Court House Questions...

[whoshisface]

How about this?

Ted John Noga
XXXXXX
Upper Pottsgrove, PA 19466
February 20, 2011
Sheriff Mitch Cooper
423 Allegheny Street
Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania 16648
Dear Sheriff Mitch Cooper:
It has been alleged that you authorized a posting of no handguns outside the Hollidaysburg, PA courthouse that are in not in compliance with PA statute §913. Possession of Firearm or Other Dangerous Weapon in Court Facility (d) Posting of notice.—Notice of the provisions of subsections (a) and (e) shall be posted conspicuously at each public entrance to each courthouse or other building containing a court facility and each court facility, and no person shall be convicted of an offense under subsection (a)(1) with respect to a court facility if the notice was not so posted at each public entrance to the courthouse or other building containing a court facility anti at the court facility unless the person had actual notice of the provisions of subsection (a).
Notice that improper posting and non-compliance with the §913 may be a legitimate defense should one be found to have a firearm in their possession while the court facility is in violation. Certainty this would not be the outcome you are hoping to achieve.

Furthermore, it has been alleged that you have made a statement to the effect that ..anyone bringing a firearm into the building will be arrested on the spot, even before passing through the screening station. If this is in-fact true I would highly recommend reviewing §913.

Hollidaysburg, PA courthouse, since July of 2002, has been required to have (e) Facilities for checking firearms or other dangerous weapons. These facilities must be made readily available to the public at no charge.

On Page 2 is a quote of the law that I have referred to in this document. I encourage you to check your own references to verify.

I’m hoping these allegations are false and that you intend to comply/continue to comply with PA law by offering public storage facilities to persons that are legally armed in your courthouse. Please consider that your actions or inaction to this matter will be highly scrutinized by the public and may have serious legal consequences.


I look forward to your response concerning these allegations as they are quite serious in nature,
Ted John Noga
XXX-XXX-XXXX

[IronSight]

How about this?

Well, I like your request for records. Personally though your letter to the Sheriff seems too blunt, especially given that nothing has been confirmed regarding the OP.

Like it or not, politics are at play, I'd rephrase the portions where you say "it has been alleged", to more along the lines of "word is being spread". It's less accusatory, more polite, and I think will be better received.

I’m hoping these allegations are false and that you intend to comply/continue to comply with PA law by offering public storage facilities to persons that are legally armed in your courthouse. Please consider that your actions or inaction to this matter will be highly scrutinized by the public and may have serious legal consequences.

I really like this paragraph, with the exception being that I would remove the portion struck-through above. The only reasons being that since nothing is confirmed, we don't want to get too "legal" and demanding just yet. If it's confirmed that he wants to arrest anyone who would otherwise check a firearm, then you could go with that kind of wording, in my opinion.

This could be a case of misinformation spread to us by the OP, or it could be a legitimate attempt by a Sheriff to ignore the laws of this State. Since we don't know which it is yet, I'd tread carefully.

[B2Luv2Hunt]

Going to the Commissioners and the Sheriff has worked in our area.

[whoshisface]

The request is an image so I can't post it here without hosting the image.

I think the sheriff will certaintly know this is hardball soon enough, probably Tuesday when the records officer calls him up to tell him that she has this "odd request". Im a honey over vinegar type of guy except for when it's appearant that I'm not offing any honey in the first place. A RTK request isn't honey! He needs to know people take this seriously. I'll edit out the very last part of the crossed out section. Thank you for your input.

Well, I like your request for records. Personally though your letter to the Sheriff seems too blunt, especially given that nothing has been confirmed regarding the OP.

Like it or not, politics are at play, I'd rephrase the portions where you say "it has been alleged", to more along the lines of "word is being spread". It's less accusatory, more polite, and I think will be better received.



I really like this paragraph, with the exception being that I would remove the portion struck-through above. The only reasons being that since nothing is confirmed, we don't want to get too "legal" and demanding just yet. If it's confirmed that he wants to arrest anyone who would otherwise check a firearm, then you could go with that kind of wording, in my opinion.

This could be a case of misinformation spread to us by the OP, or it could be a legitimate attempt by a Sheriff to ignore the laws of this State. Since we don't know which it is yet, I'd tread carefully.

[Exbiker]

http://blair.pacounties.org/Pages/SH...27SOFFICE.aspx

There is an email addy at the bottom of the page.

[Jailkeeper]

I really like this paragraph, with the exception being that I would remove the portion struck-through above. The only reasons being that since nothing is confirmed, we don't want to get too "legal" and demanding just yet. If it's confirmed that he wants to arrest anyone who would otherwise check a firearm, then you could go with that kind of wording, in my opinion.

This could be a case of misinformation spread to us by the OP, or it could be a legitimate attempt by a Sheriff to ignore the laws of this State. Since we don't know which it is yet, I'd tread carefully.

I agree with this. I am the OP, and I did NOT verify what I was told as I no longer live in the area. Treading lightly might be the best approach.

[whoshisface]

http://blair.pacounties.org/Pages/SH...27SOFFICE.aspx

There is an email addy at the bottom of the page.

That email is for crime tips only.

[gnbrotz]

That email is for crime tips only.

Violating the preemption statute is a crime.

[whoshisface]

Violating the preemption statute is a crime.

Yeahhhhhhhh I'll stay short of calling him a criminal.

[Exbiker]

Violating the preemption statute is a crime.

LOL that was my thought.
I would use it to get an email that is correct. It's like playing the extension game on automated phone systems.