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Respone from a Chesterfield Police Officer

ThunderRanch

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Just thought I'd throw this out for any comments or possible "like" stories. I play in a band with a Chesterfield County Police Officer, and thought I'd see what his feeling was on OC.

My e-mail to him:

"Since you are a Chesterfield County Police Officer, I thought I’d ask your advice.



I’m sure you are aware that I have my CCW and that, for the most part, I carry all the time. At this point there are areas that are prohibited for concealed carry, and I don’t violate the rules. (I. E. Schools, restaurants that serve alcohol, etc.) Some of these places are legal for open carry though.



There is an organization that promotes Open Carry, (VACDL and OpenCarry.org) which in the state of VA is legal. In your experience, what level of scrutiny might I expect if I chose to Open Carry in Chesterfield? I realize that, in no way shape or form, are you providing “legal” council. I guess the real question is, just how well versed in this part of the VA code are your fellow officers. I certainly don’t have any problem providing ID and answering questions, but I’d also like to not be unnecessarily detained!"

His response to me:

"i can tell ya , open carry is a problem, unless yer on a back rd and its deer season. i know the law but in this day and age id stay with the concealed permit and its rules. its gonna cause alot of headache if you dont... the good thing is i can carry anywhere i choose, being sworn. "





I welcome your thoughts! And also welcome views on how to best educate the LEO's that might take offens to OC here in Chesterfield!

 

hsmith

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Well a few harassed citizens, a few letters in officers files that prohibit promotions and they will learn to ship up. Pull something like Norfolk and the city will feel the pinch.

Just because they don't like it doesn't give them permission to harass you.
 

skidmark

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ThunderRanch wrote:
His response to me:

"i can tell ya , open carry is a problem, unless yer on a back rd and its deer season. i know the law but in this day and age id stay with the concealed permit and its rules. its gonna cause alot of headache if you dont... the good thing is i can carry anywhere i choose, being sworn. "


I welcome your thoughts! And also welcome views on how to best educate the LEO's that might take offens to OC here in Chesterfield!


Based on my own experiences, your cop buddy is in a very small minority of the Chesterfield PD force. I have had only one "incident" where they asked me to disarm, and that was when I called them on a thug who threatened to kill me then backed down when he realized I was armed & he was not. They wanted me to disarm when I did a field ID - cop held it in his hand afgter I cleared it then returned it after we stepped away. I immediately reloaded & holstered & he had no problems.

I know several others, as well as observing many more, who OC without any problems. These are folks I have seen in the presence of CCPD officers - everything from passing by walking in parking lots to groups standing around late at night in shopping centers to flagging down a cop to report an accident/stalled vehicle in the road, to various restaurants where cops were eating & OC-er(s) came in, or vice-versa.

How about you set up a meeting with your cop buddy and a few of us? I, for one, would like to hear his explanation of "in this day and age ". I promise to try real hard not to argue with him - just to hear his side of things.

stay safe.

skidmark
 

vt357

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I have never had a problem with any Chesterfield PD officers. I am friends with one who has been on the force for a while (he's a sergeant). He sees me OCing a couple times a week.

Not really an OC incident but I had an interesting encounter in Chesterfield when I got pulled over last year. The officer approached my window and asked for my license and registration. I told him my license was in my back pocket. Then I said that I had a CHP and my firearm was in the glove box... and so was my registration. I asked if he still wanted the registration card. He said no and just took my license. The entire stop was completely professional on his part and the only awkwardness came from me having to explain why I couldn't give him my registration. I have sinced moved my registration/insurance to my sun visor. :lol:
 

Sheriff

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ThunderRanch wrote:
Chesterfield County Police Officer says ...... "i can tell ya , open carry is a problem..."
He'll eventually get himself and his department sued. :shock:
 

Drake

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...saids someone who joined 7 days ago with only 6 posts.


Sorry, but something is fishy about this post.
 

ThunderRanch

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Well excuse me....guess I need to wait until I'm "older" to post. Sorry to have wasted your time. Guess perhaps I should stick to USCCA. They even allow you to post onthe first day without finding anything "fishy".

I will say that I "was" picking up good information here, but if this is the attitude of the membership, I doubt I will spend much more time "lurking" and/or posting about things that are of interest to me.
 

ThunderRanch

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Sorry. I just don't take kindly to someone basically calling me a liar. If I didn't respect this particular officer's opinion, I wouldn't have bothered to ask him the question. And his response was the reason I asked about how best to educate him (and any other LEO who might have the same opinion).

