Carmel

[riverrat]

Anyone had any experience with Carmel PD or any LEO in Hamilton county in general? I work daily in carmel and am new to CC and curious what to expect in a traffic stop situation.

 

[Cam]

Familiar with many in Hamilton County. What are your concerns?

 

[T.Lex]

[Liberty Sanders, please pick up the red courtesy phone. Liberty Sanders, please pick up the red courtesy phone.]



Full disclosure - I worked with CPD for about 7 years, prosecuting local ordinance violations. I got to know most of the officers pretty well, but may not be completely objective.

Also, it is worth noting that EVERY stop of EVERY officer is supposed to be recorded. I believe most of the vehicles have very good digital recorders now. So, absent some glitch, if you are stopped, there will be a recording of it.

Getting to your question, every agency has a certain number of officers that max out the "hardcore-ometer." CPD is no exception. But, generally, my experience is that CPD is a professional group, and are expected to act accordingly. Also, it is my general experience that they are mostly pro-2A.

Having said that, no one can guarantee that any particular officer on any given stop will behave in any particular way - good or bad.

My suggestion would be to be polite, and I suspect that courtesy will be reflected back to you by the officer. Oh, and there's a civilian-academy type thing that can be good for learning about CPD.

And, if for some reason the officer is unprofessional, there is a mechanism for filing a complaint, and it is taken seriously.

Just MHO. I'm sure - in fact I am positive - there will be at least one opinion that does not hold CPD in high regard.

 

[BillyT]

Only had one encounter out of many that I cannot rate positive. For the most part of my contacts with the various hamilton departments Leo they have been good. Very professional (except for one). I'm just grateful that one could not cite correct laws and therefore lost in court.

 

[mrjarrell]

Take the time to read this thread.
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...nse/114140-bad_experience_with_carmel_pd.html

As for everyday carry in Hamilton County and even in Carmel, I've never had a problem in my many years here.

 

[FatsMcKay]

In my experience, if you dont live in carmel, but you live in Marion County and are driving in carmel you are more likely to get pulled over.

 

[GuyRelford]

I had a GREAT experience with a Carmel PD officer when he pulled me over for speeding on Michigan Road - just south of 116th Street. I had on a TFT shirt and he wanted to know all about our training and courses we offer. I volunteered my LTCH and he was totally cool with the fact that I had a Glock 30 in a FastHolster on the underside of my center armrest. He ended up letting me off with a warning (even tho he clocked me at considerably over the speed limit). A very positive encounter.

 

[halfmileharry]

In my experience, if you dont live in carmel, but you live in Marion County and are driving in carmel you are more likely to get pulled over.

I have to concur. They love the out of area revenue.
Here's one for you.....
Go sit in their traffic court one day. All I"m going to say is there must be one heck of a lot of lousy non-caucasian drivers passing through Carmel. I'll guess it's just a coincidence though.
I never thought that I'd actually put something like this in print. I'll probably get my arse in a sling now.
I'll drive to Kansas City and around just so I don't have to drive through Carmel again.
Just my sole experience there. One incident doesn't necessarily make a pattern

 

[mrjarrell]

I have to concur. They love the out of area revenue.
Here's one for you.....
Go sit in their traffic court one day. All I"m going to say is there must be one heck of a lot of lousy non-caucasian drivers passing through Carmel. I'll guess it's just a coincidence though.
I never thought that I'd actually put something like this in print. I'll probably get my arse in a sling now.
I'll drive to Kansas City and around just so I don't have to drive through Carmel again.
Just my sole experience there. One incidence doesn't necessarily make a pattern

Oh, driving while black or brown in Hamilton will get you pulled over. Usually with multiple cars involved. They have to get their jollies somehow.

 

[henktermaat]

I've had good experience with CPD. I OC in Carmel from time to time.

 

[LP1]

I live along Keystone, and have had numerous close calls with inattentive drivers running a red light at 98th, so I welcome CPD's enforcement on that road.

Regarding the idea that a lot of non-white folks get pulled over... Possibly true at one time, but several years back Carmel PD made the mistake of pulling over a black off-duty state trooper without sufficient cause. Cost the city a lot of money, and part of the resolution was the requirement to put cameras in all cars. I really don't think that any officers would be dumb enough to repeat that event. I think a more likely cause of out-of-county people being pulled over is because those of us who live here know that CPD is always watching Keystone, so we watch our speed. I always love it when someone with out-of-county plates blows past me - it helps to keep my taxes down.

Stick to the limit + 5, make sure that your lights work, and you will be OK.

 

[gohard43]

I've had nothing but good encounters! Very professional and polite when ever I have been pulled over. Volunteered my LTCH once, didn't even look and only asked where it was and to just keep it where it was.

 

[K_W]

I've seen many open carriers in Carmel, never seen one hassled.

