asked for ID in either case.
Just so you know even if you were to be carrying a regular concealed handgun you are not required to notify while within your own home as ORC 2923.12 (C)(1)(d) completely exempts you from that section (i.e. 2923.12).
Right, I'm aware of that exemption. However in one case I stepped outside and closed the door behind me so I believe I would have had to had I been carrying concealed.
Christian, Husband, Father
NRA Life Member
NRA Certified Range Safety Officer
NRA Certified Pistol & Rifle Instructor

Want to become more active with OFCC and help fight for your rights? Click Here!
M-Quigley
Posts: 4782
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:06 pm
Location: Western Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by M-Quigley »

MrMagoo wrote:I'd like to hear from people who have had interaction with law enforcement where your identification has not immediately been asked for when the encounter started, and your experiences at these times (how long did it take before your driver license or ID was asked for). It doesn't make any difference if you were armed or not at the time. The reason for asking this is that for years we have been hearing notification is for officer safety. Substute HB 142 changes "promptly notify" to notification when driver license or ID is asked for. If officer safety is such a concern for notification, are there times when an LEO will interact with an individual for a period of time before asking for a driver license or ID? If so, this shoots holes in the LE argument that notification is for officer safety. I am attempting to get a meeting with the bill sponsor to discuss this and would like some hard facts to back me up. Thank you, Gary
If you get a meeting you might ask why Ohio is only one of a handful of states that even requires notification before requested? How many LEO deaths has that caused in the majority of the country?
User avatar
cashman966
OFCC Patron Member
OFCC Patron Member
Posts: 3436
Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 9:52 pm
Location: Delaware, Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by cashman966 »

I had my first notification since getting my CHL in April 2006 last month. I was at Smith Park in Delaware around 3 am attempting to get some pics of the Leonid meteor shower when a Delaware County Deputy pulled into the lot. I was not able to identify the vehicle as an LEO due to the high beams in my face. He was in the vehicle for close to a minute and then exited. I gave a questioning "hello?" to him as he started walking towards me, he responded hello, but I did not identify him as a deputy until he was quite close, maybe 10 feet from me, when he asked me if everything was alright. I answered "Oh hello officer, yes everything is fine" but before I could say more he asked if the car I was standing near (the only car in the lot) was mine. I replied "Yes and I am required to inform you that I have a concealed handgun license and I am currently armed." This probably happened within the first 30 to 45 seconds after he exited his vehicle. He said that was fine and thanked me for notifying, then he inquired why I was at the park so late. I pointed to my camera equipment and said I was trying to get some meteor pictures. A little small talk occurred, maybe a minute but no more than 2 minutes worth. He then asked for my driver's license, I asked if it was OK to reach for my wallet, he said yes. I produced my DL, he never asked for my CHL, he radioed it in, I can't remember all that was conveyed in the response back but I did hear my name and CCW come from the radio.

He handed my license back, wished me good luck with the photos (didn't help, no success) and told me to stay safe. All in all, from the time he pulled up to the time he got back into his vehicle no more than 7 to 9 minutes passed.

On a side note, about 15 minutes before the deputy arrived, 2 men walked out of the woods and through the lot I was in. They didn't hide their presence, I heard them talking well before I saw them in the dark. However, as soon as I heard them, I drew my revolver and held it in my coat pocket. They never approached or acknowledged me and I watched them walk away into the darkness. They ended up across the street and got into a pickup parked at a farm house and drove away. I am not sure what they were doing in the woods. But afterwards I wondered if they had called the sheriff.

Anyway, when the deputy pulled up I still had my firearm in my coat pocket and, thinking it might be the 2 guys from the woods, I did have my hand on it. As soon as I saw he was a LEO, I slowly pulled my hands out of my pockets. That was the most uncomfortable part of the entire interaction for me. I knew I needed to get my hand away from my firearm but I wasn't sure if I should have waited for him to ask to see my hands. I decided it best not to wait. Over all it was not a bad encounter. The Deputy was very professional and polite, as was I.
Ignorant or Stupid, I'm not sure which is worse. If someone were stupid, at least they'd have an excuse for all the dumb things they say.

Pass the Peace Pipe I need another hit

IANAL and neither are most people on this board, its just shows more with some than others.
WhyNot
OFCC Member
OFCC Member
Posts: 1221
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:23 am
Location: NW Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by WhyNot »

Notification without really needing it law, Inc. LoL

Ok here's mine. I owned a property in another town several years ago. 3-4. When I went to that town doing a building check, surprise, tire tracks in the snow from the adjacent property owners truck showed clearly, a path right up to where my building was hit. Further surprise, the correct hieght for the truck bumper to hit the building, going through the siding and damaging the underlayment / OSB board. It's dark out and of course the neighbor didn't know anything :roll: about it and denied everything. I couldn't see just how much damage, $100 or $1000 again it was dark so potentially needed a report for insurance. Called the police PD and when the Patrolman arrived I told him the regular speech, carrying concealed valid license etc. He acted very uninterested in that. Did the normal notebook stuff etc. , and left.
What I think is, the Patrolman's vehicle laptop screen only shows the license plate info linked to CHL? Versus dispatch saying ''go to 1234 N Main''; if this is true, the Patrolman didn't know I was a valid CHL holder (?)

