Wait time for police check card in Lower Merion?

[Bell X-1]

Just wanted to give a quick update as to how the whole process whet for me.

There was a $25 charge at LMPD.

They refused to accept my application unless I provided a full SS#. I first tried to just provide the last four digits to avoid any possible confusion but they would not accept it that way. I informed them that on the official form to the sheriff it stated that the SS# was optional and we were not obliged to provided it. I provided the whole number after he still refused to process the application without it.

I did not hear back from LMPD so I called after 2 weeks and they said that I needed to call the sheriff's office to see if it was submitted. I called the sheriff's dept. and they said that they had received it already. I'm not sure how quickly they got it - could have been 2 days or 2 weeks.

Went down to sheriff's office today and was in and out in about 15min. They had mentioned that after 10am the PICS system gets so slow when all the gun shops open up so it's a good thing to get there before 10am at least while everything is so crazy like it's been recently.

[BimmerJon]

Just wanted to give a quick update as to how the whole process whet for me.

There was a $25 charge at LMPD. ILLEGAL

They refused to accept my application unless I provided a full SS#. ILLEGAL
I first tried to just provide the last four digits to avoid any possible confusion but they would not accept it that way. I informed them that on the official form to the sheriff it stated that the SS# was optional and we were not obliged to provided it. I provided the whole number after he still refused to process the application without it.

I did not hear back from LMPD so I called after 2 weeks and they said that I needed to call the sheriff's office to see if it was submitted. I called the sheriff's dept. and they said that they had received it already. I'm not sure how quickly they got it - could have been 2 days or 2 weeks.

Went down to sheriff's office today and was in and out in about 15min. They had mentioned that after 10am the PICS system gets so slow when all the gun shops open up so it's a good thing to get there before 10am at least while everything is so crazy like it's been recently.

You had 25 dollars STOLEN from you and you were unlawfully FORCED to supply personal information they had no right to demand.

How do you feel about that?

This isn't a matter of "its just a little more painful process" or "they had a different policy".
You do understand that the Police committed a CRIME here and so did the Sheriff.

18 Pa.C.S. § 6109 (h) (7): Licenses (7) A person who sells or attempts to sell a license to carry a firearm for a fee in excess of the amounts fixed under this subsection commits a summary offense.

CRIMES. (IE: Breaking the LAW)

This is NO different than a police officer pulling you over for going through a green light and demanding 25 dollars from you or else you'd be cited for a made up violation.

I want everyone to understand the weight here.

25 dollars times how many LTCF "police check cards" a year? The police have to be making MILLIONS of $$$ every year.
Think about that. Where is it going?

[twency]

... They refused to accept my application unless I provided a full SS#. ...

This is illegal under the federal Privacy Act and has been litigated successfully in the past.

See Stollenwerk v. Miller et al. http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documen...s/06D0225P.pdf

[Tugger]

Montco gets away with this nonsense as part of the investigation. It's totally absurd that the PD charges $25 for this

The problem is that the sheriffs are not really accountable to anyone (except the voters) and can get away with stuff like this.

Other counties run you thru PICS and if you pass, you get your license. Philly does some extra stuff though too, but that's because they are special

I happen to love the fact that PA Sheriffs are accountable only to the Voters of their respective Counties and not some overpaid bureaucrat!

[PPKman]

For township residents, I wonder there might actually be a good class-action lawsuit here. Lower Merion has a surplus on its budget this year so it might be a good year to look for a settlement out of them, given the same situation has been litigated successfully elsewhere, and they can be confronted readily with evidence that their actions are illegal - maybe wouldn't even have to see it all the way through the court action.

[Biggjerryc]

I think the local pd checks are a good thing. A guy in my town who has a some recent criminal history that proves he is a complete jack*** was denied a LTCF. The head of our police depth contacted Norristown and said he is not a suitable candidate at this time and he got denied. I'm glad...


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[twency]

I think the local pd checks are a good thing. A guy in my town who has a some recent criminal history that proves he is a complete jack*** was denied a LTCF. The head of our police depth contacted Norristown and said he is not a suitable candidate at this time and he got denied. I'm glad...


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Criminal history would show up in a background check, which the sheriff is required to perform. There's no good reason to make the applicant jump through extra hoops doing the job the sheriff is supposed to be doing.

The issue isn't whether or not there should be an investigation; by law there should be. The issue is the sheriff and making the application process harder than state law says it's supposed to be.

[Remington788]

Criminal history would show up in a background check, which the sheriff is required to perform. There's no good reason to make the applicant jump through extra hoops doing the job the sheriff is supposed to be doing.

The issue isn't whether or not there should be an investigation; by law there should be. The issue is the sheriff and making the application process harder than state law says it's supposed to be.

Who is to say that a Sheriff that takes "up to 45 days", like Dauphin County, is not calling the applicant's local police department and making inquiries as to the applicant's suitability?

[mrjam2jab]

Who is to say that a Sheriff that takes "up to 45 days", like Dauphin County, is not calling the applicant's local police department and making inquiries as to the applicant's suitability?

That is fine...that is the sheriff doing the job. But it is not fine for a sheriff to force a applicant to take a card over to the local police station.

[twency]

Who is to say that a Sheriff that takes "up to 45 days", like Dauphin County, is not calling the applicant's local police department and making inquiries as to the applicant's suitability?

So what if they are? Reread what I wrote. My issue isn't with the sheriff conducting an investigation, it's with him making the applicant go through extra steps to apply.