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I had a couple of interesting twists on this recently which are at least slightly on topic. Within a period of two months my car was bent slightly when the other driver got into my space. Both the striker and the strikee vehicles remained operable. On both occasions the local PD was notified, and an officer responded.

In the first instance when I was asked for my driver's license and proof of insurance I also, of course, showed the officer my CHL. He responded, "I don't need that." I guess that was a correct response, but his attitude made it sound like I was unnecessarily bothering him when I showed my CHL. He never asked whether I was carrying, and, as usual, I was.

The second instance was somewhat troublesome. When I showed the officer my CHL along with my driver's license she asked me whether I was carrying. I responded in the affirmative, and told her it was IWB on the right side at 4 o'clock.

The officer appeared to be somewhat panicked, and asked me to step back and keep my hands in sight. She then said something into the radio on her shoulder, calling HQ, I would suppose. After hearing the response she asked me to carefully remove the handgun and place it under the seat of my car, which I did. This was quite unexpected, and I complied very carefully.

To get back somewhat on topic, this whole exercise was viewed by the four occupants of the other vehicle, so one certainly might be justified in saying that she revealed my having a CHL to those persons. As I am not unknown in the local community I would not be surprised for this info to have spread. In fact I had given my calling card to both the officer and the other driver in order to expedite their mutual paperwork.

As a general matter, since these two officers were members of the same city PD, the incidents caused me, perhaps unfairly, to conclude that a little local PD education might be in order. While I recognized that an LEO has to be flexible in his or her approach to a person carrying a concealed weapon, I personally think the "flexibility" displayed when comparing these two incidents went a little far. My personal opinion of the second officer's reaction was that she had no idea what she should do, if anything, and had to make a radio call for guidance. If I had done anything to make her feel threatened I could understand, but I honestly do not think that was a possibility. I pegged her as being new on the job, confused by what her actions should be, and poorly trained in regard to a routine nonthreatening contact with one having a CHL.

Once again, just a personal observation and opinion, and I may be unfair. Collaterally, I would think I would have been more of a danger to her and others being required to draw my weapon, essentially in public, even though "carefully," than I was leaving it in the CrossBreed. I might note that she never loosened the retention strap on her holster, which bolsters my conclusion that I posed no apparent threat to her or others. I have no trouble visualizing this as being what she might routinely do in similar circumstances in the future.