Incidentally I was OK, the damage was under $100. And to this day I am very sure, the truck owner is still mystified as to how that truck got alllll the way over to the building whacked it etc. :mrgreen:
Acquisitions thus far:

-Slingshot
-Butter knife
-Soda straw and peas
-Sharpened pencil
-Newspaper roll
--water balloon (*diversionary*)

Yeah, I'm that good
WestonDon
OFCC Patron Member
OFCC Patron Member
Posts: 2680
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:30 pm
Location: Wood county

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by WestonDon »

MrMagoo wrote:
WestonDon wrote:I once witnessed an accident while driving and stopped to assist. It was only after the driver was being loaded into the ambulance that an officer approached me, asked what I saw and my name and contact information. Never did ask to see ID.
Thanks for your information. Can you tell me when and where the accident was? Was it a trooper, sheriff or local police that you interacted with? Gary
My memory has faded somewhat as to exactly when. It was late winter/early spring, March maybe, 2010. Between 0600 and 0800. The location was the I75 bridge over the Maumee river in Toledo. The officer was from Toledo PD.
I believe in American exceptianalism
Fear the government that fears your guns
NRA endowment life member
User avatar
welshj
Posts: 141
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 8:46 pm
Location: wauseon

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by welshj »

I've been pulled over twice while carrying.
Once for two day- expired plates, and once for unintentionally speeding.

Followed all the procedures, and notified the officers as they approached, before they got to my open window.
Both times, asked for drivers license and registration-

"Here you are officer- my DL, vehicle registration, and my CHL."

Both, one a state trooper, and the other a city officer-
replied with " just need your DL and registration, thanks."

Neither one ever so much as looked at my CHL.

City officer asked me where my gun was.Then said:
"Ok, cool. You don't touch yours, i won't touch mine. Deal?"
Six months in Bosnian conflict in '98.
Two tours in Iraq '03-'04 & '05-'06
Currently deploying daily to toledo, oh! :)
M-Quigley
Posts: 4782
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:06 pm
Location: Western Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by M-Quigley »

I haven't had much official interaction with LEO's, but the last one I had was a traffic accident with injuries that my wife and I rolled up on. The driver of the car that allegedly caused the accident came up to me and then walked down a side street, before any LEO's arrived. When the first deputy pulled up it was someone I knew, and he knew me, so I figured notifying or identifying myself was a little ridiculous. The last time we ever talked about gun was a while back, when he asked me (not an official interaction) if I was still had that old 45? (he was jokingly implying that I should join the 22nd century and trade it in for some modern plastic fantastic handgun :roll: )

Other people already on the scene described the driver, but no one else saw him walk off except me, so I let the deputy I knew that the guy they were looking for had staggered off toward town before they got there. There was a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Although there was eventually other LEO's there, I had no official interaction with them,they didn't talk to me and I didn't talk to them.
3FULLMAGS+1
OFCC Coordinator
OFCC Coordinator
Posts: 705
Joined: Fri May 11, 2012 7:01 pm
Location: S.W. corner of stark. co.

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by 3FULLMAGS+1 »

Gary:

I'm sure you know about my incident with the Stark co. sheriffs deputy a couple yrs back when he went off the deep end about me not notifying, right ? It's in Morne's thread about notification so I'm not going to go through it here other than to say I was OCing and I got out of my truck before i had any interaction with him . I interacted w/ the health dept. people for about 15 min. and then walked around the car following the deputy while not having any words with him until the end of his inspection of my truck. at which point the interaction went deep south.
At some point he saw my gun because I never "told" him I was OCing.
This whole thing lasted about maybe 30 , 40 minutes (?) and he never did ask for any info or identification.
I offered ID and other info. without being asked, "after" I was back in my car , ready to leave and when I offered it, he told me to leave before he wrote me up for something.

As for other LEO stops, I can't recall much in the way of specifics other than I'd say most have asked for drivers lic and reg. after I've notified first. I always notify first, even if I have to interrupt them first.

The only time I had any interaction w/ an OSHP was when I was rear ended about two yrs ago ...not my fault...., but I was out of my truck that time too,.....again OCing...... and the trooper didn't say a word about my firearm, and he had to have seen it, and at one point he and I were both sitting across from each other in the cab of the fire truck.
This officer didn't ask for ID right away either, when he walked up to me, and I didn't notify, again, because I was OCing.
He never seemed threatened by me carrying at all, the whole time.

hope you can use something from what I've said here.
Darrel
They say the best "Home Remedy" for "tyranny" is....."LEAD POISONING".
rimfireOH
OFCC Member
OFCC Member
Posts: 420
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:49 am
Location: NE Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by rimfireOH »

Two times:

November 2015, stopped on Ohio Turnpike eastbound near Canfield. Was outside my vehicle fussing with a flat tire. OSHP stopped and checked that we were OK, never asked for DL.

