A Twitter discussion earlier tonight between our friends @eyeonannapolis, @baltospectator, and @justin_fenton pointed to @bob_smithey's Tumblr blog. Posted on 06/08/2011 9:13:59 PM PDT by jeffq73
A Twitter discussion earlier tonight between our friends @eyeonannapolis, @baltospectator, and @justin_fenton pointed to @bob_smithey's Tumblr blog.
The blog post in question contains an image, found below at the bottom of this post, of an Intelligence Bulletin from the Baltimore PD's Criminal Intelligence Division. The bulletin, dated May 31, 2011, shows a picture of a window decal (seen at the top of this post) sold by Legally Concealed, a company that also sells a line of clothing and accessories with this same logo on it.
The bulletin points out in big red letters that:
All officers should be familiar with this symbol especially when dealing with the public or conducting traffic stops. While the individual who is displaying the symbol may not be armed , the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an armed individual.As noted on the bulletin, and pointed out by Fenton on Twitter, the source of the information in this bulletin is the WRTAC. That acroynym stands for the Washington Regional Threat and Analysis Center, which provides a daily open source intelligence briefing. The Washington Post discussed the WRTAC in their heralded investigative series Top Secret America.
Legally Concealed appears to be a part of the National Rifle Association's Business Alliance and has no appearance of being a fringe website at all. It is interesting that the WRATC and Baltimore PD find this information newsworthy enough to inform law enforcement officers about it. As the son of a career police officer, I would hope smart officers would go into every traffic stop thinking about the possibility of there being a gun in the car.
In fact, people who have gone to the trouble of going through all the legal process and have standards to meet and maintain to hold on to that concealed weapons permit are, in almost every case, the least of the worries of a police officer in Baltimore City. Additionally, as someone who took a concealed weapons training course in another state, there was instruction given on interactions with law enforcement. I specifically remember being told to verbally tell the officer and hand over your concealed permit along with your license, registration and insurance information when stopped.
The city police department in Baltimore at times seems obsessed on how many guns they've taken off the streets rather than criminals who possess those guns illegally. Those are the people the law enforcement officers needs to worry about far more than law-abiding concealed weapons holders. This may not be intended as profiling of concealed weapons permit holders, but it certainly smacks of that very thing. I have to assume the WRTAC has been passing this information on to law enforcement officers in the whole Mid-Atlantic region and I'm sure law enforcement in Maryland might not be as accustomed to this type of thing since Maryland does not have "shall issue" weapons permits like other states. The Maryland law is the old system (I saw it with a family member getting a permit in another state that now has shall issue) where political favoritism and law enforcement cronyism are the only reliable way to get a permit to protect yourself.
I would expect all the brainpower assembled in the original Twitter conversation, especially Justin Fenton, might get to the bottom of this as well as anybody might in the coming days. Maybe it is just a well-intentioned, but misguided, effort to keep law enforcement informed but, to reiterate something I already said, the firearms owned by a concealed weapons permit holder are probably the last firearms a Baltimore City Police Officer has a major cause for concern over. Specifically, the smaller number of permits out there due to the state not being shall issue cuts down on the numbers of permit holders in addition to the unlikely possibility of a permit holder being a threat. What's next - an intelligence bulletin telling officers to watch out for people with NRA stickers on their cars?
The image of the intelligence bulletin provided by @bob_smithey is below.
I know what you mean Joe, I am a “NRA Life Member” and also wear one of their caps. The response that it gets here in Eugene, OR which is filled with progressive socialist marxists, is hilarious.
When my doctor first saw it, he said was one, too. ;)
The “Don’t Tread On Me” sticker on my Ford F150 Lightning’s rear window doesn’t hurt either. ;);)
Just to make SURE you know you’re on “the list”, make a Form 4 NFA purchase.
If true they are violating the federal 'Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act of 2004' that specifically authorizes all cops, even off duty and retired, to carry guns anywhere in the country regardless of state and local laws.
So, does that make you pot or kettle?
“CCW people... are their best second-line of help in an emergency. They have now lost that back-up, possibly at the cost of their lives”
My grandfather saved an officer’s life once.
This was in Texas. A cop was arresting a man at a gas station and the thug quickly turned around and grabbed the officer’s gun. There was a life-and-death struggle on the ground with both men wrestling for the gun and the cop was losing.
My grandfather saw them. He was in his upper 70’s at the time, but he charged out of nowhere and body-slammed the perp like a linebacker. They sprawled off the officer and together they gained the upper hand and pinned the thug on the ground. The officer’s life was saved.
The officer was a friend of my grandfather for several years afterward until he went to be with the Lord.
There was a wake in my grandfather’s memory, and among the family and guests was a cop.
It is unbelievable that any officer would not want good and honest men armed.
In Texas we “used” to be required by law to “inform” the officer that we are carrying a firearm under the provisions of the Texas CHL law...
IIRC, we got the penalties for “not” informaing to not be as severe for failing to do so...That happened back in the 2009 legistlative session...You had the option to inform “verbally” or by handing them your CHL license, that was considered enough of a notification...But all of that was in the case of “official” business, i.e traffic stop, investigations, etc etc...
I would never let anyone know I was carrying, with some arbitrary sticker or logo that was designed to let someone know the person of that vehicle might be carrying a firearm...
What difference does it make to you if you saw me driving around and weren’t sure if I was carrying a firearm in the vehicle with me???
