this old man just wishes tenn. officers would get over their "cocked and locked" phobia. 2 stops in 15 years and 3 different officers read me the riot act over it. they can tell me where to carry per state law BUT it aint none of their business how i carry per state law.
When they tell you it's dangerous, you're supposed to say, "You're damned right it is."
Don't know how Tennessee is but most officers here have never carried a 1911. Last time I saw a police officer with a 1911, it was a Levy County deputy. I commented that it was good to see there was a department that still trusted their deputies to carry a 1911. He chuckled and said, "Let me tell you a story about that..." He was the chief firearms instructor. He was told he wasn't allowed to carry it- that it was against policy. He told them that he wrote the policy and was allowed to carry it.
Maybe Wisconsin is different, but I have never been asked for registration or proof of insurance.
Must be. Here they want license, registration, and proof of insurance. When cops wake you from a deep slumber on the side of the road and ask you for these things you naturally reach for them. That night in Okeechobee (kind of a hick town) I had one guy asking for the papers. I reached for my wallet and the other guy started screaming "Put your hands where I can see them!"
So I put my hands up above the roof of my car.
"License and registration!"
Reached for the wallet.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up above the roof.
"License and registration!"
Reached for the wallet.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up above the roof.
"I need to see your license and registration!"
"Guys, this isn't going to work. My license is in my wallet. Do you want to get it?"
"Step out away from the door and turn your back toward me. Get your wallet out slowly."
I got my wallet out and gave him my license. Then he asked for the registration and proof of insurance, so I reached back into the car to get my stuff out of the glovebox. "Put your hands where I can see them!"
So I put my hands up above the roof of my car.
"Get your registration!"
Reached for the glovebox.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up above the roof.
"Your registration!"
Reached for the glovebox.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up above the roof.
"Man, my papers are in my glovebox. Do you want to get them? Or do you want me to do it? I don't want to get shot tonight."
So he walked me around the car. I tried the door, and sure enough the door was locked. So I reached into my pocket for the keys.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up.
"Open the door!"
Reached for the keys.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up.
"Open the door!"
Reached for the keys.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
Hands up.
"Open the door!"
"Guys, guys, guys. Stop. We're doing it again. This ain't gonna work. The door's locked. You want to get my keys out of my pocket?"
"Alright, just turn towards me and get your keys out. Slowly."
So, I did so, opened the door, and he got my registration and insurance card out. He picked up a camping hatchet out of the floor, and told me that was why they were worried about me. It was something I always had in there, and they saw it when they stopped and to check me out on the side of the road. They apparently had been there for a while checking me out. I had slept through the whole thing until I startled awake with all the lights. When I saw the lights, I woke and jumped up, thinking I had fallen asleep driving and was about to get in a head on collision. It scared me, so I jumped up and grabbed the wheel, and slammed on the brake. When I realized I was parked, I got out to see what all the lights were for. I turned around and saw the blue lights, and said, "You guys scared the **** outta me!", and that's when all the fun started.
Anyway, we discussed it a little, and they had a good laugh over the whole thing, and told me I could continue sleeping. Too bad, I was awake by then.
Since then, I've seen videos in which cops have been killed at traffic stops, and understand why they're... uhh... overly cautious... sometimes. Since that experience, I am probably the most careful person you've ever seen at a traffic stop.
Last time I was stopped was in GA, by a city cop on the interstate just inside the FL line. I had the lights on, hands on the wheel until he got to the car and asked from my license. "Okay. My wallet's in my left hip pocket. I'm going to reach over with my left hand to unbuckle my seat belt, then reach back to get my wallet." I don't leave ANY room for surprises.
