Got pulled over last night

[Mojaveman]

Got pulled over last night at about 3:00 a.m. near my house on the way home from work. Early in the encounter the officer tells me he knows I own a "military style" firearm but I can't remember if he said it right after he stopped me or after he ran my drivers license. I am curious as to how they know now. I consented to a search with no problem. Regarding the "military style" firearm all I did was buy a lower a few years ago that I am planning on assembling in a few years after I retire and leave this state. I ended up getting a citation for an inoperative license plate lamp.

[splithoof]

LE officers are very observant, and can find many situations in which they can articulate a solid justification for initiating a vehicle stop. Equipment issues are a sure bet, and a solid revenue generation tool as well. It is also a primary method of getting some really bad actors out of the communities they serve.
Glad you survived an armed encounter.

[warbird]

what probable cause did the officer have to ask you about a military type weapon? It is reasonable to ask if you have any weapons (not specifically guns) in the car but that question was a little specific. also there was no probable cause to search the car from what you have said so i assume you said nothing to provoke "probable" cause for a search did you. Sounds very fishy to me.

[71MUSTY]

Pretty odd story. "Military type weapon"?? Who says that? Did he mean like a tank or a rocket launcher??





Was the Officers name Barney Fife?

[Citadelgrad87]

what probable cause did the officer have to ask you about a military type weapon? It is reasonable to ask if you have any weapons (not specifically guns) in the car but that question was a little specific. also there was no probable cause to search the car from what you have said so i assume you said nothing to provoke "probable" cause for a search did you. Sounds very fishy to me.

He didnt ask about it, he told him he knew he owned one.

He didnt need PC to tell him that.

He also doesnt need probable cause to ask about it, either.

Brush up on what PC is and is not needed for.

[SkyHawk]

It is standard procedure for some departments to run out the driver for firearms in AFS. Some will also run out the registered owner of a vehicle, so the officer knows who he might be dealing with before he even gets out of his cruiser.

It probably depends on the area, time of day, circumstances etc.

If they ever run me out in AFS, I will know because it will take about 3 hours to recite all the entries, and the officer will probably call for a Bearcat before he ever approaches my car to tell me my tag light is out

[wpage]

Tag light out. Maybe he thought you had one of those James Bond 007 revolving licence plates....

[71MUSTY]

[QUOTE=SkyHawk;23597153]It is standard procedure for some departments to run out the driver for firearms in AFS. Some will also run out the registered owner of a vehicle, so the officer knows who he might be dealing with before he even gets out of his cruiser.

It probably depends on the area, time of day, circumstances etc.

If they ever run me out in AFS, I will know because it will take about 3 hours to recite all the entries, and the officer will probably call for a Bearcat before he ever approaches my car to tell me my tag light is out [/QUOTE]

True dat.

[foxtrotuniformlima]

I ended up getting a citation for an inoperative license plate lamp.

Fishing expedition - plain and simple. 3:00 am he was looking for DUI

[Marauder2003]

There is no way a license plate leads to gun ownership knowledge.

The DL does.

[BruceR]

Early in the encounter the officer tells me he knows I own a "military style" firearm but I can't remember if he said it right after he stopped me or after he ran my drivers license.

My wife and I had a burglary attempt at our residence. The responding sheriff's deputy asked my wife if she had any firearms (no). Then he looks at me and says "I know you do".

It's all in the database now . . .

[SkyHawk]

There is no way a license plate leads to gun ownership knowledge.

The DL does.

In CA and many other states, the vehicle plate number returns the registered owners name and driver’s license number. Here is a blurb from NJ:

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nj-supreme-court/1309504.html

When an officer enters a vehicle's license plate number, the initial “DMV plate” screen shows the expiration date of the registration for that vehicle;  the status of the vehicle, including whether it has been reported stolen;  the registrant's name, address, date of birth, and driver's license number;  the year, make, model, license plate number, and color of the vehicle;  the vehicle identification number;  the number of owners of the registered vehicle;  the maximum number of passengers for a passenger vehicle;  the gross weight for a commercial vehicle;  and the length of the registered vehicle if it is a boat.

 When an officer accesses a DMV plate screen, the MDT then automatically runs a search of the registrant's name and displays the results on the “DMV name” screen.   The DMV name screen shows the registrant's name and the number of names that match that search name;  the registrant's driver's license number and date of birth;  a code for the registrant's eye color;  a code for whether the license or registration is suspended;  whether the license is a photo or non-photo license;  the licensee's address, social security number, date of birth, weight, and height;  the term of the license;  the license expiration date;  the number of points accrued against the license;  and the number of endorsements and restrictions on the license.

I hear plenty of stops on the scanner, I have heard dispatch return CCW and firearms info from nothing more than a plate being called in.

Like I said, it probably depends on area, time of day, circumstance of stop. Dispatch does not always provide the info from AFS on stops in my area, but in some areas they might.

The LEOs could provide more insight in the LE forum, we have had this discussion with some of them before.

[Erion929]

“It’s legal.”

.

[sigstroker]

Soon it will be "bend over, I want to know what you had for lunch".

[Win231]

Pretty odd story. "Military type weapon"?? Who says that? Did he mean like a tank or a rocket launcher??

Was the Officers name Barney Fife?

Maybe he meant a GI issue firearm - like a 1911 or Beretta 9mm. Or a Thompson or Colt Single Action Army or Springfield.
Or whatever black powder firearm was used long ago........