You could maybe solve your nervousness by qualifying for the Tennessee carry permit...But if you do, don’t advertise the fact that you do so...
Most Law Enforcement do not care to make a big deal out of it...
Most CCW’s are cordule, and if we get caught breaking the law, we pay our dues...Without a lot of flak...
Now...If you are carrying in another state, that has “reciprocity” with your home state in regards if they recognize your states licenses like the Texas CHL has in a lot of other states, because we (Texas) recognozes and honors those states CCW permits...
Some other states Law Enforcement might nto take kindly to your carrying in their state on even that reciprocity, and they might take advantage of the parameters of being allowed to disarm you, or give you the Nth degree for whatever violation you committed for the encounter to take place...
For the most part they don’t, but in states where it is not that common, you might want to leave the chip on your shoulder at home, so you don’t have any problems...Yessirs and Nosirs work wonders when you are out of state...
Just my opinion...
21 years ago, when I was a new educator I'd go to sign into the roster at my school for the workday (following a published letter to the editor) and there would be whispers nearby from libtards until someone would whisper loudly: "Oh shut up, you'll only encourage him!" Now days folks don't get so riled up about that sort of thing in the schools. At least not so anybody would take undue notice.
I’m not a police officer and don’t plan on making any traffic stops so it’s a moot point for me.
Ok, good nuff...But I want to be sure that you’d still like (prefer) to see people who carry a firearm (for lawful self-defensive purposes) have some sort of identifying sticker or badge (for lack of a better term) who are licensed in their state to do so???
I just want to be sure that is what you want...
I never said that people licensed to carry should be forced to identify themselves. All I said (several times now) is that the officers shouldn’t be worried (at least it shouldn’t be a department focus) about approaching a car that identifies that the driver is a licensed bearer of firearms. The are many more dangerous people in Maryland and they don’t wear signs that say hey I’ve got an illegal weapon in my car.
“Yessirs and Nosirs work wonders when you are out of state...”
Yeah, IMO, being polite to the police is generally a good policy.
One night in 1969 I came tear-assing into St. Augustine FL at about 3 in the morning in a little red sports car, doing about 30 mph over the speed limit...ran a red light to make an illegal left turn onto a street that was one way the other way...realized I was going the wrong way, executed a very nice bootlegger’s turn, ran the same light, now red my way, and left a considerable patch of rubber as I made a left turn back out onto the highway and accelerated...all in plain view of a Florida cop.
When he stopped me, I just took the attitude, “Well, you got me. Nothing I can say.” Believe it or not, he let me off with a warning. (My passenger is still alive, and can testify to the foregoing.)
“OR Soldier of Fortune lol.”
I wanted to be a soldier of fortune, but they told me the best I could do would be soldier of minimum wage.
Well, by implying you like the idea about some sort of sticker or label does identify a person with those credentials...
By Texas law those stickers would be illegal...Our names (Texas CHL’ers) are in the database already for purposes of identification...When you get pulled over the LEO can tap into the computer our LP and get all the information needed in an ordinary traffic stop, even before they get out of their car...
One of the things that pops up is the fact that whomever the car is registered to, a little flag pops up and says that person has a Texas CHL...
It is descrete, confidential, and in the end in most cases, the Officer makes a mental note, and proceeds on with the investigation...
Apart from our discussion here, it is no ones business to know whether or not I am carrying a firearm for lawful self defensive purposes...Unless I tell them, which is a rare occasion, or if it is in the course of any official business with Law Enforcement...
If I am driving out of state and I get pulled over, it is a courtesy I extend, expecting NO leniency or warnings for any offense I may have committed...
No one, even I have no effect on the way an officer approaches me in the course of normal business...If they are worried or get annoyed at the revelation someone is carrying a gun, and they are legal to do so, they need to get into another line of work...
Plain and simple...
Reading comprehension is not one of your strengths is it?
Possibly,but I’m still locked onto your idea that a sticker, identifying a person, or persons, in a vehicle being armed is a great idea, almost to the point where I believe you’d like that to be a requirement, so that police can feel comfortable about that particular traffic stop...
Thats what I see...If my comprehension is incorrect, you have not given me any idea that you do not support that, for the very reasons I (and some others) have enumnerated...
I may not understand you, but you definitely are wrong on anything good to come from having an identifying mark on you or your property to give law enforcement a clue to your capability, when all a long most of us who carry, do so to not draw attention to ourselves, either by choice, or by law...
And since all you got is that kind of response to someone talking to you about this issue, I figure we have been done for a while now, I was just trying to be nice for the most part and try understand you a little better, but I pretty much got all I need to know from your last post...
See ya around slick...
Grow up.
The mark of those who ask the government for permission to bear arms. Gotta love it.
Of course you didn’t...You just like the idea that “cops” should feel better about seeing a sticker and knowing that it means that person they just pulled over for breaking the law is a responsible person...Per your post #2...
No law enforcement officer I have ever had an encounter with has disrespected me or treated me differnetly than anyone else whther they are armed or not...
Besides, why do you believe I am a “cop”??? Whatever gave YOU that idea???
You are slipping into a mental zone you should not venture too much farther...You’re coming to the end of that rope...
Is there something we can do to help pull you out of that hole???
I have been legally carrying a firearm in this state since 1996...FYI...Try to comprehend that fact...
Is English a second language for you?
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