How to deal with the police when getting pulled over

Last week I was cruising down I-15 in southern Utah and I got pulled over for speeding. The thing is, the speed limit was 75 and I thought I was doing 80 (I still do). I saw the officer driving in the right hand lane.

In other words, he wasn’t hiding on the side of the road, I saw him in the right lane driving slowly so I simply passed him at what I thought was 80 miles an hour. As soon as I passed him he zipped behind me and turned on his lights. I obviously got in the right hand lane and pulled over to the side of the road.

As soon as he approached my car I had my hands on the steering wheel and I said to him, “Officer, just to let you know, I have my concealed firearms permit and I am carrying at this time.” That’s the line I use every time I get pulled over because I think it’s important to notify the police that you have a gun on you.

Typically…

When I get pulled over and tell the officer this he immediately becomes more alert and says something such as, “Okay, keep your hands on the wheel for me and don’t take them off.” However, this police officer looked at me like it was no big deal and he didn’t say anything or become more alert or stand up straighter at all. All he said to me is that he pulled me over because I was doing 87 in a 75.  

Also, when he told me to show him my license (he didn’t even ask to see my permit like most cops do) I asked him if it was okay to remove my hands from the wheel to reach for my license that was in my pocket. He looked at me like I had three heads and then said, “yeah, everyone carries a gun around here, go ahead.”

I handed him my license and he walked back to his car very nonchalantly. When he came back to my car he told me to slow down and lo and behold (thankfully) did not give me a speeding ticket.

Now…

This whole thing went down in a rural area of Utah that clearly has a gun culture. However, in my opinion as a former police officer, this guy was way too laid back, and as any cop will tell you, there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop.

And even though this officer thought it was no big deal for me to tell him I had a gun, I’d be willing to bet this is not the case in 99% of this country and I can tell you it’s definitely not the case when I get pulled over in Northern Virginia.

So if I were you, and I got pulled over while carrying my gun, I would still put my hands on the wheel and notify the officer every time. It’s the smart thing to do even if you’re in good ol’ boy country where they look at you funny for telling them you’re carrying a gun.

My 3 Favorite Flashlights

Last week I was in Tennessee. I didn’t have a car and the only restaurant close to me was McDonald’s. At night, I kept telling myself I was going to call a cab, but let’s just say I ate a lot of McDonald’s and never want to go there again.

While I was walking to McDonald’s at night I was of course carrying (my Glock 19) and since it was dark I also had a flashlight with me. I admit that I don’t always carry a flashlight in my pocket during the day (it’s in my laptop bag) but when I go out at night I always have one in my pocket.

The flashlight that I carry these days is the Olight T-10.

It’s one of the smallest lights on the market and has 3 different settings so you can choose the brightness. The brightest setting produces 230 lumens. But what I really like about the light is how it easily fits in my pocket and doesn’t weigh much either.

The second light that I use is the SureFire G2X Tactical. This light sits right next to my gun safe in my bedroom. It’s not as small as the Olight, but I don’t carry it in my pocket so I don’t care. This light produces slightly less lumens than the Olight, at 200. However, if you’ve ever shined one of these lights in your eyes then you know it’s more than blinding.

The third flashlight I have is the NexTorch TA1.

This is a relatively new flashlight but it appears solidly built and I haven’t had any problems with it. This flashlight “only” has 60 lumens, but gives plenty of light, which is why I have no problem keeping it as a backup in my bedroom.

As far as prices go, the price for the Olight is $34, the SureFire is $73, and the NexTorch is $36. If I could have only one light, it would definitely be the Olight since it can do double duty as a pocket light and a light I can keep next to my safe at night. Plus, it isn’t expensive at all at just over $30, which means if you like to have plenty of lights around the house like I do, you can afford more than one of these.

In other words, if on the off chance you don’t have a flashlight to carry in your backpack or laptop bag… or one in your bedroom at night… you may want to check out the Olight, and from now on make sure you have a flashlight in your bedroom at night and one in your daily carry bag.   

Making Sure You’re Not Followed

This past weekend I taught my Spy Escape and Evasion course in Las Vegas. I had a great group of students who were among the fastest ever to escape from the trunk of a car after being handcuffed.

Among the topics covered during the course were surveillance and counter surveillance. I talked about the story of the Connecticut family who had the home invasion and the mother and two daughters who were murdered, and the father – Dr. Petit – who was the sole survivor.

What most people don’t know is how the home was targeted in the first place. One of the criminals spotted the mother and daughters out shopping earlier in the day. The family looked wealthy to him so he followed them around the store and eventually out to their car. 

Their car…

When he noticed they were driving a nice car he got into his own vehicle and followed the three women all the way to their house and noticed they lived in an expensive house.

Later that night when the criminal and his buddy were together looking to “score” some money, the first guy mentioned he knew where a rich family lived and they probably had cash in the house. The two criminals broke into the house and after spending over eight hours in the home they murdered the wife and two daughters.

The fact is, this could have happened to a lot of folks, which is why you constantly need to be aware of your surroundings and check to make sure you’re not being followed. This is especially important for gun owners.

Why?

Because criminals love to stake out shooting ranges and then follow someone home because they know that person has guns in the house and they can rob them. Every time I go shooting, or purchase a gun, I am always careful to make sure that nobody is following me around or following me home.

The good new is, it doesn’t take much effort to make sure you’re not being followed. Since most criminals are amateurs – like the dirt bags that murdered the Petit family – simply drive around the block if you think you’re ever being followed. In other words, never go straight home. And if you’re truly frightened and sure you’re being followed, drive to a police station or hospital.

And finally, if the stuff truly hits the fan while you’re being followed make sure you’ve got a way to protect yourself, which in my case is my gun (usually a Glock 19 or a Ruger LCP.)  But if you don’t have a gun, use your knife, tactical pen, or any other weapon you can find… But again, the best thing to do is to be aware of your surroundings in the first place.