December 2015, called the Bedford police to get a police report for some vandalism. I was outside when he arrived, I notified, he said that he appreciated it, never asked for DL.
gransport
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:52 am
Location: Greene County

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by gransport »

I've notified twice in the 6 years that I've had a CHL.

First time was in Beavercreek. Police responding to a possible fire behind my neighbors hours. I informed using 2 words, "I'm armed". He responded back with 2 letters "O" and "K".

Second time was in Springboro, late night/early morning, driving for a popular rideshare company that doesn't like guns. I had to young snowflakes.......err collage girls in the backseat. Cop was fishing for drunk drivers and I didn't want my passengers to know I was armed. I had both hands resting outside the window when the officer walked up. I handed him my DL, then my CHL and before he could say anything, I asked "Do you recognize that?". He says, "Yes". I quickly say "Well there you go then." He starts to ask if I am currently carrying, but I interrupt him and say "yes I am". He then starts to ask where my gun is located, but I again, I interrupt him and say "same place as yours." At that point, he realizes what I'm trying to do and plays along. He thanked the girls for not drinking & driving and sent me on my way with no ticket for the illegal U-turn I'd made. The girls couldn't believe I didn't get tazed and arrested. Made their night. :roll:
User avatar
deanimator
Posts: 7863
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:34 pm
Location: Rocky River

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by deanimator »

3FULLMAGS+1 wrote:I always notify first, even if I have to interrupt them first.
An extremely wise practice.
Life comes at you fast. Be prepared to shoot it in the head when it does.
Buckeyedoc
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 2:20 pm
Location: SW Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by Buckeyedoc »

[quote="MrMagoo"]I'd like to hear from people who have had interaction with law enforcement where your identification has not immediately been asked for when the encounter started, and your experiences at these times (how long did it take before your driver license or ID was asked for). /quote]

The answer is in the question. It's our duty to notify, it's not their duty to ask. Regardless as to whether or not they ask for your license, registration and insurance, if you are carrying or have a concealed weapon, you are required to notify "promptly."

That being said, I have had no issues with any interaction I have had with LEO. I've had 1 speeding ticket in 18 years and that was about 5 months ago. The trooper approached and I notified him and he asked for my other papers. He didn't care about my CHL. If I know I am going to have LEO interaction (we have a crappy tenant and have evicted them) then I just open carry and I'm not required to notify. I've assisted on accidents while carrying (both open and concealed) and have never had any issues. When the opportunity presented itself, I would then notify. The usual response was, "Wanted felons don't make it a habit of stopping to help at accidents." When I was side swiped and I followed the guy to have him stopped, when the cops showed up (we followed and called 911), I notified and it wasn't an issue at all and the department making the report has some anal retentive cops, too. Professionalism and courtesy go a long way.
User avatar
JustaShooter
OFCC Coordinator
OFCC Coordinator
Posts: 5800
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:08 pm
Location: Akron/Canton Area

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by JustaShooter »

Buckeyedoc wrote:
MrMagoo wrote:I'd like to hear from people who have had interaction with law enforcement where your identification has not immediately been asked for when the encounter started, and your experiences at these times (how long did it take before your driver license or ID was asked for).
The answer is in the question. It's our duty to notify, it's not their duty to ask. Regardless as to whether or not they ask for your license, registration and insurance, if you are carrying or have a concealed weapon, you are required to notify "promptly."
I think you are misreading the question - yes, I think we all understand that when stopped for a law-enforcement purpose and are carrying concealed or in a motor vehicle we are required to notify promptly. But that's not the question. The question is about being asked for identification, not your CHL
Christian, Husband, Father
NRA Life Member
NRA Certified Range Safety Officer
NRA Certified Pistol & Rifle Instructor

Want to become more active with OFCC and help fight for your rights? Click Here!
Brian D.
Posts: 16229
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:42 pm
Location: SW Ohio

Re: Interaction with LEOs

Post by Brian D. »

Yesterday I was stopped by a Hamilton County deputy while practicing my ice/snow driving in a large, empty retail parking lot. Immediately told the deputy of my carry license and status, as my license plates were probably hard for him to see and type in while my Jeep was sliding around in 180 and 360 degree spins. :mrgreen: He didn't care about ID, never asked more about location of gun, or for driver's or carry license, but instead wanted to start scolding me about "goofing around". Like I said in the Kirchner's Korner thread, I politely as possible explained that I do this driving practice the first snow every winter, especially if the vehicle is new to me. Had this Jeep a month or so, and it's my first 4x4 ride in a long time.

It's odd that Mr Magoo would start this thread just a couple weeks back, and I have more than one contribution from the last month and a half to contribute. It's not like I'm MyWifeSaidYes. :lol:
Quit worrying, hide your gun well, shut up, and CARRY that handgun!

********************************************************************************
1911 and Browning Hi Power Enthusianado.
Post Reply