1st contact while carrying

[terryg]

I guess I don't agree with may of the sentiments posted so far. I believe both you and the officer acted properly given the situation. Let's face it, he felt the need for you to be disarmed. Who knows why? But it sounds as if he did so in a very courteous and professional manner. And just because you say you are CHL doesn't mean you are a CHL. And given he was alone in this situation in a not-so-nice area he may felt uneasy with you digging around in your pockets for proof of CHL until you were disarmed. It sounds as though once you were disarmed and he did see your CHL he was a bit more at ease.

Let me throw a scenario out there for those agitated at the situation:

Let's take this exact scenario and you are the officer. You ask if he is armed and he responds yes. You ask to see his CHL and he puts his hand on his back pocket, freezes for a second and then proceeds to tell you "Sorry officer but it looks as if I have left my wallet at the house." Now you have an armed person standing 4 feet away with his hand near his gun that might have just had his "bluff" called. What happens next?

As for leaving you in in a hurry in a "disarmed" condition, I'd bet you could slap the mag back in and rack it before he was 50ft down the road and who cares if someone sees you do it - there's an officer 50feet away.

With all the videos and stories of LEOs acting inappropriately I'd post this one up as the appropriate way for an LEO to behave if he truly feels the need to disarm you.

Mark C.

I wouldn't be too upset about the disarming. And I am happy he handled the disarming process so well. If the opportunity allowed, as it seems like it might have, I would have asked why. If it didn't - I wouldn't ask or even follow-up. Not to be upset, but as a teachable moment, perhaps for both of us.

I would have, however, been pretty upset at him leaving me disarmed in a not so great area requiring me to break state law to rearm myself. The OP seems to have quickly, and as discreetly as possible, rearmed himself. So perhaps 'no harm - no foul'. But I still think it was a really bad idea and I would more than likely file a complaint.

t

[Rex B]

Just a post-note: I try to keep something in each of my vehicles that will let me inconspicuously move a pistol between trunk and passenger compartment, just for situations where I have to disarm. It's usually an empty Daytimer binder or something similar, because it zips up. Even a towel will do in a pinch.
Cover it and grab it, get squared away inside the locked car.

[fecnik]

I don’t think I would take offense to an officer disarming me if he was professional about it. As long as he/she doesn’t treat me like a criminal, I’m cool with it.