Pulled over for speeding in Louisiana

[LSUTiger]

About two weekends ago I was driving back alone from Louisiana to Texas after visiting family in the hospital. I was on I-10 heading West in between New Orleans and Lafayette, when a St. Martinville Parish deputy pulled me over for speeding (81 in a 70, $264 of justice, OUCH!).

The officer got on the loud speaker and instructed me to get out of my pickup truck. I was carrying on my person of course. He motioned me to get in between my truck and his car so we weren't as close to the highway. At that point I informed him that I was carrying a firearm on my person and handed him my TX DL and CHL (I believe its mandatory in LA and wanted to avoid any "miscommunications", but otherwise he was not aware I was armed).

He instructed me to turn around and put my hands on the back of the truck. (That made me nervous.) Then he proceeded to disarm me himself. He couldn't pull the gun from the holster at first (I thought I was going to get shot in the butt!) But then he managed after I told him it wasn't a safety retention holster and leaned a little to the left and he got it out.

He told me he would return my firearm to me after the stop was over and then proceeded to put it in his car and give me the ticket without more words than were needed.

That was the quickest ticket I ever recieved, I mean the first ticket . No speeches, no fishing around for information, just ticket writing.

He gave me the ticket and instructed me to open the back door and get in the vehicle. I open the back passenger door of my crew cab pickup got into the front drivers side. He approached the truck and leaned in placing the unloaded gun on the seat behind me and opened the front door and place the loaded magazine in the glove compartment and closed both passenger side doors and returned to his car.

I have no problems with him disarming me but I do have a problem getting shot in the butt because an AD/ND! It also ticks me off that in order to get my firearm back I had to allow him access into my vehicle. I could have offered an alternative solution like leaving it on my bed cover but I just wanted to get it over with so I didn't care and he seemed way more nervous than me. Both happy to get rid of each other, but still, he was a tricky son of a gun for that!

[MoJo]

It sounds like you were ticketed for DWT "Driving While Texan" I am highly observant of Louisiana speed limits and obey them. I'm glad your experience was no more traumatic than it was.

eta: Coming back from a Chief Range Safety Officer class in Lake Charles yesterday a Lexus passed me with Texas plates with an LSU logo. That's one way to keep from getting a ticket with Texas plates.

[jmra]

It sounds like you were ticketed for DWT "Driving While Texan" I am highly observant of Louisiana speed limits and obey them. I'm glad your experience was no more traumatic than it was.

lived in the State for 30 years and never got a ticket. Always tried not to drive more than 5 over.

[LSUTiger]

It sounds like you were ticketed for DWT "Driving While Texan" I am highly observant of Louisiana speed limits and obey them. I'm glad your experience was no more traumatic than it was.

eta: Coming back from a Chief Range Safety Officer class in Lake Charles yesterday a Lexus passed me with Texas plates with an LSU logo. That's one way to keep from getting a ticket with Texas plates.

[ Image ]

I'm an LSU grad, so I guess I might have to get me one of them fancy TEXAS-LSU license plates.

[Oldgringo]

That stretch of road had a terrible reputation of speed traps, non-resident arrests with vehicle impoundments and property confiscations only a few years ago. Not only that but the road itself was 'rough as a cob'. So, what's changed?

[WildBill]

That stretch of road had a terrible reputation of speed traps, non-resident arrests with vehicle impoundments and property confiscations only a few years ago. Not only that but the road itself was 'rough as a cob'. So, what's changed?

It doesn't sound like anything has changed.

[mojo84]

Sounds like he did his fishing when he returned your gun and magazine. Good thing you didn't have anything suspicious looking or smelling in here. Pretty much did a visual search I'm sure.

[texanjoker]

It sounds like you were ticketed for DWT "Driving While Texan" I am highly observant of Louisiana speed limits and obey them. I'm glad your experience was no more traumatic than it was.

eta: Coming back from a Chief Range Safety Officer class in Lake Charles yesterday a Lexus passed me with Texas plates with an LSU logo. That's one way to keep from getting a ticket with Texas plates.

[ Image ]

That or ticketed for 81 in a 70

[japacejr]

... with Texas plates with an LSU logo. That's one way to keep from getting a ticket with Texas plates.

I have the LSU Texas plates on my car. My wife, a Texas Tech grad doesn't, so I slap a magnetic LSU logo on her car before we head home to Louisiana to visit family. I stay pretty close to the posted speed but I figure it can't hurt.

Geaux Tigers.

[puma guy]

I have only been stopped once and the weapon was in the console so the trooper just had me get out of the truck. I never really gave it much consideration until your post, but if I was disarmed in the manner you were and the officer said he was going to put it in my vehicle and required access to my vehicle I would absolutely not allow it. I would respectfully suggest he figure out some way to give me back my weapon that he considers safe that didn't involve entry to the vehicle. If he takes it away he can figure out how to give it back. He can hand the unloaded weapon to me to place in my vehicle, then maybe he can place the magazine on the trunk, roof or hood. Better yet unload the mag and hand the cartridges and mag back to me.

[MoJo]

It sounds like you were ticketed for DWT "Driving While Texan" I am highly observant of Louisiana speed limits and obey them. I'm glad your experience was no more traumatic than it was.

eta: Coming back from a Chief Range Safety Officer class in Lake Charles yesterday a Lexus passed me with Texas plates with an LSU logo. That's one way to keep from getting a ticket with Texas plates.

[ Image ]

That or ticketed for 81 in a 70

I have seen the LA cops pull a car with Texas plates over that was going just a little over the limit while cars with LA plates shoot by at unholy speeds. It's usually local cops the LA Highway Patrol are more professional.

[texanjoker]

It sounds like you were ticketed for DWT "Driving While Texan" I am highly observant of Louisiana speed limits and obey them. I'm glad your experience was no more traumatic than it was.

eta: Coming back from a Chief Range Safety Officer class in Lake Charles yesterday a Lexus passed me with Texas plates with an LSU logo. That's one way to keep from getting a ticket with Texas plates.

[ Image ]

That or ticketed for 81 in a 70

I have seen the LA cops pull a car with Texas plates over that was going just a little over the limit while cars with LA plates shoot by at unholy speeds. It's usually local cops the LA Highway Patrol are more professional.

While I am not and have never been a "ticket" writer, 81 in a 70 is a legit stop . Texas like LA is full of speed traps and the little cities all make a portion of their revenue off motorists. I know I pulled the stats for the city I live in and the amount of tickets they write is through the roof. I don't know how they even have time to eat a donut

[cb1000rider]

Legit stop. Very cautious. Sounded reasonably courteous too.
I wonder what happens in one of these stops when opening the glove box produces something warranting additional enforcement... As the open of the glove box was subsequent to "officer safety" I wonder if that gets around the whole search aspect or if anything that might be found would just be ignored in court.

[Abraham]

Cruise control is our friend...

[puma guy]

Legit stop. Very cautious. Sounded reasonably courteous too.
I wonder what happens in one of these stops when opening the glove box produces something warranting additional enforcement... As the open of the glove box was subsequent to "officer safety" I wonder if that gets around the whole search aspect or if anything that might be found would just be ignored in court.

How is opening the vehicle door entering the vehicle and opening the glove box remotely related to officer safety? A dime to a dollar says this officer used it as an excuse to get inside and look around. That's what police do by nature. Disarm me and I'm fine with that, go into my vehicle with no just cause I am not OK with it. The driver could have locked the car with no consequences. The officer had no legal need nor authority to enter the vehicle and if it had been locked he'd have had no recourse other than figure another way to return the weapon.