TexasCHLforum.com

Oldgringo wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 8:25 pm

K.Mooneyham wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 1:22 pm

Oldgringo wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:15 pm Given today's state of the country, BLM bull, and the vicious anarchist left-wing dipocrap attacks on the POPO, I think I would have smilingly shown him both and asked him how I could help him......even if he was acting an arrogant ass.

We either Back the Blue or we don't? They have enough problems/issues with the others without our law quoting petulant demand for their correctness.

Sir, that statement is far too simplistic. I am neither pro nor anti police. I see the police as requirement to have a large, complex, functional society. I would like them to be primarily dedicated to keeping the peace, however, focused on stopping those who breach the peace, especially those who breach the peace in violent fashion. I think the development of police into "law-enforcement officers", enforcing every tiny statute whether well-written and clear or not, is at the root of some of the issues today. I fully understand the "rule of law", but without some discretion, things can devolve rapidly. The gray area involving when you need to show your ID to the police is a great example. It should be blatantly obvious to the "reasonable person" the courts always talk about as to when someone must show ID to the police, but it's not, and this discussion is proof of that. Now, do I cooperate with the police if I am pulled over by them? Why yes, I certainly do. I cooperate for many reasons, such as being taught manners as a child, and also being polite to those who have positional authority which I learned in the USAF. I understand that the police deal with a lot of folks that most of us would consider "dirtbags", and that gives a lot of police a naturally suspicious outlook, and often negative outlook, as well. However, obviously not everyone is a criminal, nor doing criminal things, and they shouldn't be treated as such, either.

Your point is?

I was going to respond to your original comment, but K.Mooneyham beat me to it, and covered the relevant points I would have made. I have highlighted that part of his post that was relevant to yours, because I was going to say exactly the same thing.

All of that said, here is my response to the OP's situation.....

I always show both TDL & LTC when asked for ID by an LEO. I fully understand that this is not a requirement if I am not armed (and I NEVER leave the house unarmed); and I fully understand that there is no penalty for failure to show my LTC. I don't care. As someone posted above, cops are people too, and most of them probably appreciate it when they are treated as such in their interactions with the rest of us; and that appreciation can influence the flavor and tone of the interaction. There is a word for this: "diplomacy".

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diplomacy

Definition of diplomacy
1 : the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations
2 : skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility : TACT
handled the awkward situation with diplomacy

......

Synonyms & Antonyms for diplomacy
- Synonyms
—tact, tactfulness
-Antonyms
—clumsiness, insensitivity, tactlessness

I’m not giving up one iota of personal liberty by choosing to be diplomatic, exactly because I CHOOSE to be so. Nobody is forcing me to be diplomatic. I choose to be so, because it is wise counsel; and as long as the decision is MY choice, I have not surrendered one iota of my liberty.

Some practical suggestions regarding the OP's situation....

1. I’d never agree to be an intermediary in such a situation. As the father of one of the aggrieved parties, I’m too close emotionally to the situation, and it would be better handled by a neutral party ... specifically the police themselves.

2. If the soon to be ex-DIL has requested a police presence for the handoff of property, and I'M the one who must receive it, then I too would also request a police presence—thus establishing my bonafides in advance, so that when the officer does show up, he/she already knows that I am equally interested in keeping the peace.

3. Show both TDL & LTC if asked for ID; and if asked if I’m armed, give the only rational answer: "Of course I am! Out out here, by myself, late at night, in an unfamiliar neighborhood, to meet with someone who doesn’t like my family. Only a fool would have come out here unarmed. Thank God you are here!"