ISP pulled over and Disarmed

[nickman54]

First and foremost I want to say that I am not here to bash any cops, but wanted to get some opinions on something that happened to me and a friend tonight.

My friend and I were driving to a local store, my friend was driving and not wearing a seatbelt. I was wearing my seatbelt and riding in the passenger seat right. ISP unmarked car pulls us over. My friend keeps a pistol in his glove box where his registration is also located. Officer asks my friend for license and registration. My friend hands him his license and informs officer that his registration is in the glove box and there is also a loaded firearm in the glove box as well. Officer asks for his carry permit, which my friend supplies. My friend asks officer if he would like to get the registration or allow the officer to grab it. Officer informs my friend that he will get the registration himself. Officer then walks around the front of the truck and I open my door and open the glove box for the officer to retrieve the registration. Here is where it got interesting. Officer reaches into the glove box and grabs both the gun and the registration. I started to ask the officer what he was doing, but he was already started towards his car. During no time did my friend give permission to the officer to take possession of the firearm nor did I. Officer is back in the car writing a ticket to my friend for failure to wear a safety belt. Officer comes back to the driver side of truck and hands the ticket to my friend. He also hands him the magazine from the pistol. I ask the officer why he took the pistol from the truck, his response was "I had to run it to make sure it wasn't stolen". I then got a little upset and asked why he thought it was stolen. His response was I run guns all the time to make sure they are not stolen. I asked him what kind of probable cause he had to think that it was stolen and this was just a seatbelt stop. He told me if I had a problem with it to talk to his supervisor then walked back to his car. I don't know the laws as good as some of you probably do, but this absolutely ticked me off. Is this something that I should report to his supervisor, was I in the wrong on questioning this whole scenario? BTW, when the officer retrieved the hand gun from the glove box he muzzle swept both of my lower legs.

 

[VERT]

Your friend keeps a loaded firearm in the glovebox without a holster?

 

[nickman54]

Your friend keeps a loaded firearm in the glovebox without a holster?

Yes. There is nothing in his glove box that could fire the gun off.

 

[IndyGunSafety]

He did not object to the "siezure", and gave the cop the option to get the registration himself. Not a great choice to keep firearm with required papers.

 

[Bluejeeper]

Maybe I missed it, but the officer did give the gun back correct?

As for your question, that doesn't sound kosher to me, but am not sure on the legality of it.

 

[nickman54]

The firearm was returned.

 

[churchmouse]

He did not object to the "siezure", and gave the cop the option to get the registration himself. Not a great choice to keep firearm with required papers.

This and seriously my friend......put the damned gun in a freaking holster. No excuses just do it. happens.....all the time.

 

[VUPDblue]

Complain to ISP supervisors if you were uncomfortable with it.

 

[88GT]

Maybe he should run the serial numbers on the cash in wallets too. Or have the drug dog sniff 'em.

 

[MCgrease08]

He did not object to the "siezure", and gave the cop the option to get the registration himself. Not a great choice to keep firearm with required papers.

I would have to agree with this. Once he offered the trooper the option of retrieving it from the glove box he was giving his consent.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I keep my registration clipped on my visor so I don't have to go digging around in my console or glove compartments.

 

[nickman54]

He did not object to the "siezure", and gave the cop the option to get the registration himself. Not a great choice to keep firearm with required papers.

He agreed to allow him to retrieve the reg, although I can see what you are saying. Just thought it was ridiculous that he was law abiding pink card holder that tried to do the right thing and gets his gun run as a stolen item.

 

[Yup!]

I keep my registration clipped on my visor so I don't have to go digging around in my console or glove compartments.

Oh, my registration? sure officer its right here, I keep it handy, cause I'm asked for it all the time. It's much easier to just keep it right here so that you don't see what I keep in the glove box.

 

[Yup!]

He agreed to allow him to retrieve the reg, although I can see what you are saying. Just thought it was ridiculous that he was law abiding pink card holder that tried to do the right thing and gets his gun run as a stolen item.

