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Man arrested for reporting open carrier

MAC702

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I didn't see confirmation that this was an open carrier.

He may have seen that the man exposed a "concealed" weapon accidentally. Those cause more reactions than open carry in many situations.

The police are said to have figured out who had the gun.
 

DocWalker

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I also believe that if someone calls 911 for someone that isn't doing anything illegal (ie. open carry) then the caller should be cited for making a false report or abuse of 911 system.
 

MAC702

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I also believe that if someone calls 911 for someone that isn't doing anything illegal (ie. open carry) then the caller should be cited for making a false report or abuse of 911 system.

In their defense, many of those callers may believe it is illegal and they are doing the right thing. More important is a dispatcher asking questions to get the person to confirm whether or not a law is being broken. But if it is determined that a caller is purposely using the system to harass a carrier, then yes, that should be pursued.
 

DocWalker

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In their defense, many of those callers may believe it is illegal and they are doing the right thing. More important is a dispatcher asking questions to get the person to confirm whether or not a law is being broken. But if it is determined that a caller is purposely using the system to harass a carrier, then yes, that should be pursued.

I guess you can't be charged with being an idiot then.....

(ref to people calling 911 that don't know it is legal to OC)
 

XD40sc

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In their defense, many of those callers may believe it is illegal and they are doing the right thing. More important is a dispatcher asking questions to get the person to confirm whether or not a law is being broken. But if it is determined that a caller is purposely using the system to harass a carrier, then yes, that should be pursued.

Ignorance of the law is never a valid excuse. Anyone can be sited/arrested for breaking a law that they are not aware of.
 

MAC702

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Ignorance of the law is never a valid excuse. Anyone can be sited/arrested for breaking a law that they are not aware of.

Yes, and I am saying that there are times when it should be left to common sense enforcement, and that it is likely that many of these calls fall into that category.
 
Last edited:

PALO

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Kent
Yes, and I am saying that there are times when it should be left to common sense enforcement, and that it is likely that many of these calls fall into that category.

We used to get these calls all the time. It was up to US, in patrol to get a memo written and then policy was changed, but prior to that dispatch WOULD send us to MWAG call based upon "concerned" citizen 911 calls. Groovy. We would contact the CALLER (not the carrier) and inform him of the law and that OC was legal. Sometimes we would drive by the carrier to see if we recognized him as a convicted felon (which of course was never the case, because you'd have to be even stupider than the average criminal to be a convicted felon and OC), but never make a stop or anything like that.

Call receivers/dispatchers are not expected to know the laws to the extent officers or prosecutors are. They have a general understanding, but many of them (and even a few cops sadly) didn't know that OC was entirely legal activity. Similarly, they used to send us to "sex offense " calls when soccer moms would complain about bikini baristas wearing only pasties and a thong walking around outside their kiosks in full view of children.

ENTIRELY legal. We actually got a letter from our local prosecutor explaining that as long as the areolas were covered and the vulva, that they could walk around in public all they wanted and did not need to keep out of view of "the children' by hiding from the outside world./

Those were two examples where we were getting dispatched based on complaint of legal activity. Always up to the officer to filter the call through the relevant law moreso than the (civilian) call receiver and dispatchers job. But ONCE we got them squared away on the law, they didn't send us to that stuff any more b ut instead educated the caller
 

LQM

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Apr 26, 2007
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Branford, Connecticut, USA
Similarly, they used to send us to "sex offense " calls when soccer moms would complain about bikini baristas wearing only pasties and a thong walking around outside their kiosks in full view of children.

ENTIRELY legal. We actually got a letter from our local prosecutor explaining that as long as the areolas were covered and the vulva, that they could walk around in public all they wanted and did not need to keep out of view of "the children' by hiding from the outside world./

Oh yeah! What time do they open! What town is it where there are half nekkid woman walkin' around! And how come that's not on the tourism site!!??
 

LQM

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Apr 26, 2007
Messages
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Location
Branford, Connecticut, USA
I dunno. He sounds like he would spend a lot of time putting me in handcuffs. I am not 'down' with that kind of fun.

Is there some law that says a person can't be armed and engaged in ogling? I'll have to look it up.

All fun aside, from what I could take out of the original article, it sounds like the cops did it right. No commentary on how the OC'er was handled, but "the OC alarmer" was wasn't the issue as much as the ruckus he caused in the bank. I don't know about the rest of us, but writing a note to a bank teller that includes the word "GUN" is a sure way to garner attention.
 
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