I got a knife confiscated today... (in Washington)

Blood_Grooves

Blood_Grooves

Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
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Yep... Well today I decided to go out for some photography, and it turned out pretty horribly. I live in a town that has prison within it. Me and my buddy went up on this hill that was next to the prison. We were walking back and we heard someone tell us to freeze. We were apparently trespassing and this huge ordeal happened... We didn't see a single sign saying anything about no trespassing! We didn't jump a fence or anything! They said we could get a felony, because we unknowingly were trespassing and taking pictures of a prison (I wasn't even taking pictures of the prison).

We both had a knife, and they took ALOT of offense by this. Lets put perspective on it we are both 16 & 17! We're young! Im a high school student still! They said my Spyderco Manix 2 was illegal because it was a "gravity" knife. Since it can be opened using centrifugal force its illegal. He was holding down the bearing lock and was flipping it in and out saying it was illegal. After telling us that it was illegal he said we can go to the police station and file a complaint if we feel we were wronged in someway, but theres no chance of getting the knife back...

My buddy was also carrying a gas station spring operated knife. I have no doubt its illegal, and I understand why it was confiscated, but I thought it was necessary to mention this fact.

So! is a Spyderco Manix 2 a "gravity" knife???
 
It depends on the city/county/state/officer etc. etc. But I have heard of much more sheeple friendly knives getting pulled.

Be thankful that you got a knife taken and no charges or anything filed against you.
 
sorry to hear that buddy.

i can tell you what happens where i work. if i confiscate an item as the result of an arrest, i give a receipt unless it is clearly contraband, ie, narcotics. if no charges are filed, then the item may be reclaimed with the receipt.

if your knife is illegal, you should have been arrested/cited and given a receipt for the item. even if you are found guilty, items like knives are often returned to a parent.

an officer should never "confiscate" an item without some form of paper trail. granted, there have been times when dealing with a juvenile i choose to counsel and release, and a parent refuses to take a confiscated item back. if the parent agrees, i dispose of it in the field. this is usually items like lighters, tobacco, etc.
 
Sounds like the LEO really enjoyed playing with your Manix 2, which is a nice knife, by the way. Unfortunately he probably wanted it for his private collection and figured he wouldn't get much of a fight from a high school student:D

Be a bit more careful of where you're hiking next time, sorry about the loss of one of your knives, but at least you don't have to deal with any charges.:(

EDIT: Rat and I were on the same wavelength just now!
 
You better believe I would dang well get my stolen knife back, but I've practiced law for 18 years too. These turds know they can rip off a high school student and get away with it.

Who were they, anyway? Police officers? I'm guessing not. Probably prison guards getting their jollies by stealing from teenagers.

I would encourage you to cast fear aside and get your knife back. Contact the prison's public relations person and start from there. JMO.
 
powernoodle said:
You better believe I would dang well get my stolen knife back, but I've practiced law for 18 years too. These turds know they can rip off a high school student and get away with it.

Who were they, anyway? Police officers? I'm guessing not. Probably prison guards getting their jollies by stealing from teenagers.

I would encourage you to cast fear aside and get your knife back. Contact the prison's public relations person and start from there. JMO.
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These were definantly cops. There were prison guards involved but a cop was the one to steal my knife. I honestly Dont remember him giving me even his name... He said something about how anyone would want a Spyderco, and he said the brand name, mentioning his recognition of the value of the knife. He openly said something about the value of the knife... Im going to sit down with one of the officers that was there that I can remember his name. Im going to bring my parent also.
 
Think it out carefully. It seems that they did not properly take your knife into their custody, but you can not be certain they did not voucher it. You may have not seen a sign, but it seems that you may have been trespassing, and taking photos in a restrictive area. Finally, how old do you have to be to carry a knife where you live? I ask all this in no way to side with the officer, but if you take the action others are pushing you to do, they could still charge you. The lawyers fees and arrest record damage far out way the cost of the knife. Remember two different law enforcement agencies where involved, and I guantee log entries where made in their base and personal logs that differ from your story. Sometimes it is wiser to learn from being wronged then stir a pot with those in power, who are adults and officers.
 
that sucks. like others have said i would go back, with parent and demand your knife back. a manix 2 is like $80 i would be pissed if they took my knife under those circumstances.
 
tom19176 said:
Think it out carefully. It seems that they did not properly take your knife into their custody, but you can not be certain they did not voucher it. You may have not seen a sign, but it seems that you may have been trespassing, and taking photos in a restrictive area. Finally, how old do you have to be to carry a knife where you live? I ask all this in no way to side with the officer, but if you take the action others are pushing you to do, they could still charge you. The lawyers fees and arrest record damage far out way the cost of the knife. Remember two different law enforcement agencies where involved, and I guantee log entries where made in their base and personal logs that differ from your story. Sometimes it is wiser to learn from being wronged then stir a pot with those in power, who are adults and officers.
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Good Advice Tom ! ( he should know plenty, he's ex-LEO)
I'd just chalk it up to a lesson learned about being aware of my surroundings and the law and move on. Not only could they charge you for trespassing and having an illegal weapon, they could charge you for having said weapon on Gov't property.
Having a weapons charge on you, will follow you for the rest of your life. Any of these charges could result in some hefty fines, legal fees and even time in the old graybar hotel.
 
