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Sly Dog wrote:Since reading this post, I have been wondering if the LEO used this scenario as a chance to "peak" inside Big Calhoun's car while returning the weapon. Sort of a "quick mini search" without having to ask permission to search. Again, I am only guessing/wondering.

Now this, I did wonder about. He didn't see much except for a diaper bag, GPS unit, cellphone, and the wife and baby. As he was placing the weapon in the front seat of the car, he did seem to be talking to my wife. But I think he was trying to figure out how to unlock the door -- the front windows were down but the doors automatically lock. I honestly haven't asked my wife what occured in the conversation.

And thank you, and all, for the compliments. Maybe 10 years ago or so I would have tried to challenge authority a little but I've learned to just pick my battles. Like I said, he had me, I knew it, there was no denying it so I just didn't see a reason to make the situation any more than what it was. I'm just thankful I can take this defensive driving course and move past this.

As an aside...the car has a speed warning feature you can set that beeps at you when you go past a set speed limit. I think I'll start using that on the highway now.

BrassMonkey wrote:Well, was it a DWB thing? Gut feeling?

Big Calhoun wrote:The whole disarming thing caught me by surprise also, but I kind of felt like, who am I to question him. It was the first time I've been stopped since living in Texas and I am black so I just wanted everything to go smoothly. At the end of it, I thought he treated me with respect and was ultimately just doing his job and doing his best to keep him and I safe. No complaints here.

I didn't get that impression. I've had DWB stops back in New Jersey and courtesy is the last thing the officer would think about, let alone practice. Even now, a couple of days later, I honestly think he was just doing what he felt he needed to do in order to maintain a safe situation. I guess it's something to think about, but I'm young (32) and naive; I prefer to think the best of people unless they demonstrate otherwise.

bwahahaha wrote:

flintknapper wrote:Are you speaking of Texas Dept. of Public Safety Troopers or just the "highway patrol" in general (nationwide)?

If the former, I would submit that you know very little about what they do.

I'm speaking of both. DPS was one of a host of agencies I looked into around 2000 before joining a federal agency. I'm aware of the DPS' duties and respectfully stand by my earlier comments regarding their service.

flintknapper wrote:I appreciate your right to have (and express) an opinion, but wouldn't an "informed" opinion be of more service to us all.

Here is a good place to start your education:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/

Flint, thanks for the link. I checked out the link and found that it reinforces what I already believed about the agency. If you have a link that shows I'm wrong when I assert that most people will never deal with a Trooper in anything but a traffic stop capacity, please post it. If I'm misrepresenting the DPS' traffic duties, I'd be happy to discuss/admit that. I haven't seen anything that suggests that I am. I'd like to see formal statistics that show what trends exist in terms of Trooper workload. An agency's official website can provide useful info, but it can also be misleading.

For what it's worth, I found the opening of a 1999 DPS press release regarding an academy graduation particularly telling: "AUSTIN – An additional 105 troopers soon will be patrolling Texas roadways following their graduation today from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 116th Training Academy."

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_s ... 041699.htm

DPS certainly presents itself as a pretty one-dimensional agency.

I'm a noob when it comes to understanding all this law enforcement stuff in Texas. I mean, when I changed my DL over, I asked the Trooper at the motor vehicle office the difference between constables, and sheriffs, and the local PD. Even then, I'm still learning about justice of the peace counties and such. BUT, I can tell you that as far as my experience here with the 'highway patrol' and that in New Jersey, I appreciate the professionalism, courtesy, and respect.

I mean, OK, the Trooper I encountered disarmed me which a few folks disagree with and it even caught me by surprise since I'm a CHL holder and was very compliant and cooperative. However, at least to my perception (and that of a black male), the Trooper treated me with nothing but respect, he didn't seem to suspect I had ulterior motives of any sort, he was very efficient in his duties, and he acted with the utmost professionalism. As I see it, it was an excellent contact with a professional agency.

Sans the weapon, had I been stopped in New Jersey, I would have been interrogated as to where I was going, where I was coming from, their names and addresses, yadda yadda yadda; the Trooper would have tried to trick me into allowing a search, and he ultimately would have issued the ticket and sent me on my way w/ lingering suspicions, as if I was a criminal.

I'm not going to get into the whole 'revenue maker' debate. All I look for is honesty, fairness, and respect, and I believe I obtained all three from the DPS Trooper I encountered.

The whole disarming thing caught me by surprise also, but I kind of felt like, who am I to question him. It was the first time I've been stopped since living in Texas and I am black so I just wanted everything to go smoothly. At the end of it, I thought he treated me with respect and was ultimately just doing his job and doing his best to keep him and I safe. No complaints here.

It finally happened, first traffic stop/LEO contact since I moved to Texas and since having my CHL. This occured earlier today on I-45 in Montgomery county....81 in a 60...ooops...blame it on the new car.

So I see Christmas lights but wasn't sure if they were for me, but I had started to pull to the right lane. The DPS Trooper stayed with me so I pulled into the shoulder, lowered my two front windows, and kept my hands on the steering wheel.

The Trooper was talking on a cellphone as he approached the car and stopped at the rear of the car and asked for me (the driver) to exit the vehicle. I unbuckled and met him at the rear passenger side where he asked for my license. I kept my left arm free and noticed he was looking at my left side as I retrieved my wallet and handed over my license and CHL. He asked me if I had my gun on me which I answered in the affirmative. At this time, he asked me where it was and I said left shoulder as I lifted my lift arm up clear away from the firearm. He disarmed me and asked if I had anything else to which I replied just ammo on my right side. He said I could keep that, advised I was clocked doing 81 in a 60, and to hold tight.

So I hung out while he cleared my weapon in his car and ran my info. All I could really hear was my name and the word 'current'...everything else was gobbledy-gook from my vantage point. So He comes back with his clipboard and tells me off the bat that I'm getting a citation to which I reply, "That's cool" -- he had me, I knew it, there was no fighting it and no excuses.

It was a pleasent exchange as he was writing the ticket. He asked me how I liked the Kimber and I replied that I thought it was a nice weapon and felt nice to handle. Later he asked me how often I shot it to which I told him with the traffic in my area and my work schedule, I maybe get out once a month, at least once every other month. He remarked that Kimber makes a fine gun and asked me to sign the citation.

At the conclusion, he told me some administrative stuff after I told him this was my first ticket and didn't know the ins and outs as far as just paying it or if I had to show up for court. He then advised he was going to retrieve my weapon. He did so and as he was heading back, he said he'd place it in the back seat to which I replied my wife and baby were back there. No problem, he placed the chambered round and magazine on the passenger front seat and stuck the weapon with the slide open underneath the diaper bag that was on the floor of the passenger side and said I could reload and reholster at a rest area down the road. Cool. We shook hands, I apologized for speeding, at that was it. Maybe 10 minutes of a contact, if that...it went fast.

I was a little bummed about getting a ticket but like I said, he had me and I wasn't going to try to offer excuses. Very pleasent, professional, and personally, I couldn't ask for a more friendly contact. Kudos to Texas DPS...much different experience than getting stopped in New Jersey where I used to live. So now I have to call the court and get the info about taking a defensive driving course and put this little faux pas behind me. Dang VW Passat and its turbo engine.