Your username implies you are a retired TX LEO, thank you for your service to our state and clearly your experience is greater then mine..NTexCopRetired wrote:Sorry, disagree with E.Marquez. The first thing, unless instructed otherwise, is to let the officer know you have a LTC, you are armed and where it is located. He will plan the rest of his interactions with you based on that.
If he opens his door and orders you out of the car and on the ground through a loud speaker, you do that first.
That said.... I only know from experience what has worked well for me, and what others have said worked well for them.
Every criminal is an offender, not every offender is a criminal.. Im occasionally an offender with the speed law, a light out, or just a suspicious person by virtue of where aI work at nights.. So I commonly have a few encounters a year... Everyone has expressed appreciation for when and how i told them I was armed.
I have always been asked for my DL at the beginning of a stop, if memory serves it literally is the first request of the officer, other then something safety related... the LEo is in control,, when they are ready to ask for my ID I will provide it and my LTC thereby informing them at the very beginning of the encounter.
Additionally, on the many ride alongs I was required to do while i served as a Senior NCO here at Fort Hood (and a few i did anyway), all the officers, mostly senior guys, most of them TO's advised reporting the weapon as I described, to answer questions not forward info, to listen and comply, and never try and lead the encounter. They further advised that anything the suspect did that was not in direct response to what was asked, or anything that was not anticipated, was cause for concern. ..Not saying a polite "Evening officer, not yet sure why you stopped me, but wanted to let you know im a licensed concealed carrier" is worng or a bad idea... just not what my experience suggests is the better idea.