johnwilliamson062
Moderator
.It's against the law to not inform the officer in many states. If it's the law, follow it or don't carry
In Ohio it comes up when they run your tags. It is the law to inform. I highly recommend just telling the officer whether it is mandatory or not. If the officer catches a glimpse of your sidearm when you haven't told him, there is a good chance he will draw on you.
I have had a speed since I received my CCW, and the officer was very tense when he first approached the car. It was a pretty young officer with an older officer with him, so I assume he was a rookie. May have been his first CCW stop. It is much more important to sit still in the car with both hands on the steering wheel. I was not carrying at the time and he untensed as soon as I told him so. He did not ask me to exit the vehicle or anything like that to check. I had a tie on as I was working at the time, so that probably put him at ease also. Had I been dressed head to toe in camo it may have been different.
Most police officers are not against civilians having weapons. Most police officers realize it takes them 3-5 minutes to respond to a location after a 911 call is made. A whole lot can happen in 3-5 minutes. I do not mind telling them I am or am not carrying. It simply removes a chance for a misunderstanding and someone being hurt.
If they pull you out of the car when you are blatantly legal and haul you off to jail get a lawyer. Get a psychiatrist and claim psychological damage along with the damage to your reputation. If the police officer takes advantage of his legal authority get back at him by taking advantage of your legal authority as a citizen.