I think once you gave him permission to "enter the vehicle" anything he finds is fair game at this point. Sure you can search the "right side of the glove box"...

 

[SteveM4A1]

I'm lucky my cop neighbor doesn't break into my home and run the numbers on my property! Those rugs would surely be stolen!

 

[Rocketscientist]

If I discovered on of my friends keeping their firearm stored in such a jackassish way, I would not be able to hold back the flow of "stern education" that would fly from my mouth with great force and speed. I'm sure the officer frowned upon that as well, which is probably why your buddy got what he got. If everything was squared away in a respectful, responsible manner, things may have gone differently. Just my personal thoughts on the matter.

 

[JMoses]

First and foremost I want to say that I am not here to bash any cops, but wanted to get some opinions on something that happened to me and a friend tonight.

My friend and I were driving to a local store, my friend was driving and not wearing a seatbelt. I was wearing my seatbelt and riding in the passenger seat right. ISP unmarked car pulls us over. My friend keeps a pistol in his glove box where his registration is also located. Officer asks my friend for license and registration. My friend hands him his license and informs officer that his registration is in the glove box and there is also a loaded firearm in the glove box as well. Officer asks for his carry permit, which my friend supplies. My friend asks officer if he would like to get the registration or allow the officer to grab it. Officer informs my friend that he will get the registration himself. Officer then walks around the front of the truck and I open my door and open the glove box for the officer to retrieve the registration. Here is where it got interesting. Officer reaches into the glove box and grabs both the gun and the registration. I started to ask the officer what he was doing, but he was already started towards his car. During no time did my friend give permission to the officer to take possession of the firearm nor did I. Officer is back in the car writing a ticket to my friend for failure to wear a safety belt. Officer comes back to the driver side of truck and hands the ticket to my friend. He also hands him the magazine from the pistol. I ask the officer why he took the pistol from the truck, his response was "I had to run it to make sure it wasn't stolen". I then got a little upset and asked why he thought it was stolen. His response was I run guns all the time to make sure they are not stolen. I asked him what kind of probable cause he had to think that it was stolen and this was just a seatbelt stop. He told me if I had a problem with it to talk to his supervisor then walked back to his car. I don't know the laws as good as some of you probably do, but this absolutely ticked me off. Is this something that I should report to his supervisor, was I in the wrong on questioning this whole scenario? BTW, when the officer retrieved the hand gun from the glove box he muzzle swept both of my lower legs.

They're not going to take your complaint, it's a third party complaint. If your friend is a big boy, he can complain if he wants, not you.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Oh, my registration? sure officer its right here, I keep it handy, cause I'm asked for it all the time. It's much easier to just keep it right here so that you don't see what I keep in the glove box.

Use it or don't. No skin off my nose. Keep papers with guns in compartments where you don't want to give implied consent to search, have them removed, muzzle swept your body by Officer-I-check-all-firearms-in-case-their-stolen, etc...if that's what you want to do. I want to get him/her in and out of my day as quickly as possible with as little extra-curricular activity as possible. YMMV.

 

[phylodog]

I don't know how, when or why but at some point in police culture it became an unwritten rule that all firearms an officer encounters while on duty needed to be checked to make sure they weren't stolen. That is how I was trained initially and I did it for probably a year and a half before I thought to question the practice. I stopped doing it at that point and have since done what I can to shed some light on the practice for other officers.

I'm not saying it's right because I don't agree with it. I don't think many (maybe even most) officers have pondered whether it makes sense or is the right thing to do.

 

[Yup!]

Use it or don't. No skin off my nose. Keep papers with guns in compartments where you don't want to give implied consent to search, have them removed, muzzle swept your body by Officer-I-check-all-firearms-in-case-their-stolen, etc...if that's what you want to do. I want to get him/her in and out of my day as quickly as possible with as little extra-curricular activity as possible. YMMV.

It is a good piece of advice, I was busting you chops in B/W.