LEO Support

[theSaj]

I hear a lot of tales of conflicts with LEOs but I also hear of positives. Even in the recently mentioned Pittsburgh incident. I believe he recounts one officer who seemed to be a bit more supportive.

I believe we need to implement a campaign. Any time we are stopped or questioned or have some other incident involving our right to bear arms and a LEO acts respectively and/or knowledgeably we need to ask the officer for his or her name and badge number. And express we would just like to thank him or her for their knowledge and professionalism and that we will be writing to his superiors regarding such.

I think if all of a sudden chiefs and sheriffs started getting compliments and letters for such behavior it might increase knowledge and promote a more positive working relationship between us the armed citizenry and LEOs

[fingers80002]

That is a great idea.
Who is going to be first?
No dis-respect intended, I would love to be the first!

[theSaj]

Who is going to be first?

I think that will depend on life....

While I'd love to encounter a LEO being supportive of our rights. It is unlikely unless I'm spotting. I am just getting into CC and my wife soon to join. I don't think I'm ready for open-carrying, not by myself.

As much as the Dickson outing was criticized - that's exactly what I am looking for to get my feet wet in OC. Same way a young child would be nervous to go out shooting alone but would feel comfortable in the presence of elders.

[fingers80002]

I can safely say atleast 1 HPD officer knows what is right, and a retired Penn Twsp officer I work with knows OC is ok.

[mjfletcher]

I already make it a point to do that. Having worked retail, i know all about people opening their mouth to complain but never to compliment, so I've always made it a point to open mine to give compliments. Doesn't matter if its excellent service at a restaurant, superior quality phone support, or whatever; If i get good service, i let the bosses know.

[gnbrotz]

I have two problems with this. The first is that many "good" encounters are simply non-existent in that we pass LEOs every day who simply say nothing - as it should be. I'm not going to go back and get info so I can praise him to his superiors.

Secondly, even if there is a 'positive' reaction during an encounter (perhaps a traffic incident or some situation that actually required an exchange) I still have a problem with the concept of a "reward" for such behavior. This is their job. They get paid in exchange for doing it properly.

I'm a shipping clerk. I ship dozens of packages ever day. If I ship every package properly for a week, I get a paycheck, not a letter of commendation. If I ship too many to the wrong place, I'll be 'counseled' on my lack of performance, and if it continues, I'll be shown the door. I don't understand why applying that same standard to anyone doing any job is unreasonable.

[Brown-Bear]

I have two problems with this. The first is that many "good" encounters are simply non-existent in that we pass LEOs every day who simply say nothing - as it should be. I'm not going to go back and get info so I can praise him to his superiors.

Secondly, even if there is a 'positive' reaction during an encounter (perhaps a traffic incident or some situation that actually required an exchange) I still have a problem with the concept of a "reward" for such behavior. This is their job. They get paid in exchange for doing it properly.

I'm a shipping clerk. I ship dozens of packages ever day. If I ship every package properly for a week, I get a paycheck, not a letter of commendation. If I ship too many to the wrong place, I'll be 'counseled' on my lack of performance, and if it continues, I'll be shown the door. I don't understand why applying that same standard to anyone doing any job is unreasonable.

Because no one here has ever been harrased for OC'ing a box. I think the OP was just trying to make a point about getting the LEOs superiors to recognize carrying a firearm as an ordinary thing. The long term benifit being less neg encounters. I don't think he was focusing on the short term benifit, which is a "reward" for the cops. Just my .02

Dave

[gnbrotz]

Because no one here has ever been harrased for OC'ing a box.

That's because OCing a box isn't illegal....oh wait, OCing a firearm isn't illegal either. Further, my comparison was to carrying out one's expected job duties without the need for 'special rewards', not comparing the public perception of a box vs. a firearm.

[theSaj]

"The first is that many "good" encounters are simply non-existent in that we pass LEOs every day who simply say nothing - as it should be."

Very true....but those are really not encounters.

"This is their job. They get paid in exchange for doing it properly."

Yes, but we still say thank you. And I guess it's different for some people. If I have exceptional service at a restaurant, I will ask for the manager and let them know that our waiter or waitress was superb. Sometimes good workers are under the thumb of bad managers or superiors who dislike them. Having those positive Page Sevens as we called them when I was in the Coast Guard can often be an aid and support when those good officers have to stand up against bad.

"I'm a shipping clerk."

I was a shipping clerk at one point as well. That said, we did get compliments and even imported swiss chocolates and other items on occasion when we went above and beyond. For instance we had one customer who had a large rush order. We worked over and pulled it off for this large international order. They thanked us and sent us chocolates from Switzerland.

So I think it's a good thing to encourage a better (and in this case, freer) world.

[Charlie B]

It is a good idea to give a supervisor a heads up on who is doing good as well as who is not.