WARNING!!! There is very foul language throughout this video! (All of it comes from the police officer in charge of the situation.)
Ohioans, this should hit very close to home, this takes place in Canton, OH. Right now, as the law stands, you must inform a police officer immediately when you are pulled over/approached that you have a permit and do/do not have your weapon on you. This video shows what happens when you don't inform immediately...unfortunately for this guy, it doesn't look like the officers gave him much of a chance to inform them because they would not allow him to talk or even address them. It is apparent to me that they were upset because THEIR breach of protocol could've cost them their lives...if the man behind the steering wheel was a bad man.
Again, I am stating before showing the video that there is FOUL LANGUAGE throughout! Watch at your own discretion!
Let me know what you think after seeing this.
There is much to be said about the actions of these officers. However, the way they reacted tarnishes the hard work that police everywhere are doing to keep 'real' threats off the streets. I know there are cops like this out there but not all are caught on video acting bullies and complete asses.
ReplyDeleteThis CCW holder did nothing wrong other than maybe not being aggressive enough trying to tell the officers that he had a permit and weapon. Both officers should get on national television and offer an apology for every offense in this video. I know that doesn't even begin to cover the actions of these officers and that it won't actually happen but one would like to see them do something manly for once. Man, I hope this lawsuit sticks and hurts bad.
Typical "little man syndrome" cops...
ReplyDeletePlease, don't assume that I posted this to bash police officers (except the idiots in this particular video). I have a several friends who are police officers and we have had many a discussion about "pullovers" in general. They have told me that they don't mind if someone has a permit and weapon as long as they are informed up front. I was once pulled over for speeding in Kirtland Hills, OH and when the officer came up to my window I presented him with both my driver's license and my CCW license. I always make sure that the CCW license is on top and disclose immediately whether or not I have my weapon on me. This particular time I did NOT have my weapon on me. I told the (very young) officer this right away, as instructed to do so in my CCW class. He became very skiddish, stepped back and put his hand on his service pistol while asking me to "say again". I reiterated to him that I DID NOT HAVE MY WEAPON ON OR WITH ME. I also told him to relax and that I was one of the good guys and on his side. Needless to say, I'm not sure if they are not trained well in handling "us" yet or what. They should be since we have had CCW permits for quite a few years now. Besides, as discussed before, the law-abiding citizen who went through the training and hoops to get his permit is HIGHLY unlikely to just pull his gun out and shoot a cop. I carry a gun because when seconds count my cop buddies are only minutes away. It is no fault of their own, they just can't be everywhere at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that after seeing that video the first time I was extremely upset. After having thought about it for 24 hours, I really just hope that the officer gets some help before he hurts himself or someone around him. In no way do I condone what he did, but any criticism that I can level has already been expressed by others.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I took from this is that the CCW holder put himself in a real disadvantage by being with known criminals. The old adage that we are judged by the company we keep really was evident here. I have no idea what his intent was, or why he was on the side of the road with a suspected prostitute, but I can simply say that the circumstances did not look good. That is by no means a defense of the officers actions, but I do think it is important that anyone who holds a CCW license carries themselves as though their actions are under a microscope.
Whether we like it or not, just as the actions of one police officer can look poorly on a whole department, the actions of one CCW holder can look poorly on all of us. I think the CCW community dodged a bullet because the actions of the police officer were so bad that no one has taken a hard look at the fact that this person was pulled over on the side of the road with a prostitute and a gun in the middle of the night. That is just the sort of thing the anti-gun lobby would love to beat us over the head with.