Who's been stopped and frisked for a visible pocketknife?

J

Jack19

Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
78
I've been out of law enforcement for a long time and was talking to a friend who's still in on the job.

We were discussing various issues, over an adult beverage, and the subject of knives came up. His philosophy is, "as long as you don't have warrants, a sheet, and aren't waving a knife around, or at me, put it back in your pocket and go home." Pretty much mirrors my thinking way back in the day.

Anyway, it got us talking about search issues.

So, here's the question: How many of you have been stopped, and or searched, because your knife, or pocket clip, was visible?

If you have, was part of the knife visible? Or, did only the pocket clip show and the knife itself sat below the top of the pocket?
 
I've been stopped going through metal detectors forgetting I had a knife. I was asked to see what I had then return it to my car before I could get in wherever I was going. Never stopped for a pocket clip showing. It's not uncommon around here.
 
Seems pretty ridiculous to me to be searched for having a pocket clip visible. But then again, I do live in a pretty knife friendly state. Lots of hunters/fishermen/outdoorsmen around here, not to mention there's not a whole lot of crime, a pocket knife, even a fairly large one rarely even raises an eyebrow. I know not everywhere is like that, but still...
 
I've never been searched for a visible knife, but in some environments, I just make sure my knife is small and riding inside my pocket. Here is SW Illinois, LEOs don't seem to care too much about pocket knives being clipped to folks' pockets.
 
It has never happened but I would refuse to be detained/searched in public on the grounds of a pocket clip showing.
 
I have had cops ask me about my knives, but only because they know I dig the good stuff;)
 
This might be more of an inner city thing, I know a decent number of people around the NY metro area that have been stopped for visible knife clips or clip like objects - eyeglass arms, clips on phone cases, wide pen clips, etc...... If the cops were nice, they were told to bury the knives in a pocket or bag, and not show any part of the knife. Otherwise, it was a easy opening to search for other things or just an easy way to ticket someone.

:).
 
It's a non issue here in central Missouri. Unless there has been some crime that would warrant looking for someone with a knife. Or they believe I have committed, am committing or eminently will commit a crime and can articulate a reason for the frisk I don't believe it would even be constitutional for an officer to do such a thing based on the sight of a pocket clip alone. Now unless the particular place has a certain law against possession of knives although I argue that is unconstitutional as well but thats a conversation for another time.

I'm a LEO and would never search someone for that reason alone. I always carry a number of knives some visible some not and have never been stopped and frisked ever.

Another consideration is the number of other things that have pocket clips I.e. flashlights.
 
I used to own a restaurant and I was the "kitchen manager" as well as the "general manager". So my duties included everything in the office as well as everything in the kitchen. I wore a button up shirt and tie with slacks every day, but since I got deliveries twice a week, I also carried a serrated knife to help me break down boxes real fast. Mondays were place order days then do all the accounting for the prior week and deposit for the weekend sales. We did between $10 grand and $12 grand on an average weekend.

So one Monday, I have the deposit ready, around $4k in checks and about $6k in cash and I stopped at the post office on the way to the bank to mail out taxes and bills and so on. Never leave the cash in the truck....bring it in with you. So I stuffed it down my pants and did my whatever inside and on my way back out to my truck, a police officer saw the clip to my knife and decided he was gonna frisk me. Now remember, I'm clean cut and wearing a tie and slacks and nice shoes and look pretty respectable. He finds the bag of cash....won't listen to me about where I got it, calls for back-up bam....all of a sudden there's 6 squad cars and a bunch of cops and I'm cuffed and stuffed and they're searching my truck for my other weapons and drugs that obviously I'm dealing because I have $6k in small bills. I was given a citation for carrying a concealed weapon, not having a light bulb to illuminate my license plate and my bumper was above 22" and I was missing a mudflap.

There's at least a decent ending to the story....I knew the judge, I had catered at least a dozen parties at his house and was on a first name basis with him and his wife....after getting bonded out, going to court, filling out all the forms and a couple hours of the bureaucratic machine to get my deposit back, he called the officer that took my knife and told him to show up at my restaurant at 2:00 P.M. and give me my knife back and apologize to me and call me sir! That was sweet! To make it even better, a couple years later I ended up teaching LE self defense and handcuffing techniques....this guy was one of my "students" and I put it to him....only once tho!
 
I was stopped and ticketed in NYC, as well as having my knife confiscated. It was a Benchmade with Axis lock. The clip showing was considered "brandishing" under NYC interpretation, and the Axis lock was considered a gravity knife. This was about 3-4 years ago. Unfortunately it was easier and less expensive to take the misdemeanor ticket and pay the $150 fine than to fight it with little chance of winning. Just going to criminal court to pay for the fine was a huge hassle. I moved out of NYC last year.
 
I have been asked about them but I do not consent to searches of my person or vehicle. As I am a law abiding citizen with maybe 2 vehicle tickets on my record since 1985 I feel that they better have a good reason for asking and I tell them so. If they are not detaining you, they have no right to search you or your vehicle without warrant per 4th Amendment. Guess what? They don't ask me again. They try like hell, but they have no case to stand on. If they do decide to take my knife, I am breaking off the blade. I don't care. It isn't getting lost in the system and into an LEO's pocket for sure.
 
