Out of state retired officer carrying under LEOSA while traveling through California?

[Aidokea]

I am a qualified retired police officer living in Texas, and I have a road trip coming up that will take me through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, on my way to Mexico for the Baja 1000 race next month.

I've already made arrangements to locker my pistol with the San Ysidro CBP office before crossing the border into Mexico.

I've tried to do a little reading on this, but I'd appreciate input on carrying under LEOSA as a qualified retired police officer (926C), as I travel through California on my way there and back.

I'm planning to bring my Gen 2 Glock 17. I don't know if it's on the California "list", but it's a model that has no under-barrel rail, if that matters.

I'm planning to bring a couple of 10-round mags. If I understand correctly, I can no longer carry standard-capacity mags over 10 rounds in California, because I'm retired.

And I'm planning to bring hollow-point ammo. If I understand correctly, there is no prohibition on that in California.

Any corrections to that? Anything else I should know?

[clof2001]

Your gun is good. Ammo is good. If you decide to bring high cap mags, 99% chance it will NOT be a problem.

Professional courtesy still exists here. As long as you're not doing anything dumb, getting drunk in bars, driving like an *******, flashing your piece during a road rage incident, you'll be fine. If you get stopped let the cop know what's up and you're retired.

I actually stopped a retired LEO about 3 days ago, don't remember what state he was from. Simple traffic violation. He had a few guns in the car, some ammo, was here visiting family for a few weeks. Gave me his credentials, I ran his DL, and he was gone in 60 seconds. Didn't ask what kind of guns he had or if he had high capacity mags, because I didn't care.

Stay out of the city of Los Angeles, the city of San Francisco, and the city of Sacramento...those are gestapo towns. Don't leave your gun out in the open, either keep it on you, lock it in your trunk, or hotel room. Don't put in glove box or center console. No open carry whatsoever.

Despite all the doom and gloom about CA gun laws, you're not gonna be hassled. It's the nannies at the legislature making all these silly laws, not the guys in blue. We're finding felons with full auto ghost guns and still cutting them loose with citations. So don't lose any sleep.

One final word, if you get pulled over by CHP for whatever, doesn't matter if you're George Patton coming back from WW2 victory...you're still getting a ticket.

[1911user]

clof2001 stated…

”I RAN HIS DL”

So, you stated, you stopped a retired LEO…I assume he presented his retired Credentials, so what was the need to run his DL? Were you skeptical he wasn’t who he said he was? In my 40 years OTJ I’ve never felt the need to “RUN” any check, on an active or retired LEO I stopped (traffic infractions) unless there were mitigating circumstances, like questionable credentials. Just curious.

[clof2001]

clof2001 stated…

”I RAN HIS DL”

So, you stated, you stopped a retired LEO…I assume he presented his retired Credentials, so what was the need to run his DL? Were you skeptical he wasn’t who he said he was? In my 40 years OTJ I’ve never felt the need to “RUN” any check, on an active or retired LEO I stopped (traffic infractions) unless there were mitigating circumstances, like questionable credentials. Just curious.

Department policy for the Racial and Identity Profiling Act thing.

[clof2001]

clof2001 stated…

”I RAN HIS DL”

So, you stated, you stopped a retired LEO…I assume he presented his retired Credentials, so what was the need to run his DL? Were you skeptical he wasn’t who he said he was? In my 40 years OTJ I’ve never felt the need to “RUN” any check, on an active or retired LEO I stopped (traffic infractions) unless there were mitigating circumstances, like questionable credentials. Just curious.

Also, FWIW, I had a stop a few years ago of a 25 year old with confidential plates. Was treading on his dad's good name, who was a local BP agent. Anyway son was real friendly, knew all the cop lingo, even had dad's flat badge. Also had a felony DV warrant for smashing his girls face in.

So yeah, I can usually tell, but it also takes 10 seconds to run the DL in clets.

[CCCSD]

clof2001 stated…

”I RAN HIS DL”

So, you stated, you stopped a retired LEO…I assume he presented his retired Credentials, so what was the need to run his DL? Were you skeptical he wasn’t who he said he was? In my 40 years OTJ I’ve never felt the need to “RUN” any check, on an active or retired LEO I stopped (traffic infractions) unless there were mitigating circumstances, like questionable credentials. Just curious.

Good way to die…

[NolaT]

You truly Never know what’s out there.

I remember in my early twenties I ran a DL, off duty detail where a dept store based hi dollar receipt-less returns, on past criminal theft history. At the same time I was hearing that he was a felon, he showed me his credentials. He wasn’t from the area, I have no idea how he was an LEO, I assumed he wasn’t sworn and worked for a small agency, probably a podunk sheriff.

[Aidokea]

I stopped a guy in an unmarked Suburban once.

Covert emergency lights all over, Toughbook MDT mounted to the console, multiple antennas, transport cage, radios, G-man window tint, tac vest, duty belt, cuffs, the whole nine yards.

He badged me with some federal badge and ID card, was very dismissive in his attitude towards me, and obviously put out that I would take up his valuable time.

Other officers had stopped him, and let him go without running checks.

I ran checks, and he was completely full of $#!+. He went to prison, and his Suburban was seized and now belongs to my agency.

[NolaT]

Good ending!!

[Aidokea]

Your gun is good. Ammo is good. If you decide to bring high cap mags, 99% chance it will NOT be a problem.

Professional courtesy still exists here. As long as you're not doing anything dumb, getting drunk in bars, driving like an *******, flashing your piece during a road rage incident, you'll be fine. If you get stopped let the cop know what's up and you're retired.

I actually stopped a retired LEO about 3 days ago, don't remember what state he was from. Simple traffic violation. He had a few guns in the car, some ammo, was here visiting family for a few weeks. Gave me his credentials, I ran his DL, and he was gone in 60 seconds. Didn't ask what kind of guns he had or if he had high capacity mags, because I didn't care.