 

[panderson]

I've OC'd and CC'd in Carmel and never had a problem. As for the non-caucasian getting pulled over only, I can say for a fact that this is not true. I've never been pulled over in Carmel, have lived here for 2 years and my plates say Marion County. When I went to get the form signed for my LTCH met the Chief of Police and couldn't have been nicer. Like another poster said before: Just slow down on the main roads. You will be fine.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I live here, been pulled over three times; two before I moved here for speed, once when my brakes blew out and I was driving kinda crazy to avoid hitting anyone. All were very professional; at the last one, he drew down on me because he thought I was a crackhead, but he was cool once he understood the situation. My son's been through the "teen academy" they have every summer and met many of the officers, and I listen to them on the scanner a lot. I think they're a pretty first rate outfit, police wise. I did go through a city court case for a schoolbus stoparm violation recently which included an interpreter (Chinese!). The judge mentioned they hadn't had any such cases recently in English.

 

[SMiller]

Got pulled over for speeding a while back, great experience! Cool cop, didn't mention weapon and he didn't ask. I was speeding and let off with a warning. I am clean cut, younger white guy with a clean nicer vehicle so I probably don't count.

 

[Hayseed_40]

Oh, driving while black or brown in Hamilton will get you pulled over. Usually with multiple cars involved. They have to get their jollies somehow.

If you were not being sarcastic - that is one of the top three stupidest things uttered on INGO. You may be a racist but do not paint the departments as racist. I know first hand many stops and believe it or not, they do not care what color you are if you are choosing stupid. Of course, that cannot be guaranteed 100% but for you to say that is just inciting more bigots.

It is not the Marion County thing either. It is about being out of place at 2AM. No matter where you are from, if you are not from that area, you bring attention. You may legit or not but it is situational awareness. If a guy has a coat on in the summer - he may have a very valid reason, but he still brings attention to himself.

 

[Hayseed_40]

I have to concur. They love the out of area revenue.

Get facts before making public statements like that...

The revenue the department sees will not pay for the gas used and payroll for making that stop - guaranteed.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

African-Americans aren't targeted in Carmel? Why that is shocking news to African-Americans.

Ahhh, Carmel.

[SIZE=+1]Sgt. David Smith, an African-American police officer, was pulled over while driving an unmarked car in the City of Carmel. Sgt. Smith was wearing a full uniform at the time, but he was not wearing a hat which would have identified him as a police officer. According to a complaint filed with the ACLU, the trooper who stopped Smith appeared to be "shocked and surprised" when Sgt. Smith got out of the car. The trooper explained that he had stopped Smith because he had three antennas on the rear of his car and quickly left the scene.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Originally published in "Making Traffic Stops Based on Race," by Sheila Kennedy in the Indianapolis Star on January 29, 1997.[/SIZE]

 

[K_W]

I live along Keystone, and have had numerous close calls with inattentive drivers running a red light at 98th, so I welcome CPD's enforcement on that road.

Regarding the idea that a lot of non-white folks get pulled over... Possibly true at one time, but several years back Carmel PD made the mistake of pulling over a black off-duty state trooper without sufficient cause. Cost the city a lot of money, and part of the resolution was the requirement to put cameras in all cars. I really don't think that any officers would be dumb enough to repeat that event. I think a more likely cause of out-of-county people being pulled over is because those of us who live here know that CPD is always watching Keystone, so we watch our speed. I always love it when someone with out-of-county plates blows past me - it helps to keep my taxes down.

Stick to the limit + 5, make sure that your lights work, and you will be OK.

I do not believe Carmel Police are targeting any particular ethnic groups.

In talking to officers, have heard there are three main things that get you extra attention while driving in Carmel;

1. Driving an old or beat up car.
2. Driving a modified or high performance vehicle.
3. Driving an older unmarked truck/van with trade tools on them.

These kinds of vehicles attract attention because:

For #1, Will not have working head/brake lights or intact lenses or are not typical vehicles for the area
For #2 Are troublemakers (street racers)
For #3 Are non-licenced or under-insured door to door "handymen" (Big source of complaints in Carmel)

The CPD love to use my employer's, neighbor's sign as sight block for speed trapping. Just today while making my deliveries, I saw 5 separate pull overs, 1 & 2 where beat up cars (one white kid in a Honda and one Asian looking man in a Nissan) 3 was a white soccer mom in a Toyota van and 4 was a redneck looking guy with a truck piled full of scrap metal and 5 was a white guy in a Mercedes who ran the light. And this is a typical of what I see in a days worth of rubbernecking.

Personally, I have been pulled over by the Carmel PD twice and a Hamilton Sheriff once. I got stopped by the Sheriff for missing a quick changing light at 2am, and was given a verbal. CPD pulled me over for speeding in a 30 and once for snow on the plate, and I received a written warning each time from CPD.