In the small suburb town I live in in slowly turing the local LEO in to steel addicts. Most times they ask me what ive got new and want to check it out. Any time ive been pulled over they where more concerned about my Pistol on my hip then what knife is in my pocket. I would hate to live in NYC or Philly where they give you a ticket for having a plastic spork sticking out of your pockets.
 
:foot:

Anyone (non LE) that stops me usually asks if that's legal and if they can see it, and that's the end of it for me.
 
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g17steve said:
It has never happened but I would refuse to be detained/searched in public on the grounds of a pocket clip showing.
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broe said:
I have been asked about them but I do not consent to searches of my person or vehicle. As I am a law abiding citizen with maybe 2 vehicle tickets on my record since 1985 I feel that they better have a good reason for asking and I tell them so. If they are not detaining you, they have no right to search you or your vehicle without warrant per 4th Amendment. Guess what? They don't ask me again. They try like hell, but they have no case to stand on. If they do decide to take my knife, I am breaking off the blade. I don't care. It isn't getting lost in the system and into an LEO's pocket for sure.
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A pocket clip is well beyond reasonable suspicion if there are laws against knives, which is all they need for a Terry stop, which would lead to a pat down, where they would of course locate the clipped knife. This would then allow them to remove it from your pocket. The Supreme Court specifically mentions knives as being an object an officer might search for in such circumstances. I wonder why they didn't.

Fortunately for me, my area is also pretty knife friendly, and there aren't any specific ordinances against them.
 
I've never been stopped. I'm a minor (fifteen) in California and half of the time my pocket clip is showing. If you aren't doing anything stupid and you don't give them a reason to search you, you're golden.
 
I don't know about other states, but over here the only time a LEO can do a pat down is through consent, if you're on probation/parole, or if you're lawfully detained/arrested. So if you're not a dirtbag, there's really nothing to worry about.

The only thing is if you do look like a dirtbag or you give the LEO an attitude, and you happen to have a knife visibly clipped to your pocket, he technically can check your knife to make sure it's of legal length. So that's why IMO it's better to carry a knife loose in your pocket; there's really no need to draw unnecessary attention to yourself.
 
Circle-A-Blades said:
I used to own a restaurant and I was the "kitchen manager" as well as the "general manager". So my duties included everything in the office as well as everything in the kitchen. I wore a button up shirt and tie with slacks every day, but since I got deliveries twice a week, I also carried a serrated knife to help me break down boxes real fast. Mondays were place order days then do all the accounting for the prior week and deposit for the weekend sales. We did between $10 grand and $12 grand on an average weekend.

So one Monday, I have the deposit ready, around $4k in checks and about $6k in cash and I stopped at the post office on the way to the bank to mail out taxes and bills and so on. Never leave the cash in the truck....bring it in with you. So I stuffed it down my pants and did my whatever inside and on my way back out to my truck, a police officer saw the clip to my knife and decided he was gonna frisk me. Now remember, I'm clean cut and wearing a tie and slacks and nice shoes and look pretty respectable. He finds the bag of cash....won't listen to me about where I got it, calls for back-up bam....all of a sudden there's 6 squad cars and a bunch of cops and I'm cuffed and stuffed and they're searching my truck for my other weapons and drugs that obviously I'm dealing because I have $6k in small bills. I was given a citation for carrying a concealed weapon, not having a light bulb to illuminate my license plate and my bumper was above 22" and I was missing a mudflap.

There's at least a decent ending to the story....I knew the judge, I had catered at least a dozen parties at his house and was on a first name basis with him and his wife....after getting bonded out, going to court, filling out all the forms and a couple hours of the bureaucratic machine to get my deposit back, he called the officer that took my knife and told him to show up at my restaurant at 2:00 P.M. and give me my knife back and apologize to me and call me sir! That was sweet! To make it even better, a couple years later I ended up teaching LE self defense and handcuffing techniques....this guy was one of my "students" and I put it to him....only once tho!
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So did the cops lube you up first?
 
I was pulled over for routine traffic stop in louissianna, east of lake Charles I had my gerber 06 auto on me. The police officer asked me to get out of the vehicle and if I had any weapons, I told him I had knife and took it out of my pocket while searching me he played with it then asked how much one cost cause he had to have one lol. Of course I there was some talk of legal carry but Im allowed to carry and auto under my captian liscence so he didn't give me any bs about it. just had to show some credentials
 
so far i've only been stopped once here in southern california. it was actually at my college, long beach state, where a leo saw my clip and asked if i had any weapons on me and i told him no. so he asked to see what "that" was and i showed him my knife. given it was only my leaf storm, i told him what the laws were regarding knives at csulb, la county, california, and even high school since he didnt know the laws regarding knives and let me on my way. cool guy. wish all were like him
 
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