Spyderco Forums

Ok this is the story, my friend and I are driving home from the movies we are coming up to this light that’s yellow but my friends thinks he can make it. We'll u know what happened it turned red and of course there’s a cop there. He pulls us over asked for license registration insurance u know. Goes back to his car. He comes back asks my friend the driver to step out. pats him down he has 2 knifes on him and arrests him for driving with a suspended license and running a red light.. Comes over to my side asks me for my license, runs my license sees that its fine. Then he HAD to ask me if I had any weapons, of course I had my knife on me (never leave home with out it) so im thinking if I say yes I could get arrested or he could just take the knife or whatever so I say yes. Step out of the car pat down takes my knife . He asks me what I use it for I say personal protection (which is 100% true). He says that he can arrest me but lets me go. Drove my friend’s car home. End of story...



Would you have told him you had a knife?

Is there anyway I can get my knife back?

3-13/16" tanto style black blade **** im gunna miss that thing!

It depends on if you were breaking any of your state's laws. If you weren't,then I would contact the cops supervisor and make a complaint. I am a former law enforcement officer and there is nothing that I can think of that allows a cop to take your personal property. If you were breaking the law then he could have arrested you and put your knife in evidence, but not keep it for personal use. Sounds like he stole your knife to me.

Bad business and not something I line to hear as a retired LEO.

Hi CDSniper, welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear your story. If asked if you are carrying any "weapons", a better answer might be "No, but I do have a knife that I use for daily chores".

As soon as you refer to your knife is a weapon (even if it is just agreeing with the LEO's terminology) it start's to paint you and your knife in a bad light.

As John Watson said, first thing to do is find out if your knife conformed to your State's laws, then proceed appropriately from there.

Walk softly, carry a big stick.

Hey CDSniper :

Bad joss! <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Do what John Watson told you to do ; go to the officer's supervisor. No crime
commited, NO REASON to take your knife! Leave
it to communist Mass. to do something like that! Funny actually, here's a state of the
Union where they impound your knife, but let
companies like Knifezilla.com sell switchblades! <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> But I think if you go through the chain-of-command you MIGHT get
results <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Keep us on the forum advised of your situation! And good Luck! <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

ATE <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

I was not breaking the law in anyway. But I looked up and in mass you can only have a knife with a blade length of 1 1/2 inches. WTF is that?

also should I just go down to the station or call up? I don't have the cops name...

I think there was a change in the local Boston ordinance that makes your knife illegal due to blade length.
Deac

Called up, the officer said if you want the knife back to come down here, they would place me under arrest for having a knife longer then 2 in end of story.

I think that cop just liked the knife and seized it for himself. It nearly happened to me once. I tried to tell him that a knife is a tool, not a weapon, but he was pretty hooked by my knife. Thank God I had "connections"... Anyway it's a shame for The States. It seems to me you can carry a gun easier than a knife.

Edited by - dialex on 5/12/2002 2:08:13 PM

CDSniper, As a LEO myself it sounds to me like he has stolen your knife. I would call and speat to the Police chief or the Sheriff and tell them exactly what he told you and what the circumstances were when he took the knife. You will probably get the knife back from the supervisor. I would ask if the officer had turned it in as evidence "probably not" at which time I'd file a formal complaint for "theft under 500 dollars" and "Official misconduct" the Theft being a misdemeanor and Misconduct being a Felony. He took your knife so I'd go after his job.

<img src=http://www.spyderco.com/forum/spyder.gif>Size Matters<img src=http://www.spyderco.com/forum/spyder.gif><img src=http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/372fcedb ... 8A88UxWudf>

he said that if I came down there he would arrest me...im only 19 college student. I had that knife for protection because a lot of students had been getting robbed in the area that I live in. That was my only spyderco <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> .

Tell them you don't want it back, but want to witness it being destroyed so the cop doesn't get it. It will hurt to see it go, but at least it's gone, and not riding around in someones pocket.


