LEO Encounters

I read the LEO encounter posts on here all the time and wanted to share my experience from the other side. I am a LEO and I work in a unique area that is pretty urban but is also pretty conservative. I would say that there are few days when I am working the road that I do not encounter someone carrying, occasionally OC, but mostly CCW. I have found that 95% of people who carry are the people I enjoy dealing with the most, and not just for the reasons you think. Almost every encounter, the person who is carrying does everything right, even if they do it differently. In my opinion, the only thing you have to do to be right in a LE encounter is don't touch your weapon without letting me know first (and inform if your state requires it). I don't mind people not telling me they carry, because the law doesn't require it here. If you want to tell me as a precaution, no problem, I appreciate the heads up. Other than that, I don't feel like I should expect you to sit there for 10 minutes with both hands out the window or disarm you. I don't think you should be treated differently only because you carry. (I disarmed a guy 1 time because he tried to run and I realized he was carrying after I caught him, but that was because he tried to run, not because he was carrying). The other, and less obvious reason, I enjoy interacting with people who carry is they pay attention to their surroundings. I can't tell you how many times I have shown up to a crash and the people who are involved don't remember which lane they were in, how fast they were going, or what their middle name is. Meanwhile the guy driving by (who happens to carry) can tell me everything that happened.Anyways, keep doing what you guys do. I had someone thank me for my service in a different thread, but I get paid to do this job and I also get solid benefits (national ccw being one of those, but we are working on that for you too). The people who are productive members of society and help the other members of their community for no reason other than they enjoy it are the ones who really make a difference. After being on this sub for a few years, I get the vibe a lot of those people are here.Finally, I see posts or comments occasionally on here that are a little anti-cop, and I honestly get that. At the end of the day, people see us as the armed enforcer for the government and it would be hard to argue that the title isn't true on paper. However, I don't work with a single guy or girl (not saying they don't exist, but they are the small minority) who views themselves that way. The vast majority of us enjoy our job because it is diverse and we like to feel involved in the community. Just wanted to share that. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2ksoYLc