Let’s see how this cops are all heros bullshit ages after Uvalde. Cops are humans who’s identity depends on the badge and the gun. The nature of their job demands that they minimize risk to themselves at all times. Heroes and cowards are defined by moments, not career choices. As long as American society is based on a caste system, Cops will be enforcing that syste. People in dominant castes will get a pass and people in submissive castes will will face discrimination.

Ah, it looks like you caught their attention because of the exposed clip.

From the NYPD site.

* Is it illegal to carry a knife in public view?

* New York City law prohibits carrying a knife that can be seen in public, including wearing a knife outside of your clothing. This applies to all knives, even if the blade is not exposed. When any portion of the knife is visible, such as the clip, hinge or top, this is considered in public view. This rule does not apply to those who carry knives for work that customarily requires the use of such knife, members of the military, or on-duty ambulance drivers and EMTs while engaged in the performance of their duties.

New York City also prohibits the possession in public of a knife with a blade that is 4 or more inches regardless of whether any part of the knife, including the blade, is visible or concealed. This rule does not apply to those who carry knives for work that customarily requires the use of such knife, members of the military, or on-duty ambulance drivers and EMTs while engaged in the performance of their duties.

Tim, thank you so much for this great article. Super informative, great ending.

Damn, interesting story! I’m way too familiar with that intensely nervous feeling during the time where you’re still trying to process how they’re going to handle the situation!
I also work in the television/photo/film industry and had a similar experience when getting stopped by two patrol officers in Brooklyn one night in 2015.

I was coming home from AC-ing on this silly Matthew McConaughey (lol) movie called “Gold”. I had already drove all the way from Long Island, returned the cam dept truck and rode the G from LIC to my neighborhood at the time. I was coming above ground at the Myrtle–Willoughby stop and two cops noticed the clip of my folding utility blade in my pocket (tiny Sheffield box cutter with replaceable blade) and stopped me. For like twenty mins they fiddled with my knife while we went back and fourth about legality, how I couldn’t do my job without it and then answered their dumb fanboy questions about all their favorite actors 😂. My friend was with me and definitely aided in convincing them that I 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 work on sets.

In the end though.. same as you, they also encouraged me to hide the knife so I wouldn’t get stopped. Thinking back on it, I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if I weren’t a regular looking white kid that had a clean-cut, white friend to back up his story. Probably a varying degree of outcomes but I’m certain they all wouldn’t have ended as chill as mine.

Calling cops cowards is way too harsh considering all they do, but it’s true cops have been arresting people through a broad and potentially illegal interpretation of the law. Even small manual folders are getting people felonies and jail time in the city.

That is very disrespectful considering how many cops have died protecting innocents. And as far as”nobody has the right of self defense” I know of many people that carry and/or own pocket knives including me and my grandfather, who has a collection of over 20 pocket knives and my father who also has quite a few. Any small, manual pocket knive is legal in NYC, as long as it has a blade under 4 inches

Hear hear!

That’s because most NYC cops are cowards who are too afraid to confront actual criminals, because they might be shot, stabbed, or beaten to death. They’d rather harass innocent civilians, who generally won’t resist. They also believe that nobody has a right to self defense by carrying any kind of potential “weapon”. I will continue to carry my EDC in NYC, specifically because if the NYPD’s cowardice, ineptitude, and overall stupidity. The judges who voted in the majority of this particular case are all hand-wringing, panty-waist morons, and I fondly hope they all get stabbed, shot, or beaten to death. But then, they probably all have concealed carry permits themselves, consistent with their gigantic hypocrisy! Elitist scum!