What was the RAS for the stop in the first place. "out of State Tags" ? So if you drive into Maryland with out of state tags expect to be detained on the side of the road and harassed.
That is an intriguing question, according to the article the individual was doing nothing overtly wrong, he was even getting passed by traffic.
Hmmm... I do recall reading somewhere that one of the indicators of a vehicle potentially carrying drugs was driving at or even below the speed limit (on the theory that if you're obeying the law the cops won't pull you over.) As the driver had an SUV (drug indicator), tinted windows (drug indicator and most SUVs are sold tinted), and was driving at or below the speed limit (indicator) he 'fit the profile' of a drug mule.
It's quite possible the nice officer just wanted a roadside chat. Had he gone to the driver's window, not been engulfed in noxious marijuana smoke and the license come back 'clean' he would have handed the license back and said, "Hey, I saw your tag light was out, you may wanna get that fixed. Have a nice day, citizen."
Unfortunately, the license check reported something that Maryland does NOT like, people with guns. In my opinion, he grossly over-reacted and in order to cover his ass at the end issued a 'warning citation' to try and justify his actions. Good thing about warning citations is that it implies the officer was doing his job (I pulled the driver over because of an equipment violation) but doesn't require the ticket to be answered in court.
I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that it was for a tag light being out. Something that mysteriously happens only occasionally and can't be reproduced or need ever happen again.
Cops talk to cops, they discuss their jobs. They talk about what phrases and words to use in court. They talk about what indicators to look for or say they looked for, they discuss tactics to use against the criminal element. If an officer speaks to you in any other way than, "
Hey, how 'bout them sportsteam, they really sportsteamed last night didn't they?" he's speaking to someone he suspects is a potential criminal and he just has to find out what they did wrong.