Northampton Jury Duty - gun check-in

[JDshoots]

I was called for Jury Duty today, and I wanted to write up my check in/out process. Overall my experience was handled in a professional manner, but there is room for improvement. I wanted to send this to the sheriff first and include his response in this post, but now I can not even find the sheriff's webpage. And without the office information on Northamptons site, I do not know who to send the mail too.

So here’s the account, followed by some questions:

I walked up to the "greeter" at the main lobby and said I want to check in my sidearm. He said, "OK", grabbed a key and said something to a uniformed person, and then motioned in a way that I thought meant, to come through the metal detector. The Uniformed deputy said, firmly, "Wo wo wo, you have a gun?" To which I said yes. He then asked if "are you a cop", to which I said no. Then he said that I have to wait outside. So I turned and went back out of the building.
About a minute later, he came out to let me know he had made a call to have someone come out and secure my sidearm. The whole time he was firm, blunt, but professional.

A couple minutes later, a Sergeant approached me with a plastic gun case, one large enough to hold about a half dozen handguns with foam between. She asked a couple quick questions, like is it loaded and asked for my drivers license and LTCF, walked over to a bench and placed the box on the bench, outside. This was across the sidewalk from the doors to the main lobby. She then opened the box for me to put it into and back we went into the courthouse. I didn't think to ask why she needed my drivers license, so she got it. That # and the number on my LTCF were copied to a form and I got a copy. She said it would be locked in a back room and to just give the guards my form when I am done and they would get it for me. I asked if she gets a lot of people checking guns in and she said 1 every couple weeks.

Upon my exit, they spotted my slip as I approached the gate. I was probably the only one claiming their firearm at the end of the day. Nearly the first words out of one guys mouth was don't bring this tomorrow, said with a smile. To which I replied, "What"? He said this creates paperwork, and that "they" have to file a report. The second guy said “give me the key, I will go get it”. They rummaged around a bit and he found a key, but said again, give me the key, and when I looked at him, I realized he was talking to me. I said I have no key. He said, "the Key that they gave you this morning.” I reiterated again that I have no key, and the box she used didn't even have a provision for a lock. Confused, he went off to retrieve my box. He escorted me to the front door, and as I left the building he said here you go. I turned around and he handed me the case. I took it and said, wait a second, the case is yours. I went to the bench to reverse the order. When I opened it, I noticed my gun was rotated 90° from how I placed it. He then closed the box and looked around like we were doing a drug deal and asked where my holster was. I pulled my jacket back, he opened the box, I holstered the XD and that was the end of it.


I would like to talk to the sheriff but have they replaced Sheriff Hawbecker yet?
Is this similar to other people experience or have things changed with the exit of Sheriff Hawbecker?
Why do they need my Drivers license? (I wish I had questioned that)
What is this “report” the one guy referred too?
Why wasn’t my box locked?
Why was someone in the case handling my gun?
Did they run my serial number? (hypothetical question)
Why are they asking people to leave their sidearm at home?

I will have to call the Sheriff, but I fear that with an acting sheriff, I will get little response.

JD

[HiredGoon]

Here's the law concerning this:

18 Pa.C.S. § 913: Possession of firearm or other dangerous weapon in court facility

And also the sheriff's contact info from
The Pennsylvania Sheriffs Assoc.

Randall Miller
669 Washington St
Easton, PA 18042
Phone: 610-559-3085
Fax: 610-559-1785
rmiller@northamptoncounty.org

[anonymouse]

I would like to talk to the sheriff but have they replaced Sheriff Hawbecker yet?
Is this similar to other people experience or have things changed with the exit of Sheriff Hawbecker?
Why do they need my Drivers license? (I wish I had questioned that)
What is this “report” the one guy referred too?
Why wasn’t my box locked?
Why was someone in the case handling my gun?
Did they run my serial number? (hypothetical question)
Why are they asking people to leave their sidearm at home?

Wow, some very good questions that need to be addressed there.

[Captain Tuttle]

That must be new SOP.

And were bass-ackward.

When I went to the courthouse a year and half ago, I walked up to the security checkpoint and informed the guard I needed to check my sidearm.

He walked me throught the metal detector (yes, it went off) and we made a right to the "control booth" about 50 feet to the right of the checkpoint.

The one guard walked me to a little room to the side of the control booth where there were a small number of weapons lockers.

I unholstered and placed my sidearm in the locker and went about my business.

When finished, I went back to the recover my sideram, holstered and walked out past the same checkpoint by which I entered.

The staff was professional, courteous and pleasant.

I may have written it up here somewhere at the time. Let me check and I'll post it here.

[JDshoots]

Hired, thanks a lot, I will take the above and mail it to the Sheriff and report back.

Hey Cap, yeah, new Sheriff, new SOP? From what the guards said, this is something that only occurs maybe once a weeks, so I guess they are "rusty". Your experience is what I had expected, standing on the sidewalk completing the “transaction” was strange to say the least.

And yes, the staff was professional and to the point. My concerns are more about procedures or lack there of.

JD

[JDshoots]

Letter Sent. Thanks again HiredGoon.

[shooter357]

http://www.paopencarry.org/forum/oc-...ouse-t-41.html

This is my experience with them and how it was handled. The Sargent that called me was Sgt. Rueberry(I think this is properly spelled).