[marktwain]

According to another article, the police are now vacating the citations, and charging all five open carriers with disturbing the peace.

[nuconvert]

what’s the big deal about handing a police officer your driver’s license?

[econjack]

It seems like Winrich is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Why else would you carry a tape recorder with you?

[Blueflag]

On WHAT basis? (disturbing the peace) No peace was disturbed until the officers intervened in a previously peaceful setting.

The article states these gentlemen offered no physical resistance or back talk, just not the forthcoming cooperation the officers sought.

This’ll be interesting to follow.

If you are close to this, please keep us FReepers informed.

Thanks for posting this update.

[ltc8k6]

It’s perfectly legal for the officer to ask you for ID in the situation though, and you have to comply. You cannot refuse to ID yourself to a uniformed LEO as far as I know.

[G Larry]

Why didn’t the 911 operator simply inform the caller that open carry is legal?

[stuartcr]

Police check people to see if they can legally drive or are impaired, regularly. Open carry really isn’t anything like carrying a carrot or a cell phone.

[rarestia]

We’re now forcing our LEOs to be crime “predictors?!” They have to roll up on a peaceful situation and assess the possibility that the perps might commit a crime? This is ridiculous!

[Portnoy]

Ah Uber-Liberal Madison. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy (except for Ann Arbor MI)

We must be cautious.

[uncommonsense]

"But Winrich, who made an audio recording of the encounter with Madison police, said he carries a recorder in case a problem arises. He said he chose not to give his ID to Madison police because of "the attitude and the overstepping of authority that they had.""

This could land the man with a felony charge. Many states are making recording of a cop in the line of duty a crime, whether done on purpose or inadvertently (a guy with a helmet cam who forgot it was rolling recently got jail time). They claim it impededs their ability to interview witnesses who normally don't want to get involved (i.e. illegals and drug users). First and second amendments be damned.

[antiRepublicrat]

But Auric Gold, secretary of Wisconsin Carry

Somebody's dad was a James Bond fan.

[antiRepublicrat]

Wisconsin's stop and identify law:

968.24 Temporary questioning without arrest. After having identified himself or herself as a law enforcement officer, a law enforcement officer may stop a person in a public place for a reasonable period of time when the officer reasonably suspects that such person is committing, is about to commit or has committed a crime, and may demand the name and address of the person and an explanation of the person's conduct. Such detention and temporary questioning shall be conducted in the vicinity where the person was stopped.

Such laws have being upheld by the Supreme Court seems to always hinge on the reasonable suspicion of a crime past, present or future, according to Terry. So they have to show that a bunch of guys sitting around openly carrying constituted a reasonable suspicion -- for an officer educated about the law of course, not an ignorant old lady.

[Elle Bee]

But Auric Gold, secretary of Wisconsin Carry, and Mike Stollenwerk, cofounder of OpenCarry.org, said police do not have the right to demand that people identify themselves without probable cause to believe they've committed or are about to commit a crime.

This is a joke right? ...wasn't the Ian Flemming character Auric Goldfinger?

.

[rabidralph]

Here's a press release from the City of Madison, regarding the Open Carry incident.

Facebook site to support the Open Carry guys.

[rabidralph]

More info at the Wisconsin Carry site.