ryouiki wrote: what if anything should you say to them
Personally I would say "the gun is on my right hip"
I may say "it is loaded" but good gun etiquette says "the gun is always loaded" so it also should be assumed, especially by an experienced gun owner (officer)
ryouiki wrote: Would politely requesting them to leave the firearm holstered (or asking them if you/they can remove the gun, holster and all) for safety purposes be considered out of line?
Once they want to disarm you, asking for them not to disarm you,in my mind, would not be a good idea, it my give them the impression you are hiding something, or being defensive and they could think something bad is going on.
If they want it removed from you, there is no way they are going to say "yes, go ahead and grab your loaded weapon for me". They want you unarmed, not sitting there with a gun in your hand, let alone on your hip.
Is there any general consensus on how to handle this situation?
Comply! You do not have a choice in the matter and anything else is going cause you issues.