Howdy Folks!
That is something I referred to in another thread, which is to evaluate the demeanor of the cop, just as certainly as he evaluates your demeanor. If an LEO is being friendly and chatty, great! It behooves us to do what we can to have good relations with LEOs. After all, the power is entirely on their end of the stick. For us to get all "uppity" does us no good whatsoever.
That being said, yes, one must be wary of when an LEO might translate from fellow citizen to official of the local government. I'll be friendly and cooperative to a point, but when I get the sense that he is trying to investigate me, then the behavior of the cop will certainly change my own.
Interaction with an LEO is a fluid dynamic. Treating them like people, being friendly and open, can quickly defuse the initial attitude an LEO might have. If he comes on strong only to be confronted with a friendly and peacable citizen, it makes things tough on them to remain officious. If they do, however, we can still accomplish more by remaining friendly but still stand upon our rights.
In a perfect world, the police would all be considerate of the citizens they are sworn to protect. And all the citizens who carry arms would be civil and friendly to the officers. This isn't a perfect world. I've seen on the OCDO site some that appear overly combative toward LEOs. I've also been on Officer.com and seen they have members who are overly combative toward citizens. Fortunately, those at the far ends of the spectrum are not the majority on either side.
The cops are concerned about criminals in our midst. So are we.
They carry weapons for their own defense and that of the citizens they are sworn to protect. So do we. Are we really that far apart?
The officer must remember that he took an oath to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and likely the Constitution of their state as well. They exist as an organization to fight crime and protect the citizens under their jurisdiction. They must remember that all law abiding citizens, not breaking any laws, are their fellow citizens. Some LEOs tend to forget they are citizens too. Then again, some of us need to appreciate that LEOs are there to serve the public good. They aren't all "out to get us", and they are our partners in securing our safety and welfare.
Some folks disagreed with my views on the other thread I posted, and I am sure to get some disagreement here too. That's okay with me. I just remember what my grandmother said so often: "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." If we can build better relations between LEOs and armed citizens, I believe we should strive toward that goal. It is in our own best interest to do so. We need them, and they surely need us. A symbiotic relationship between citizen and LEO serves the aims of both groups far better than an adversarial view of "the other guy".
I wish I could cross post this on Officer.com, but being a civilian, I'm sure I would see my post removed because I ain't an LEO. But those who seem reasonable on both sides can make a huge difference to the benefit of both. We, open carriers and armed citizen, and LEO need to remember... I ain't the enemy. They ain't the enemy. The enemy is the criminal element that is of great concern to both sides.
I suspect that most cops haven't had a criminal stick a pistol in their face when alone on a dark street. I have. I'd have given anything for a cop to have been cruising by when that happened. There were none. Just a criminal, a pistol, and my continued existence suddenly tentative. They did a heckuva job getting paperwork about the robbery after the fact, but they were not there when I was confronted with a deadly threat. That experience taught me that I must be prepared to defend my own life. The LEO should understand that simple concept and accept that we all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They also need to understand and accept that the citizen has rights under the constitution to keep and bear arms. And so long as the citizen is carrying lawfully and responsibly, they should not infringe on those rights.
It ain't about showing off, or looking for an encounter with an LEO to get him in hot water with IA, or bust his chops for doing his job. It is about defending my own life.
Perhaps if they'd been there when I needed them most, I'd feel differently about carrying. Now I carry, because I understand they just can't be everywhere at all times. It ain't their fault, just the reality of how things are. They know this too, and should understand that we are exercising our rights for our own defense and view us as fellow citizens who are ready to confront crime when it comes our way.
Blessings,
M-Taliesin
Where I live, a MWG call usually ends when the dispatcher asks if the MGW is causing trouble or harming anyone. If not, the caller is told to have a nice day and they hang up. 
