How often is a cell phone mistaken for a gun?

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primalclaws1974

Well-Known Member
I would think in this modern era, where everyone carries a phone, that police would often mistake a cell for a gun or another weapon. Some states are now starting to digitalize their I.D.'s onto mobile devices, so now when a police person pulls you over, you may have to show them your device. This might increase the likelihood of a mistake. What are your thoughts on this?
 
Honestly, I think the two things are mistaken for each other too often. I think that cops are really nervous when encountering someone that they consider "hostile" and they will react to anything that is black. Wallets are also another popular choice when you are talking about things that are mistaken for guns.
 
It's possible for a cop to mistaken anything in your pocket as a gun it seems. Truthfully many patrol cops are not prepared to handle a real life situation with a gun and some are very nervous, they can overreact easily and for good reason. It is a lot of crazy people out there and you never know what could happen next.
 
As someone who carries a gun daily I would think that it would be pretty difficult to mistake a phone for a gun. The only time this could possibly be an issue would be in the dark. I don't think that this is something that happens on a daily basis or anything though.

I do have my doubts about the constitutionality of asking someone to hand over their phone anytime they encountered a law enforcement officer though.
 
I can understand the police getting confused by a cellphone in the dark. I think that the police are concerned seeing someone reach into their pockets. It probably makes them nervous and assume that the citizen is carrying a gun.
 
I would say if you are worried about it, when you reach down you let the police know you are getting your cell phone to show them some documents. They will either tell you to keep your hands where they are or let you proceed. You cannot be too careful these days when there are plenty of people breaking the law and shooting police officers. I can see why there are nervous people on both sides.
 
I thinks that basically anything that is reached from a pocket could be mistaken for a gun these days. Cops should just do better with their judgement. And your best bet as a citizen is to tell the cop it is not a gun.
 
musicmonster said:
I thinks that basically anything that is reached from a pocket could be mistaken for a gun these days. Cops should just do better with their judgement. And your best bet as a citizen is to tell the cop it is not a gun.
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You are right, it works both ways. Of course, we shouldn't really have to do this at all, but there does seem to be an increasing paranoia from the police that people are about to pull a gun out on them. If it means not getting shot at then, yes, explaining what you are about to do seems like the best option. Of course, the police also need to learn not to be so trigger-happy either!
 
Okay guys, here's the deal. COMMON SENSE dictates that when an officer approaches you or attempts to detain you, you not reach into your pocket to pull out ANYTHING. If an officer has told you to "stop, police" and you put your hands in your pockets they are trained to react as though it is a gun. If you have been told to stop there is no reason whatsoever for you to pull out a phone or a wallet that has previously been in your pocket. If the cops want to see your phone/wallet they'll ask you for it. Your hands should always be visible to the officer once he has told you to stop. Stupid people, with apparently little to no common sense, are what makes these situations happen.
 
I can't imagine a cellphone could be confused for a gun. That just seems wierd. I am pretty sure policemen are better trained than that.
 
ally79 said:
Okay guys, here's the deal. COMMON SENSE dictates that when an officer approaches you or attempts to detain you, you not reach into your pocket to pull out ANYTHING. If an officer has told you to "stop, police" and you put your hands in your pockets they are trained to react as though it is a gun. If you have been told to stop there is no reason whatsoever for you to pull out a phone or a wallet that has previously been in your pocket. If the cops want to see your phone/wallet they'll ask you for it. Your hands should always be visible to the officer once he has told you to stop. Stupid people, with apparently little to no common sense, are what makes these situations happen.
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Insult people all you want, but sometimes the people standing around the one person who has been addressed will reach for their phone to film the interaction, especially if they have been victim of police brutality or unfairness (such as racial profiling) in the past. Smartphones are pretty much the sole reason that we have so many proof of brutality and malconduct from the police. Common sense should be that you think of this before calling people stupid.
 
ally79 said:
Okay guys, here's the deal. COMMON SENSE dictates that when an officer approaches you or attempts to detain you, you not reach into your pocket to pull out ANYTHING. If an officer has told you to "stop, police" and you put your hands in your pockets they are trained to react as though it is a gun. If you have been told to stop there is no reason whatsoever for you to pull out a phone or a wallet that has previously been in your pocket. If the cops want to see your phone/wallet they'll ask you for it. Your hands should always be visible to the officer once he has told you to stop. Stupid people, with apparently little to no common sense, are what makes these situations happen.
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Cops should be trained to shoot when they need to, not when there is a less than 2 percent chance the person has a gun. People who reach into their pockets are not what make police brutality happen. Police using excessive force is what makes police brutality happen. I agree that people should know better than to reach into their pocket when they are being detained, but if you're innocent and have never been arrested a day in your life, you don't exactly know better. There isn't a class on these types of things. Which reminds me, they should really begin teaching this in schools.
 
Yeah, that was a pretty rude response. I am not going to say people don't do stupid things like try and wrestle a gun from a cop, but that's rare. Most people are going to reach for their driver's license and insurance by instinct. Should they get shot dead for something that is automatic (not stupidity)? One could argue the cop reaching for his gun is instinct too, and you are right, but firing a bullet is an entirely different matter.
 
I think that the mistake is made quite often. And people have tough time figuring out the right thing to do. I believe that it is not really quite easy for people to get through their assumption easily.
 
The mistake is made regularly and people have ended up being severely injured or killed. Instead of a suspect reaching into his pocket without warning the officer of their intention, they need to tell the police officer that they need to get their phone out. Since the officer won't trust the suspect they'll either allow him to do it or have them reach for the sky [literally] so they can confirm themselves if what you have in your pocket actually is a phone.
 
That happens pretty often because people have something in their had or reach their pockets and instinctively it's confused by a gun, what can be done in these cases?
 
I've heard that Amadou Diallo's problem was that, in some countries where guns are less often carried, the rule is "If stopped by police, show ID."
 
Probably it is a good idea to move slowly and keep your hands open at all times so the cop does not make a mistake. Also it is a good idea not to reach for your cellphone, unless the cop tells you that you can. This means you do not have to answer questions if you choose not to, but just to prevent misunderstandings.
 
Cell phone is mistaken for a gun quite often and it can be equity sad at many times. I am sure that a lot of people would never like that. It is totally rude when that happens.
 
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