Canton City Council $20,000 gun bounty program

Canton City Council this week allocated $20,000 to a gun bounty program. This isn't a gun buy-back, the silly security-theater tactic local politicians often use to show they're "doing something" about crime. Canton's gun bounty plan descends to a new abyss of asininity: Most of the $20,000 will be paid as $100 rewards to anonymous informants whose tips enable police to confiscate illegally carried guns.


http://www.ohioccw.org/more-clownery-from-canton.html

Florida v J. L.--"anonymous tips have NO predictive value." Don't these people read/study/know/ask about the law? We just had this issue in New Orleans during a Mardi Gras parade--anonymous tips lead to the police illegally searching a man and finding a gun on him. He should eventually walk on this, unfortunately, because he had a record.

I would have such a heyday with this!

All you have to do is convince as many people as possible to call the tipline as often as possible. Let's just say an average of four times a day is a reasonable number. If all these people simply report as many random individuals as possible, it should eventually dawn on them how chronic this program is.

"Weapon Tipline. What's your emergency?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'd like to report a potential illegally carried firearm."

"What's your location? We'll send an officer right over."

When the officer arrives, simply point out any random person walking down the grocery store aisle, and suggest they may be carrying a concealed firearm without a permit. After the officer inconveniences the poor random citizen (you didn't. The program, and the authorities that hatched it did.) The cop will want to know why you called.

"How else are you supposed to find an illegally concealed firearm If It's concealed? I want that $100, officer. And I won't stop till I get it."

After all, YOU'RE not a police officer. YOU don't need to be versed in the intricacies of probable cause. That's THEIR job. If they want to receive tips, and are paying good money to receive them, that's exactly what I'd convince as many of my friends as possible to give them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I like the way you think.
But if the requirement for payout is that they be able to take guns from people who are carrying illegally, I don't think your plan would net much. It might eventually dawn on them how bad / stupid a plan they funded, but I doubt you & friends would even get enough $ for dinner, much less new toys.

Superlite27 said:

I would have such a heyday with this!

"How else are you supposed to find an illegally concealed firearm If It's concealed? I want that $100, officer. And I won't stop till I get it."

After all, YOU'RE not a police officer. YOU don't need to be versed in the intricacies of probable cause. That's THEIR job. If they want to receive tips, and are paying good money to receive them, that's exactly what I'd convince as many of my friends as possible to give them.

Click to expand...

Snipped. You know what you wrote.

You are a sick puppy. And I love that idea!!!:banana::banana:

MKEgal said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I like the way you think.
But if the requirement for payout is that they be able to take guns from people who are carrying illegally, I don't think your plan would net much. It might eventually dawn on them how bad / stupid a plan they funded, but I doubt you & friends would even get enough $ for dinner, much less new toys.

Click to expand...

It's not about the money. It's about the principle. This is a completely ignorant and foolhardy idea that will accomplish nothing but inconvenience for the public.

Unfortunately for those who's hairbrained idea this is, it is so flawed as to be just as much of an inconvenience for THEM, as well.

I'm simply illustrating a way in which this inconvenience can be highlighted and the ignorance of the idea can be focused upon those who introduced the idea in the first place. Let THEM work their asses off. Let THEM spend countless hours and immeasurable manpower responding to pointless "tips". THEY have requested to receive them. THEY are actually paying for them.

Give them what they ask for.

It can't be illegal to call in tips to this hotline. If it was, why would they ask people to do so? They can't expect anyone calling to be well versed in intricacies of search and seizure, reasonable articulate suspicion, probable cause, etc. Why would they ask the public to call, then?

They have ASKED for tips.

They are PAYING for tips.

Give them tips.

Lots of them.

They asked.

Let them arrest, or even hassle, one single person offering ANY quality of tip....

Can you imagine the press? Can you imagine the news story If they give ANY guff to people that actually do what they have ASKED them to do?

"Well, Mrs. Reporter, I was just being a concerned citizen. The department has asked us to keep an eye out for "illegal weapons" and I was just doing my part as a model citizen to help them. Then all those police show up and threaten to arrest me for simply doing my neighborly duty. After all, they asked us citizens to call in. Why would they threaten to arrest me if they wanted people to call in with tips? I'm a little confused. They asked for tips, then threatened to arrest me when I gave them a few. This doesn't seem like an organized police department to me."

How do you think that press would fly?

I'm simply stating that if the authorities want to enact a program that inconveniences the public, while inconveniencing THEM tenfold.....

Give them a hand! Help reveal the hairbrained scheme for the albatross that it is.

(The fact that there's a remote possibility they will PAY YOU to do it is an added bonus!)

What would the story be if an OCer was the one that called in the report and later that day the same OCer was the one harassed and inconvenienced...

After a dozen incidents could the OCer get not only the $100.00 per report but then also the settlement offer to end the civil rights lawsuit....


Not recommending or advising this action just thinking!

Superlite....

Or you could just go OC with a buddy and both of you call in at the same time reporting the other, after all you might think your buddy is legal, but you don't know for sure.
The when you are both stopped without RAS you get the $100 for the tip and a federal rights (4th, 1st, and 14th) lawsuit against the LEOs & the city.

(or a large group of 11 OCers, that's $1000 each for reporting the others)

Just sayin'

I just joined but I am with you on this one. I live in canton and want this gone. I'm always worried someone is going to report me when I'm legal.