Stay out of the city of Los Angeles, the city of San Francisco, and the city of Sacramento...those are gestapo towns. Don't leave your gun out in the open, either keep it on you, lock it in your trunk, or hotel room. Don't put in glove box or center console. No open carry whatsoever.

Despite all the doom and gloom about CA gun laws, you're not gonna be hassled. It's the nannies at the legislature making all these silly laws, not the guys in blue. We're finding felons with full auto ghost guns and still cutting them loose with citations. So don't lose any sleep.

One final word, if you get pulled over by CHP for whatever, doesn't matter if you're George Patton coming back from WW2 victory...you're still getting a ticket.

Thanks, brother.

My pistol will only be on my hip, under my T-shirt.

I'll be coming in on the 8, making a left turn, and lockering my pistol with CBP in San Ysidro before crossing the border.

I know about the CHP- I got stopped three times by them 20+ years ago on my honeymoon, riding down the PCH on our sport-touring motorcycle on our way to Laguna Seca for the AMA/WSB double-header. I got cited twice. I disposed of the first citation by doing the online traffic school, and mailed in a check with a letter for the other one. To make a long story short, the Mendocino court clerk apparently was stealing bail money and dummying up the paperwork, but a new computer system kept automatically mailing me threat letters demanding payment for something I already paid. When the dust settled, they dismissed the ticket and refunded my money. I still have the apology letter from the court.

[clof2001]

If you're only going to be on the 8 you'll be good to go in Imperial and SD counties. Again your only real chance of any flak is gonna be CHP between the AZ border and El Centro and from there into Alpine. Some lonely stretches of road out there and they have nothing better to do.

Feel free to skip stopping anywhere in El Cajon, Lemon Grove/Spring Valley or LaMesa unless you want your car stolen in broad daylight. If you need to make a stop and rest before crossing the border, anything in Chula Vista east of I-805 is pretty friendly. Then it's only a few miles south from there. Have a safe trip.

[Aidokea]

Yeah, I can avoid stopping in that area.

I won't be offering the CHP any justification to stop me- I'll just be setting the cruise control to the speed limit to try to get the best possible fuel mileage out of our truck, especially as high as your fuel prices are there in California.

Looks like Google Maps wants to take me from the 8 to the 125 to the 54 to the 805 to San Ysidro. Any alternate suggestions?

[clof2001]

If you want, you can stay on 125 south instead of 54, but it turns into a toll road. Not sure if you're pulling a trailer or not but $6 can get you around about 30 minutes of traffic. Then you can exit either Olympic Pkwy or Birch Road in Chula Vista and there is a huge new shopping center on the east side of the freeway with grocery stores and every restaurant you can think of and a ton of gas stations at reasonable prices. This is pretty much the last stop for normal civilization.

Then get back on the 125 south, to 905 west, and 805 south. You'll start seeing signs for the border once you get closer to the 805.

Make sure you don't go east on the 905, you'll end up crossing the border at Otay Mesa, which wouldn't work out if your locking up your gun. Just FYI... If you're not familiar with crossing back into the US at Tijuana... It's like a 2-3 hour wait.

There's plenty of places to stop on the 805 as well just not as nice. The gas stations right before the border crossing are like $8 a gallon, at least they were a couple months ago when I was down there.

[Aidokea]

I also need to pick a place along the 10 to spend the night, somewhere between about El Paso and Tucson, but I know that's not a California subject.

[NolaT]

Thanks, brother.

My pistol will only be on my hip, under my T-shirt.

I'll be coming in on the 8, making a left turn, and lockering my pistol with CBP in San Ysidro before crossing the border.

I know about the CHP- I got stopped three times by them 20+ years ago on my honeymoon, riding down the PCH on our sport-touring motorcycle on our way to Laguna Seca for the AMA/WSB double-header. I got cited twice. I disposed of the first citation by doing the online traffic school, and mailed in a check with a letter for the other one. To make a long story short, the Mendocino court clerk apparently was stealing bail money and dummying up the paperwork, but a new computer system kept automatically mailing me threat letters demanding payment for something I already paid. When the dust settled, they dismissed the ticket and refunded my money. I still have the apology letter from the court.

So CHP writes everyone,…….no commissioned preferential discretion?!

[CCCSD]

So CHP writes everyone,…….no commissioned preferential discretion?!

Depends on the Officer. Don’t be a badge waver.
I’ve never been cited.

[NolaT]

Agreed, I rarely go more than 5 over.

Non- LEO friends ask why I don’t drive faster. I’ve never wanted to be put in a position of actually receiving a citation, commissioned or not,…….

[Aidokea]

Agreed, I rarely go more than 5 over.

Non- LEO friends ask why I don’t drive faster. I’ve never wanted to be put in a position of actually receiving a citation, commissioned or not,…….

I got a citation while on duty and in uniform once...

I had court that day but was running late, so I rode my personally-owned motorcycle directly to court, instead of stopping by the station to pick up a marked patrol car.

Another officer saw my motorcycle parked outside, didn't realize it was mine, didn't think my license plate was visible enough, and cited it.

I remounted the plate to make it more visible, and submitted a photo along with a letter and a check, and the judge dismissed it.

[CCCSD]

I got a citation while on duty and in uniform once...

I had court that day but was running late, so I rode my personally-owned motorcycle directly to court, instead of stopping by the station to pick up a marked patrol car.

Another officer saw my motorcycle parked outside, didn't realize it was mine, didn't think my license plate was visible enough, and cited it.

I remounted the plate to make it more visible, and submitted a photo along with a letter and a check, and the judge dismissed it.

So you WERE at fault.