The area near my office is not the best, and there are two gas stations on the corner where folks have been assaulted in the past. So I try to avoid stopping there. But the other morning, I was late for a morning meeting and did not have time to get gas on the way in. So that evening I did stop there. As always happens, someone started to approach me, presumably to ask for money. He saw the 1911 on my hip, stopped about 10 feet away, and said "do you have a few extra bucks so I get some gas, officer?"
I responded that I was sorry, but I did not have any extra money. I didn't feel the need to correct his statement addressing me as "officer". Other than the gun, I wasn't wearing anything that would indicate I might be a LEO (no handcuffs, badges, etc). At the time, I felt that leaving it uncorrected would help to avoid any possible escalation in that particular case, based on my overall feel of the specific situation.
So my question. Are we under any legal, or ethical, obligation to correct someone who addresses us as "officer"?
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:06 pm
by Charles L. Cotton
Under the circumstances you described, no.
Chas.
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:03 pm
by OneGun
I had a similar experience the other day, although mine was not in a bad part of town. Every morning, I stop at the Exxon station to grab my morning drink for my commute to work. When I commute to and from work, I use a OWB as it is easier to remove / put on while seated in my truck. I can't carry in our office (East Coast firm). That day, I did not put on my sport coat, so I was open carrying. I know the clerks & managers at this exxon on a first name basis. No one ever says anything about my open carrying, until this past Monday.
After I paid for my drink, I was almost out the door when a man in shorts & a Hawaiian shirt shouts at me, "who you work for?". I told him the name of the consulting firm. Then he shows me his badge. He's a deputy. Then he barks: "You have a permit?". I said yes. Do you want to see it? He says no. Then me mutters, never seen anyone but cops carry in here. I went on my way.
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:15 pm
by rotor
“You have a permit” technically not appropriate but no big deal to answer.
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:18 pm
by The Annoyed Man
Not correcting someone else's false assumption is not the same thing as misrepresenting yourself. This can lead to some truly bizarre situations.
There’s a guy who owns a gas station near my old house in Grapevine, who was absolutely convinced that I am ex-CIA. How? Because in the middle of a conversation about retirement (I was newly retired at the time), he point blank asked me if I was retired CIA, and he wasn’t being sarcastic. It was a sincere question.....like he WANTED it to be true. (This guy is a real conspiracy nut too.) I was so taken aback by the question in the moment that my initial reaction was to grin and look down at the ground. It took me about 2-3 seconds too long to collect my thoughts and to answer in the negative, simply because I couldn’t believe I’d been asked the question, and that sealed the deal. He TOTALLY jumped to the conclusion that I am a retired CIA agent. I did deny it then and there, more than once, but he wasn’t having it. It was more interesting for him to have this fantasy about my identity, that’s it was for him to believe my denials. In fact, the denials just served to strengthen his resolve, and he took it as like a wink wink nudge nudge "our little secret" kind of thing.
I eventually let the whole thing drop and quit trying to deny it. He believed what he wanted to believe. People are like that.
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:57 pm
by strogg
Something very similar happened to me this past Saturday. I was open carrying, which isn't something I do regularly. It just happened to be DFW breakfast Saturday, so why not. Anyhow, I ended up in a very interesting conversation with a random gentleman at a store about private security firms and their business models, along with their rules and regulations and clients and his personal experience. It was a bit odd, as I have no idea how something like that started, but I didn't care. It really was interesting. Near the end of the lengthy conversation, he mentioned the nonexistent radio on my belt and asked me which PD I worked for. Then it hit me why he started talking about this stuff. I answered honestly that I'm not a police officer, I didn't have a radio on my belt, and I'm just a normal Joe with an LTC. That didn't seem to phase him at all, which was good. We still ended the conversation on a positive note.
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:06 pm
by 03Lightningrocks
These stories help to support my belief that many people assume you are a cop when you are open carrying.
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:16 pm
by Flightmare
03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:06 pm
These stories help to support my belief that many people assume you are a cop when you are open carrying.
Mostly because it is so unusual to see people open carrying. It was almost 2 years after the law went into effect before I spotted someone "in the wild" open carrying.
03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:06 pm
These stories help to support my belief that many people assume you are a cop when you are open carrying.
Mostly because it is so unusual to see people open carrying. It was almost 2 years after the law went into effect before I spotted someone "in the wild" open carrying.
03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:06 pm
These stories help to support my belief that many people assume you are a cop when you are open carrying.
