Winston-Salem City Council member James Taylor’s claims he was racially profiled during a traffic stop in small town that he declines to name.
Taylor said he was carrying a permitted concealed weapon and told the female officer as much, yet he was still cited “for not telling her initially” about the weapon.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports:
The N.C. General Statute on concealed weapons states that someone carrying or possessing a concealed weapon must inform the officer “when approached or addressed by the officer.”
Winston-Salem Assistant Police Chief David Clayton said that in general, police officers need to know immediately that a person is carrying or possessing a concealed weapon.
“The spirit of that law is to protect the officer,” Clayton said. “They need to know there is an armed person inside that vehicle.”
A judge will have to determine just how quickly a person must announce a concealed weapon, Clayton said.
Taylor also said he was cited for speeding. The Journal says it checked a court records database, but could find nothing related to Taylor.
Update: More details from the Journal.
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15
2012 At 2:10 pm, Ken Said:
Mr. Taylor protests his treatment at the hand of government. His complaints may be legitimate, I have no way of knowing. But as a Council member, he has voted for numbers of measures which pinch and inconvenience citizens in his geographic area in order to grant the wishes of certain other citizens. Welcome to the club, Mr. Taylor.
16
2012 At 9:47 pm, jaycee Said:
From several accounts in the W-S Journal, Taylor was:
-Speeding
-Illegally carrying a concealed weapon by not having his permit on his person as required by law
-Failed to inform the officer he had a concealed weapon as required by law
Um, yeah…if I got caught violating multiple laws I’d pull out all the cards to try and save my butt, too.