Recently had an interaction with a local LEO due to a boneheaded driving mistake. When I handed him my DL he asked if I was armed (My carry permit was under my DL). I answered that I was and my gun was under my seat. He then informed me that it was a courtesy to tell an officer if there is a weapon within reach. When he returned the DL, he brought it up again.
I was not aware of this. Is that common practice?
I would guess that it is a common practice for the reason Mehavey states.
mehavey said:Yes.
LEOs have a tough enough time these days on road stops, and a little proactive courtesy goes a looooong way.
Even where it isn't required, it might be taken as a sign of good will depending on local culture and the individual PO. Summoning knowledge of law, local culture and an assessment of the PO individually might be a lot for someone to get their minds around in the context of a traffic stop.
My default mode is window open and hands on steering wheel, removing them only after I've told him that my wallet is in my coat and asking if he'd like me to reach in and get it. Most of the time, my sense is that this helps the situation overall.
If the local culture involves POs who are poorly trained or corrupt, one might be better off having that traffic stop end ASAP, and volunteering information may only make the stop longer and worse.
Local culture may figure into whether you want to carry with one in the chamber. In some jurisdictions, I would be leery about removing an arm in the presence of a PO. I would also share AB's concern about a PO removing from my person an arm of any sort (not just a 1911) with a round in the chamber.