So here I am driving down one of the main streets in Hammond "slightly" over the limit. I was driving my 4x4 pickup, and was there was another 4x4 pickup just behind me. I know the driver of the other vehicle as another regular commuter on the train, and we had just left the station. There was some hardpack snow on the surface, but it wasn't snowing. I looked in my mirror, and the other 4x4 wasn't there anymore, I thought maybe he had turned off onto one of the side streets.
Next time I look in the mirror, I see the red and blues on a Hammond squad, at this point he was at least a quarter mile behind me, so I wasn't sure if he was following me or just on a call until I crossed into Munster and he continued to close on me, so then I knew he was about to stop me. I pulled over and waited for him. My window was frozen shut so when he approached the vehicle I opened the door so we could talk. At the same time, the other 4x4 drove up and pulled up ahead of me. The reason he had disappeared is because he got pulled over first, and the officer told him to follow him so he could catch up to me and pull me over too.
The first thing he noticed was the empty holster on my kick panel below the steering wheel - I hadn't moved the gun from the zippered case to the holster for my short drive home. He asked if I had a gun in the vehicle. I said yes. He asked where it was. I told him, "behind you in the door pocket" (the pistol was still in its soft zippered case). He asked what kind of gun is it. I told him. "an XDM". He asked if there was a round in the chamber. I smiled and said, "it wouldn't be of much use if there wasn't". I was a little surprised at his reaction, because initially he was slightly agitated, but when I said that he relaxed and got a big smile on his face and said, "yes, sometimes".
He asked me if I was a police officer. I said no and handed him my LTCH, at the same time handed him my license and registration. At that point, he didn't ask, just took the zippered case from the door pocket and said, "I trust you, but I am going to hold this until we are finished".
A few minutes later he came back to the passenger side of the vehicle, and asked me to unlock the door. He had unloaded my pistol inside his squad car. He showed be the unloaded pistol inside the case with the magazine removed and slide locked back. He then put the pistol in the case under the seat, opened my glove box, and put the magazine and extracted round in the glove box. Then he said, you can reload after I leave.
Instead of giving me a "state of Indiana" complaint, he wrote me up for a local ordinance violation and said the city attorney would knock it down to a parking ticket if I showed up for court.
When I saw the other guy at the train station this morning, he told me that he also carries, and went through the exact same routine with the officer.
What I will say for the officer is that he wasn't unfriendly, he was actually very pleasant, even laughing and kidding, once he realized I wasn't a threat, but I am not sure about some of the things he did. I understand that he works in a high crime area, a lot of gang bangers live in Hammond and I understand that he doesn't know what he's walking up on. On the other hand, he didn't ask about taking the handgun from my door pocket, he just took it. On the positive side, he didn't handle / unload the gun until he was alone in his squad car, and he did cut me some slack on the ticket (he clocked both of us driving 49 in a 35). I am just trying to educate myself for the next time. So please keep the comments objective and don't turn this into an LEO bashing party.
Any comments on how the officer handled this stop? Any comments on what I should have done differently?
Next time I look in the mirror, I see the red and blues on a Hammond squad, at this point he was at least a quarter mile behind me, so I wasn't sure if he was following me or just on a call until I crossed into Munster and he continued to close on me, so then I knew he was about to stop me. I pulled over and waited for him. My window was frozen shut so when he approached the vehicle I opened the door so we could talk. At the same time, the other 4x4 drove up and pulled up ahead of me. The reason he had disappeared is because he got pulled over first, and the officer told him to follow him so he could catch up to me and pull me over too.
The first thing he noticed was the empty holster on my kick panel below the steering wheel - I hadn't moved the gun from the zippered case to the holster for my short drive home. He asked if I had a gun in the vehicle. I said yes. He asked where it was. I told him, "behind you in the door pocket" (the pistol was still in its soft zippered case). He asked what kind of gun is it. I told him. "an XDM". He asked if there was a round in the chamber. I smiled and said, "it wouldn't be of much use if there wasn't". I was a little surprised at his reaction, because initially he was slightly agitated, but when I said that he relaxed and got a big smile on his face and said, "yes, sometimes".
He asked me if I was a police officer. I said no and handed him my LTCH, at the same time handed him my license and registration. At that point, he didn't ask, just took the zippered case from the door pocket and said, "I trust you, but I am going to hold this until we are finished".
A few minutes later he came back to the passenger side of the vehicle, and asked me to unlock the door. He had unloaded my pistol inside his squad car. He showed be the unloaded pistol inside the case with the magazine removed and slide locked back. He then put the pistol in the case under the seat, opened my glove box, and put the magazine and extracted round in the glove box. Then he said, you can reload after I leave.
Instead of giving me a "state of Indiana" complaint, he wrote me up for a local ordinance violation and said the city attorney would knock it down to a parking ticket if I showed up for court.
When I saw the other guy at the train station this morning, he told me that he also carries, and went through the exact same routine with the officer.
What I will say for the officer is that he wasn't unfriendly, he was actually very pleasant, even laughing and kidding, once he realized I wasn't a threat, but I am not sure about some of the things he did. I understand that he works in a high crime area, a lot of gang bangers live in Hammond and I understand that he doesn't know what he's walking up on. On the other hand, he didn't ask about taking the handgun from my door pocket, he just took it. On the positive side, he didn't handle / unload the gun until he was alone in his squad car, and he did cut me some slack on the ticket (he clocked both of us driving 49 in a 35). I am just trying to educate myself for the next time. So please keep the comments objective and don't turn this into an LEO bashing party.
Any comments on how the officer handled this stop? Any comments on what I should have done differently?
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