Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
    (Dauphin County)
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    Default Panera Bread, OC, and police

    I found myself in Irwin Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday morning I stopped in at Panera Bread (North Huntingdon (#4331), 8901 Route 30, North Huntingdon, PA 15642) to make use of the Wi-Fi and get breakfast. The employees either did not notice my XDm or elected to ignore it. A few customers turned heads as filled my coffee walked to my table near the front windows. Nothing was said so I happily started to enjoy my breakfast sandwich and coffee and fired up the laptop to peruse PAFOA, check the news, and get email.

    About ten minutes later, I see a motorcycle cop slowly cruise by the windows while looking into the store. Thirty seconds later a second uniform on a motorcycle. An unmarked car pulled into parking lot followed by a marked SUV.

    I know I am not doing an unlawful but I can feel my stomach get a little queasy and it suddenly felt warm. My mind went directly to:
    1. Viper’s recent experiences,
    2. then to the poor guy at the Costco in Las Vegas (http://forum.pafoa.org/national-11/1...r-shot-pd.html)
    3. then to the Seattle man shot down in the street (http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...3viO3A1UGUvmlQ)

    As the four officers approached the door, I grabbed my iPhone, unlocked it and prepared to launch the Qik app. They entered the store, looked around, and headed to the first counter where the manager was when I ordered. I was never nervous like this with prior encounters with police. As I collected myself for the inevitable dialog to follow, I notice the first officer pull out his wallet and pay. Wow!

    The four of them disappeared into the rear portion of the seating area. I went to refill my coffee just verify they were indeed preoccupied. Four uniforms happily sipping coffee in the back. The people sitting next me took strong notice on my sidearm when I returned but said nothing. Forty minutes later the four left with one seemingly forgetting where the unmarked car was parked.

    Upon them leaving the couple next to me commented on the officers to which I joined the conversation and found out we all had many people in common that we knew from years ago when growing up. My pistol never came up in conversation.

    After leaving Panera’s I headed into Target to pick up some items I forgot to pack for the trip. Again as with the vast majority of my previous OC experiences no one said a thing.
    Last edited by Howard Bullock; April 27th, 2011 at 09:36 PM.
    NRA Life Member. OC is comfy!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    East McKeesport, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Quote Originally Posted by Howard Bullock View Post
    3. then to the Seattle man shot down in the street (http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...3viO3A1UGUvmlQ)
    Holy shit. I never heard about this....
    FNX-9 Two-tone

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Tarrs, PA From Phila., Pennsylvania
    (Westmoreland County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    I thought this was going in a completely different direction.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
    (Dauphin County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Quote Originally Posted by Subzero121800 View Post
    I thought this was going in a completely different direction.
    So did I until they got breakfast. No idea why my paranoia spiked.
    NRA Life Member. OC is comfy!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    East side of the ANF, Pennsylvania
    (Elk County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Quote Originally Posted by Howard Bullock View Post
    So did I until they got breakfast. No idea why my paranoia spiked.

    I'd suggest an overactive paranoia gland, but as I am fond of saying, "It ain't paranoia if it's real."

    Noah
    Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Indy, Indiana
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    Default Panera Bread, or Great Wall, and police

    Well done, and nicely commented on. I had this similar "encounter" happen one Monday morning: Great Wall 24/7 Chi&Thai Buffet. I park across the lot from the doors (habit) and notice a Conservation Officer Jeep-type vehicle in the lot. I enter and pay for the buffet, my G-30 OC on my right hip. I had to walk past the solo Officer, we surveilled each other and we both nodded, and I fed myself. As I was eating, 3 more Cons. Off. SUVs parked near the original vehicle. I was sitting in a booth that they had to walk past to sit with their buddy. My OC was showing on the aisle-side of my booth. I was walked-past twice by each officer. Nothing said. As they left, the original Officer slowed and asked."Is that a G-30?" I confirmed it, and he said, "Nice piece. I first saw it and thought it was a G-21, like mine. How do you like it?" Pleasantries were further exchanged, and that was it. Conservation officers can be real pains-in-the-rear, and don't have to be friendly. I'm testimony that not ALL of the ALWAYS are. "Have A Nice Day." L1S1

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Northampton County, Pennsylvania
    (Northampton County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Cops need chow too.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    State College, Pennsylvania
    (Centre County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Quote Originally Posted by Howard Bullock View Post
    So did I until they got breakfast. No idea why my paranoia spiked.
    Probably because when one views a congregation of various units arriving at a location, but carefully not entering, one tends to assume that there is an incident. Further, when one has heightened SA, but still isn't seeing any clues as to what's causing said incident, one logically concludes that one is the incident.

    Actually, cops taking a lunchbreak all at once in the same place isn't all that uncommon. And seriously, when you're the first guy at the restaurant when you meet your friends, do you go in and get a table or do you nervously wait outside and hope they didn't ditch you? For cops, it's kind of a high point in the day when you get to meet your buddies on the 'boring' day shift and play a game of one-up-manship on the morning's activities.

    "Yeah? Well I saved a drowning cat!"

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Bimmerville, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Quote Originally Posted by Howard Bullock View Post
    . . . found out we all had many people we all know from years ago growing up.
    i had many people growing but i dont think that i ever found out.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
    (Dauphin County)
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    Default Re: Panera Bread, OC, and police

    Quote Originally Posted by PaBimmerGuy View Post
    i had many people growing but i dont think that i ever found out.
    Yeah, I know; poorly constructed sentence. I corrected that once but accidentally close the browser and had to repost and forgot to correct it the second time.

    <edit> Corrected sentence in original post </edit> I hope that reads better.
    Last edited by Howard Bullock; April 27th, 2011 at 09:37 PM.
    NRA Life Member. OC is comfy!

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