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I'm a new member here but have been reading the boards for quite a while. This topic is one that seems to be misunderstood by a great many people, so I will try to give a a perspective not yet offered...that of a police officer. I grew up in a LE family.
My grandfather was a sheriffs deputy, my father was a police officer for 32 years on the same department that I now work for. In my years as a teenager, guns were a large part of my activities. Hunting, informal plinking, competitive shooting, you name it. I shot my first handgun when I was about 6, got my first shotgun for Christmas when I was 12, and had access to the gun cabinet from that point forward. To say that I grew up in a home that was supportive of the second amendment is probably an understatement.
As a police officer, I have chosen a career that places me in danger both in and out of uniform. Law enforcement as a whole, understands that law abiding citizens, even when armed, are of no real threat to our safety. We also realize, probably better than most, that we are a reactionary agency. When you call us, we are quite good at showing up, taking reports, and cleaning up the mess. If we are lucky, there will be evidence at the scene that later leads to an arrest and hopefully a conviction.
The average response time for my department, as of April of this years, was 9.23 minutes. This is an eternity if you are a citizen engaged in a life threatening situation. Obviously, the police can not be relied on to protect you as an individual. When responding to any call, a police officer will always approach the situation as if a weapon is present, because there is ALWAYS a weapon present...His. This may sound trite, but it is no less true. Possession of a firearm by a law abiding citizen does not increase the danger to a police officer any measurable degree. This is because people with a concealed weapons permit are some of the most law abiding, trouble free people that we encounter. I am not aware of any situations in which a police officer was assaulted by a CCW permit holder.
Every department has different operational guidelines for dealing with permit holders in a professional encounter, and the officer is commonly given a great deal of latitude in deciding how to approach the situation. Often an officer will ask a permit holder to relinquish his firearm for the duration of the interview. This is simply a precautionary measure and is not intended as a personal attack of the permit holders integrity. Keep in mind that many police officers are not firearms enthusiasts, and are generally acting so as to preserve control over a potential risk. My personal preference is to allow the permit holder to retain their firearm (holstered and concealed) if the situation allows this with my safety as a consideration. By allowing them to retain their firearm, I have taken a step towards building trust as well as helping insure that their firearm is secured. This may sound like a contradiction, but if their gun remains holstered and concealed it is safer than me taking possession of it, unloading it and then trying to find a way to secure it while conducting interviews, taking notes, and filling out reports. Any time that a firearm is handled, the odds of a negligent discharge increase. Even more so if the firearm is of a model that the officer is not familiar with. This creates an additional safety concern for all present.
As for assisting officers in the execution of their duties, I have never asked nor would I ask for assistance from an armed citizen unless it was an absolute last resort. This is not meant to demean the ability of any permit holder, but the truth of the matter is that police officers operate within policies and procedures of the given department. This includes tactics for "clearing" a building or area. This is likely the most dangerous situation that law enforcement encounters as we may not be familiar with the environment, have no idea how many perpetrators could be present or who we should or should not encounter. The introduction of an armed citizen into this type of situation adds risks to both the officer involved as well as the citizen. This is a job in which a team of officers is the solution. This is why we carry communication equipment, so we can call for additional officers. If the situation dictates that a search of the area must be conducted of the area, without additional officers, in order to preserve safety of others, the best procedure is often to move those present to a safe area and then proceed. There is little benefit to an armed citizen assisting in this situation, due to lack of training in a tactical environment as well as being unfamiliar with procedures used by the department involved and a lack of communication abilities. Communication abilities may well be the most important aspect. Being able to relay information, call for assistance or direct activity is a key element to accomplishing this type of action safely and effectively.
All that being said, there has been one occasion in which a citizen came to my aid, and I am certainly glad that he did. I was confronted, off duty but armed, by a person that I had had prior professional dealings with and two of his friends. This was just a bad luck situation in which we happened to be at the same place at the same time and he took advantage of having seen me before I saw and recognized him. Thankfully they were all unarmed, but a struggle for my firearm ensued. When a citizen with a concealed carry permit became aware of the situation, he voluntarily placed himself at risk to assist me. The situation ended with only minor injuries for those involved, and three perpetrators getting free room and board that night. As a general rule, I discourage this practice among permit holders, as I could not know the intention of an approaching person in a violent encounter (he could be coming to the aid of the bad guys), making the situation worse. This situation came to a happy ending and I am glad that a citizen was willing to help me in my hour of need, but he still placed himself at great risk of injury by the perps or even myself acting from the confusion of the fight. I may or may not have prevailed in this event without assistance, but I know for sure that this man's actions increased my chances of surviving. He has since become one of my most trusted friends.
I have been a police officer for 12 years now, and regularly teach CCW classes as well conducting training for both civilians and law enforcement in basic and advanced defensive use of a firearm. I would oppose any measure that would reduce the effectiveness with which the average person may defend themselves.
JW
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