Police (stateside) and Vapes

[Rocketpunk]

The first time I ever saw a vape was three years ago. My cousin had what looked like a bomb detonator in his hand with a tube attached to it.

He explained to me what it was, and I was fascinated, but not quite ready.

Now that I am, and I love vaping, sometimes I wonder... How many police officers are aware of e-cigs, and what they look like, mods included?

If I was a cop, or heck, even an average joe, and looked over and some dude is blowing "smoke" out of what looks like a high-tech crack pipe, I'd pull him over. [Edit: As a cop, not a citizen.)

That being said,

I was pulled over a couple of Sundays ago for having my license plate light out, and when he shined his flashlight over me he focused on the e-cig.

Of course, breaking no laws (except the licence plate light, which I honestly knew nothing about), I happily lifted it up and said, "Oh, this? This is just an electronic cigarette, officer, it's a nicotine delivery device."

He said, "Ok," ran my info, and let me go with no hassle.

So... If there are any cops on this forum (I respect your job SOOOO much!), could you tell me if you'd even once consider pulling someone over for vaping if you think maybe they're like, I dunno, smoking crack?

Are police trained lately to identify these things?

I get REALLY nervous vaping in my car when next to a cop. Even though I KNOW I've done nothing wrong, I still get super paranoid.

 

[*deleon517*]

part of it is do you look suspect while doing it? i have vaped while driving,at redlights and even parked next to cops. only once was i questioned about it and it turned out he was a smoker and wanted to know if it really worked and where to buy from.....

this has been done using 510's, ego's, tube mods, and bottom feeders, all with cartos or tanks attached to them.

 

[SuziesMom]

I don't know if it's possible for a police officer to be able to identify EVERY model of ecig at a casual glance, but they're sure as heck looking in your car for any possible violations, or potential weapons when they're pulling you over.

I've never had an issue, but I drive a beige Buick. Cops don't look twice at my car- they assume I'm a grandma.

 

[Aoi~]

Like deleon said, if you don't look shifty/shady/trying to hide it as the cop/whoever sees you vaping, then all's well no? You're not doing anything illegal (for now, at least). I walk around with the ProVari + tank and not give it a second thought /shrug.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I'm relatively new to vaping (1 1/2 months smoke free!!), but I still get scared or nervous to vape at red lights or next to cops. Even in my workplace parking lot.

I know I am not doing anything illegal, but I'm really worried that someone who doesn't know about vaping will see me drawing "smoke" from a cylindrical device and call the cops.

It's not like I'm hitting a crack pipe doing the gangsta lean in my driver's seat. I just... feel weird. I'm super aware of myself at those times.

 

[Strigoi]

I look shady, drive a Mercedes and have never had a cop give me a second glance while I'm next to them at a light and vaping. I don't act like I'm doing something wrong, because I'm not.

I even vape freely in my '77 F250 4x4 that I'm just asking to get pulled over in and haven't had one issue. A couple of months ago a car was broken down in a turn lane by my work. I was rolling over there in the truck to grab some .... and was next to the cop car that was behind it. I was sitting there vaping, the cop came walking back to his car and was looking at me. He comes up the passenger side (window was down) and just said "nice truck, around a '79?". He saw me vaping on a box mod and didn't even question it.

 

[vsummer1]

I agree with the above poster, just don't act sneaky and all will be well. If you get pulled over, well, I guess you get to educate someone. Of course if an officer of the law thinks you are breaking the law, especially driving, it is their duty to investigate. I wouldn't want it any other way really. I would certainly hope that the cop would pull someone over for doing other things that make smoke that aren't cigarettes!

I am not going to change my ways when I am not doing anything wrong. If I was at a red light with a cop next to me, I would just vape away and make sure we made eye contact if he was even interested in checking it out. That way he would know that I knew he was there and did it anyway. He would either think I was totally insane, or vaping Hopefully the latter of course.