Five knives in car prevent trip to the Pokey !!

D

dmc

Joined
Oct 21, 1998
Messages
138
I was on my way to work, had a Busse Public Defender knife (to be mailed during lunch break to the new owner)in the passenger seat and got pulled over for speeding. You may see where this is heading already. Well I don't want to make any weird moves like I'm trying to hide anything so I leave the knife in plain view in the passenger seat (in sheath, strap on and snapped with handle facing passenger window). A very polite officer comes to the window and immediately sees the knife (like a seasoned officer should). He asks me for the knife and then asks if I have any weapons in the car, of course not I say. Then he asks, 'Do you have any other knives in the car?'. Yikes! Does a bear shi...ya'know of course I do. I am very honest and point to the console, glove box and my pocket. We come up with five knives total (at least I was impressed:D). At this point he starts asking questions and I explain that I collect knives and trade/sell etc. It is also at this point that I am planning my best 'Honey I've been arrested' lines. He takes the Busse and says 'I'll be back in a moment.' He comes back with a citation for speeding and asks me some more questions about the Busse and stated that it was a very nice knife. Then he plays with Inova 5X LED light that was in 'the pile' with my folders and asks 'How much is one of these?' We then get serious and discuss 'concealed carry' and how some officers would arrest me for the knives in the car. However, he states it is obvious with five knives and two flashlights in the car AND my non-threatening demeanor that I am harmless knife nut. He just asked that I place the knives in the trunk before proceeding to work. I quickly complied and thanked him for his kind consideration with the arresting part of his stop... ;)
 
Well you seem to have handled the situation pretty well.

No getting around it though. It's a real problem.
 
Great story DMC!!! Goes to show ya that all LEO's aren't bad guys. Some actually like knives and are collectors too.
 
I'm glad you didn't go to jail. That's my Public Defender! I hope he didn't feel her up too much.:D
 
A situation that could have turned real bad, handled real well.... I carry in my wallet my NKCA and BCCI membership cards, as well as handful of my "business" type cards that ID me as a Collector and Enthusiast who "Trades-Buys-Sells" even though I am not a dealer. I use these cards to give to other Knife Knuts I run across. Its easier than always looking for pen and paper to exchange phone #'s. Fortunately, I haven't been stopped by the local LEO's....yet!
 
DMC- Woo HOO!!

I really have a passion for knives,and find it hard to carry only one. And I always have one or two in the car anyways, either for backup in case I leave/lose oneor just cuz that's where I keep it. I hope if I get pulled over I get such a broad-minded and reasonable LEO. I live in Mass, though, and here they take a dim view of... well... anything!

Best wishes all!
Bill
 
Did anyone else ever see the "Cops" episode where Lt. John Bunnell goes to Moscow, Russia? Well, he's riding with the Moscow cops and they stop a known druggie to interrogate him. They search the guy and turn up a large folding knife, but no drugs. After questioning the guy, they decide to let him go, and the Russian cops hand the guy his knife back. Lt. Bunnell was incredulous, "Why aren't you arresting him? Why don't you take his knife away?" he asks. To which the Russian officer replied, "We had to give it back, it belonged to him and he wasn't breaking the law." I found that episode rather educational.
 
x39,

Sounds like the US lawmakers in general could have benefited from that COPS showing.
 
Not so fast, pimp.

If a knife is illegal to carry on your person (like a large fixed-blade), then it is very likely illegal to have "within easy reach" inside a car.
 
Rule no. 1 with cops when you are pulled over..( Im no cop but man have I been pulled over lots) DONT TELL A LIE IF THEY ASK YOU A QUESTION>>

I was pulled over once and asked a similar question. I didnt have five knives in the car but I did have a cold steel tanto in the cubby in the front seat of my truck. I also told the officer and later he let me go without a ticket..!

It always cracks me up on the show cops when the LEO askes
"Are there any guns or drugs in the car I should know about"
"Nope"
LEO looks under the front seat...
"Well whats this Uzi and this two LB. bag of crack?"
"this isnt my car!!"

Wow like Ive never heard that one before...
 
Originally posted by Ren the devils trailboss
Rule no. 1 with cops when you are pulled over..( Im no cop but man have I been pulled over lots) DONT TELL A LIE IF THEY ASK YOU A QUESTION>>
Click to expand...
Rule no.2, never consent to a search of your vehicle or possesions.
 
Wouldn't withholding consent just make a cop... less charitable? I think I'm MUCH more likely to be let off through talking and honesty than telling a cop "go get a warrant."

What do you think,x39?
 
It's the "Do you have any weapons on you?" question that makes me wonder. I mean if you say no then maybe in a LEO's eyes you just lied but if you say yes then you've just admitted to carrying a weapon.

Maybe I would say something like, "Well, you may consider this a weapon so you should know I have a knife in my right front pocket." I wonder if that would go over OK with a LEO?:confused:


dmc,
Glad to hear things went so well for you. It, of coarse, should go that way, especially considering how you handled it. But I wonder given different circumstances what may have been.:o


--The Raptor--
 
When a cop asks you for consent, he's already decided to search your car... it's just a layer of legal protection he is covering his butt with. If you dont' give consent, he's gonna get a warrant anyway.

a few ways to confuse the cop for a few minutes is to ask a question back...

"if you feel like you have probably cause, do you have probable cause"
"May I call and have my lawyer and a supervisor present"

In the end, you are at an officer's mercy and there's not much you can do to maneuver out of it except be as friendly and gregarious as possible.
 
Originally posted by Ren the devils trailboss
...It always cracks me up on the show cops when the LEO askes
"Are there any guns or drugs in the car I should know about"
"Nope"
LEO looks under the front seat...
"Well whats this Uzi and this two LB. bag of crack?"
...
Click to expand...
The response should be:
"Damn!! You shouldn't have known about them!!!":D
 
If a Cop asks to search your car he DOES NOT have probable cause. You should never consent to a search! Why all the sheepish attitudes here?
 
I'm hoping someone knowledgeable can clear this up for us as I've been wondering about it for some time.

If you are pulled over, or stopped by a LEO on the street, what exactly are your rights, and what exactly are his.

1) First, when does a LEO have the right to stop you. Say I'm walking down the street, can an officer just stop me and ask, "Hey, what's that bulge under your shirt?" Do I have to answer?

2) Does he have the right to search you? It's my understanding that if he feels in danger, he has the right to secure any weapons legal or not, until he releases you. T or F?

3) If he asks to search me, and I say no, what happens next?

4) If he asks if I have a weapon, do I have to answer?

5) If you have a legal weapon and have not committed a crime, does he have the right to confiscate it and have you pick it up at the station later?

Thanks for the info everyone.
 
Yeah, I'd like those answers too. I think I know them,but if someone could post the asnwers, a nd maybe tell us why they think they are qualified to answer...? "I'm a police officer and..." that sort of thing?

Thanks people!
Bill
 
Originally posted by RoninPimp
If a Cop asks to search your car he DOES NOT have probable cause. You should never consent to a search! Why all the sheepish attitudes here?
Click to expand...

Why not consent to a search? I have nothing to hide, why should I piss off some officer only to spend the night in jail? Personally, I don't think that this attitude is so much sheepish as it is smart.
Matt
 
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