Blades

Edited by - Blades on 5/12/2002 8:12:43 PM

He stole it.For a small fee a lawer might be able to type a letter stateing that you did not know of the law and would like to get your knife back for collecting purpose.

}{ Jeff }{ One does not greet death,One punches him in the throat repeatedly as he drags you away

OH yeah you might want to print this page and send it to the police chief and if that does not get it back post it in the local news paper.Just because they are police officers does not mean they can do whatever they want.

}{ Jeff }{ One does not greet death,One punches him in the throat repeatedly as he drags you away

Hi CD Sniper,

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.

I lived in Boston for 25 years up until 2 months ago, and to the best of my knowledge there is no blade length limit in Massachusetts. However there is a new blade length limit in Boston enacted at the end of December, which limits blade length to 2.5" UNLESS you need it for work or for some sporting activity that you are going to or coming from.

This is why the cop had to ask you why you were carrying a knife over 2.5", and self-defense is not one of legal reasons to do so in Boston law. And by MA law, carrying it with intent to use it as a "weapon" is a crime. So to the best of my knowledge everything the cop said was correct.

*I should add the disclaimer that I'm not a lawyer. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Edited by - Carlos on 5/12/2002 3:38:54 PM

Jeff.
I don't know if it's the same in the States, but over here (UK) ignorance of the law is no defence.

I'm lucky living in a rural area as there is relatively little crime and the police tend to take a more practicle approach to the law (i.e. they're not generally tight @ss's). Even so it's generally a good idea to be polite arround LEO's as they can always find some reason to give you trouble if you give them trouble first.

Walk softly, carry a big stick.

You are screwed to put it bluntly. Just read the knife law at http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/ma.txt

Here is the important section
Updated 4/23/2002

GENERAL LAWS OF MASSACHUSETTS
PART IV.
CRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES.

TITLE I. CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS.
CHAPTER 269. CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC PEACE.

Chapter 269: Section 10. Carrying dangerous weapons...

(b) Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his
person, or carries on his person or under his control
in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case
which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn
at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife
with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any
mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade,
or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring
release device by which the blade is released from the
handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches,
or a slung shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles
or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the
same use with the same or similar effect as metallic
knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or
kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two
sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a
length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any
similar pointed starlike object intended to injure a person
when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has
metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made
from any other substance or a cestus or similar material
weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand,
or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted
ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged
crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance
of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has
on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or
other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and
those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by
imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more
than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six
months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house
of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant
has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished
by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for
not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.


Kevin S. Gallagher

Not to take the light of CDSniper. just a similar story(although kinda funny)
i was driving home from a day out with a family friend (he's a laywer <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>) Taillight was out or something and got pulled over.. same thing happened. ran my license and got a pad down, found my real mean looking SOG lockblade. I said it was a tool, i used it alot where i worked and we went where the questions took us and the cop was holding my beloved knife the entire time loving it more and more..(bastard) pocketing his new prize he gave me a warning and walked off... Then my laywer friend saw this, got out and went off on the cop. laying down the law. was **** funny to hear. The cop came back to me and gave me a rather long apology

Yog,It was just that in my mind the LEO stuck it in his pocket and did not file a report or anything.I am wary of some cops,it is not that bad now but several years ago around here the police were bad to take guns away from younger poeple on there way to hunt and keep the gun themselves.I knew or should I say that my dad knew a man(I was only about 8 at the time) that had to go and retrive his sons shotgun.When he got to the police station the policeman had to be called to bring it in from where he took it home.I am not saying this is what happened here but if it happened to me thats what would go through my mind.Luckally most of those policemen have moved on to something else now.The ones here now are mostly good guys that do there job very well.

}{ Jeff }{ One does not greet death,One punches him in the throat repeatedly as he drags you away

So every single person in mass that owns a Spyderco knife is breaking the law? Are you saying that I can't own a Spyderco?