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So if I call it quits on the whole going after "justice" thing, what does it come to? Me never being able to carry a knife that can be flipped open! My zero tolerance 0200 has a FLIPPER! the purpose of the FLIPPER is to push the blade out in a centrifugal manner.... Now im scared to carry a tool...
 
Blood_Grooves said:
So if I call it quits on the whole going after "justice" thing, what does it come to? Me never being able to carry a knife that can be flipped open! My zero tolerance 0200 has a FLIPPER! the purpose of the FLIPPER is to push the blade out in a centrifugal manner.... Now im scared to carry a tool...
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Pursue it with the local PD if you want, but you better be SURE you know what you did was not wrong. I live in WA too, and good luck in figuring out the knife law for the state, none the less the local jurisdiction where you were. Like others have said, you may have got off easy. Stir the pot, and who knows. Being near a prison, fuel depot, federal bldg, Military base, airport, etc, etc, etc... will all get you in trouble if you're carrying a camera, nonetheless a knife as well. Right or wrong, it is what it is.

Call it an $80 lesson. Cheaper than a lawyer....

BTW, whenever you carry a knife, or 'tool' as you reference it (if it has a blade, it IS a knife), you take a risk of getting in trouble.

Just my .02
 
Blood_Grooves said:
So if I call it quits on the whole going after "justice" thing, what does it come to? Me never being able to carry a knife that can be flipped open! My zero tolerance 0200 has a FLIPPER! the purpose of the FLIPPER is to push the blade out in a centrifugal manner.... Now im scared to carry a tool...
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It comes to being aware of the law and knowing what and when to carry and when and where not to. It comes to not visiting places or acting in a manner that will put you on LEO's radar. I live in a strict state also. When i leave the house, i leave with a manual opening, thumbstud operated cheap knife, that is tight enough to not "gravity" open.. If your state does not allow knives with flippers....then ya better not have one in public.
Be responsible....anything else just serves to cast knifeknuts in a bad light, and it is not needed.
 
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You guys were a ton of help! Im going to call it a lesson, because I do have two federal agencies against me and two things agains me, the knife AND the camera...

Thanks for clearing it up for me, and I guess Ill tighten all my pivot screws and probably carry a multi-tool most of the time.

I have a question that is non knife related. Sorry if this isn't the place but i feel like I could get an answer from some of the LEOs around here. Is it against the rules for a cop to look through a individuals camera?
 
Blood_Grooves said:
You guys were a ton of help! Im going to call it a lesson, because I do have two federal agencies against me and two things agains me, the knife AND the camera...

Thanks for clearing it up for me, and I guess Ill tighten all my pivot screws and probably carry a multi-tool most of the time.

I have a question that is non knife related. Sorry if this isn't the place but i feel like I could get an answer from some of the LEOs around here. Is it against the rules for a cop to look through a individuals camera?
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No problemo, prudence is often the best course of action in any situation.
As for your last question : In the course of his investigation,under these particular circumstances, probably not.
Your best bet on this whole deal would be to actually consult a lawyer and get a definitive answer on your options, if any.
 
Blood_Grooves said:
You guys were a ton of help! Im going to call it a lesson, because I do have two federal agencies against me and two things agains me, the knife AND the camera...

Thanks for clearing it up for me, and I guess Ill tighten all my pivot screws and probably carry a multi-tool most of the time.

I have a question that is non knife related. Sorry if this isn't the place but i feel like I could get an answer from some of the LEOs around here. Is it against the rules for a cop to look through a individuals camera?
Click to expand...


in this case, it was reasonable to look through the pictures on your camera.
 
let me explain the real rules. don't bother policemen, it is liable to get expensive.

got it? HOW it becomes expensive isn't the point, nor WHY. All you need to know is avoid bothering'em, cause that's cheaper.

That means don't drive when impaired, don't seek attention for the sake of your ego, walk away from any fight possible, don't be friends with people who get arrested a lot, and lots of other minor details.

But essentially it means mind your own business, quietly.

This keeps you out of *almost* every single embarassing predicament, given that somebody invents a new predicament regularly..
 
Looking at your camera under these circumstances was 100% correct for the officer to do. Chances are the reason you walked away with no charges is because he did look at what you took pictures of and saw you were not taking photos of the jail.
 
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