By: Mary Beth Almond | Rochester Post | Published November 22, 2024
ROCHESTER — The city of Rochester is hoping to crack down on concealed pistol license holder violators by taking matters into its own hands.
In Michigan, a person licensed to carry a concealed pistol must immediately disclose the fact to a police officer if they are stopped while carrying the pistol, and must also show the officer their license and ID.
Previously, if a person pulled over by Rochester police did not disclose they were carrying a concealed pistol, officers could write violations under the state law, but the charges had to be filed and processed with the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office.
“The issue that we have now is we stop cars here, and there are not many, but if they don’t disclose it and they have a CPL, they don’t have ID or they don’t have their license on them, we have to take it up to the Prosecutor’s Office. They are backlogged usually, and they don’t want to mess with civil infractions — and I don’t blame them. They have a pretty heavy caseload,” Rochester Police Chief George Rouhib said.
On Nov. 11, the Rochester City Council voted 6-0 to pass an ordinance adding a section on the disclosure of concealed pistols to City Code. Councilwoman Sara King was absent from the meeting.
The new ordinance continues to allow officers to write a civil infraction ticket for offenders, but it allows violations to be handled under local ordinance and also utilizes the Rochester city prosecutor to handle such tickets in court.
“This way we don’t just let people who are violating this slide, because you could lose your CPL if you fail to disclose,” Rouhib said. “Also, any kind of fine goes back to the city, rather than the state.”
Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Salvia said the new ordinance just “makes sense.”
“Anything we can do to help our local police force continue to keep us safe,” she said.
The new city ordinance outlines three potential violations, all of which City Attorney Jeffrey Kragt said mirror state law.
Anyone who is licensed to carry a concealed pistol and is not carrying one’s concealed pistol license and either a state-issued driver’s license or personal identification card will receive a municipal civil infraction and be fined.
“There are three different violations that are here: One is to carry the ID, one is to show the ID, and those two are each … $100 fines, so that could be two different violations,” Kragt explained.
“Then, if you have your weapon on you and you don’t disclose that you have your weapon on you, that’s where it jumps to a $500 fine. It’s not a penny more than what state law identifies, it just allows a ticket to be written under local ordinance instead of state law.”
For more information regarding statewide handgun regulations or concealed weapons and firearms laws, contact the Rochester Police Department at (248) 651-9621.