Mostly because it is so unusual to see people open carrying. It was almost 2 years after the law went into effect before I spotted someone "in the wild" open carrying.
I still haven't seen anyone OC.
Come to breakfast with us at Rudy's in Frisco on August 10th at 8am. You'll see a few. :)
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 5:02 pm
by crazy2medic
Soccerdad1995 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:51 am
The area near my office is not the best, and there are two gas stations on the corner where folks have been assaulted in the past. So I try to avoid stopping there. But the other morning, I was late for a morning meeting and did not have time to get gas on the way in. So that evening I did stop there. As always happens, someone started to approach me, presumably to ask for money. He saw the 1911 on my hip, stopped about 10 feet away, and said "do you have a few extra bucks so I get some gas, officer?"
I responded that I was sorry, but I did not have any extra money. I didn't feel the need to correct his statement addressing me as "officer". Other than the gun, I wasn't wearing anything that would indicate I might be a LEO (no handcuffs, badges, etc). At the time, I felt that leaving it uncorrected would help to avoid any possible escalation in that particular case, based on my overall feel of the specific situation.
So my question. Are we under any legal, or ethical, obligation to correct someone who addresses us as "officer"?
Under those circumstances I would have done the same, he ASSUMED you were a LEO, no harm no foul and you were better off for it!
Re: Obigation to correct someone?
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:11 pm
by anygunanywhere
The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:18 pm
Not correcting someone else's false assumption is not the same thing as misrepresenting yourself. This can lead to some truly bizarre situations.
There’s a guy who owns a gas station near my old house in Grapevine, who was absolutely convinced that I am ex-CIA. How? Because in the middle of a conversation about retirement (I was newly retired at the time), he point blank asked me if I was retired CIA, and he wasn’t being sarcastic. It was a sincere question.....like he WANTED it to be true. (This guy is a real conspiracy nut too.) I was so taken aback by the question in the moment that my initial reaction was to grin and look down at the ground. It took me about 2-3 seconds too long to collect my thoughts and to answer in the negative, simply because I couldn’t believe I’d been asked the question, and that sealed the deal. He TOTALLY jumped to the conclusion that I am a retired CIA agent. I did deny it then and there, more than once, but he wasn’t having it. It was more interesting for him to have this fantasy about my identity, that’s it was for him to believe my denials. In fact, the denials just served to strengthen his resolve, and he took it as like a wink wink nudge nudge "our little secret" kind of thing.
I eventually let the whole thing drop and quit trying to deny it. He believed what he wanted to believe. People are like that.
The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:18 pm
Not correcting someone else's false assumption is not the same thing as misrepresenting yourself. This can lead to some truly bizarre situations.
There’s a guy who owns a gas station near my old house in Grapevine, who was absolutely convinced that I am ex-CIA. How? Because in the middle of a conversation about retirement (I was newly retired at the time), he point blank asked me if I was retired CIA, and he wasn’t being sarcastic. It was a sincere question.....like he WANTED it to be true. (This guy is a real conspiracy nut too.) I was so taken aback by the question in the moment that my initial reaction was to grin and look down at the ground. It took me about 2-3 seconds too long to collect my thoughts and to answer in the negative, simply because I couldn’t believe I’d been asked the question, and that sealed the deal. He TOTALLY jumped to the conclusion that I am a retired CIA agent. I did deny it then and there, more than once, but he wasn’t having it. It was more interesting for him to have this fantasy about my identity, that’s it was for him to believe my denials. In fact, the denials just served to strengthen his resolve, and he took it as like a wink wink nudge nudge "our little secret" kind of thing.
I eventually let the whole thing drop and quit trying to deny it. He believed what he wanted to believe. People are like that.
The Annoyed Man. Double Nought Spy.
He would tell us but then he would have to kill us all. So it's better we don't know.
The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:18 pm
{stuff deleted here}
I eventually let the whole thing drop and quit trying to deny it. He believed what he wanted to believe. People are like that.
The Annoyed Man. Double Nought Spy.
what was that line from 'Hunt for Red October'? something along the lines of "I'm not field personnel, I'm an analyst."
03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:06 pm
These stories help to support my belief that many people assume you are a cop when you are open carrying.
Mostly because it is so unusual to see people open carrying. It was almost 2 years after the law went into effect before I spotted someone "in the wild" open carrying.
I still haven't seen anyone OC.
If you don't make it to a breakfast in your area before September, the NRA is having a big meeting in Dallas.