Perhaps it is a waste of time. I can always just go back to my previous mantra....if I don't have to pass through a metal detector, IWILL carry concealed. And if it comes down to the BG getting away with something bad or my having to face the consequences of possibly being somewhere concealed carry is prohibited, I will face the consequences knowing I did the right thing by stopping the BG.
 

Harper1227

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Lorton, VA
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ThunderRanch wrote:
Well excuse me....guess I need to wait until I'm "older" to post. Sorry to have wasted your time. Guess perhaps I should stick to USCCA. They even allow you to post onthe first day without finding anything "fishy".

I will say that I "was" picking up good information here, but if this is the attitude of the membership, I doubt I will spend much more time "lurking" and/or posting about things that are of interest to me.

Don't worry, and don't let someone turn you off to a good site. This place is a wealth of information. I'm not much "older" than you but I have had a lot of great experiences on this site and meeting some of the members in person.

You have to learn to take things in stride. i thought I was going to have problems after like my second post, but I realize that people on here are just trying to educate even if we all have different styles and opinions. Don't let it get to you. You're as welcome here as anyone else.

Welcome to the forum and come back anytime you have interesting info! :dude:
 

IanB

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ThunderRanch wrote:
"i can tell ya , open carry is a problem, unless yer on a back rd and its deer season. i know the law but in this day and age id stay with the concealed permit and its rules. its gonna cause alot of headache if you dont... the good thing is i can carry anywhere i choose, being sworn. "

Pls ask your friend: [and excuse my sarcasm]

1:Why open carry "is a problem". Ask him to cite specific real examples where he encountered someone OC and it caused a problem under the law and not a problem with his opinions.

2:Why its a "good thing" that special priviledges are conferred upon him that the serfs he is paid to protect don't recieve.

3: Is it customary to hunt deer with handguns on back roads? Do the [handgun] deer hunters have permission from landowners on both sides of the road to hunt? Will your friend charge them with § 18.2-286for shooting from the road?
 

Sheriff

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ThunderRanch, you are welcome here. WELCOME!!!

Don't pay any attention to a 41 post "expert". :lol:
 

Marco

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ThunderRanch wrote:
the good thing is i can carry anywhere i choose, being sworn. "
Ask him;
How this helps me?

Why is open carry is a problem?

Are you prepared to be sued and have charges filed againstyou for violating peoples rights?
[line]


Sounds to me like this person has an elitist attitude.

I visit Chesterfiled at least twice a yr with no issues, two officers live a few doors down from my wife's mother.
 

ThunderRanch

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nakedshoplifter wrote:
ThunderRanch wrote:
"i can tell ya , open carry is a problem, unless yer on a back rd and its deer season. i know the law but in this day and age id stay with the concealed permit and its rules. its gonna cause alot of headache if you dont... the good thing is i can carry anywhere i choose, being sworn. "

Pls ask your friend: [and excuse my sarcasm]

1:Why open carry "is a problem". Ask him to cite specific real examples where he encountered someone OC and it caused a problem under the law and not a problem with his opinions.

2:Why its a "good thing" that special priviledges are conferred upon him that the serfs he is paid to protect don't recieve.

3: Is it customary to hunt deer with handguns on back roads? Do the [handgun] deer hunters have permission from landowners on both sides of the road to hunt? Will your friend charge them with § 18.2-286for shooting from the road?
I have posed the questions to him, slightly reworded to remove sarcasm, and I'll let you know what he says. In this follow up e-mail I did try to emphasize the fact that my main goal is to be as educated as I possibly can from both perspectives.
 

Repeater

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Richmond, Virginia, USA
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nakedshoplifter wrote:
ThunderRanch wrote:
"i can tell ya , open carry is a problem, unless yer on a back rd and its deer season. i know the law but in this day and age id stay with the concealed permit and its rules. its gonna cause alot of headache if you dont... the good thing is i can carry anywhere i choose, being sworn. "

Pls ask your friend: [and excuse my sarcasm]

1:Why open carry "is a problem". Ask him to cite specific real examples where he encountered someone OC and it caused a problem under the law and not a problem with his opinions.

2:Why its a "good thing" that special priviledges are conferred upon him that the serfs he is paid to protect don't recieve.

3: Is it customary to hunt deer with handguns on back roads? Do the [handgun] deer hunters have permission from landowners on both sides of the road to hunt? Will your friend charge them with § 18.2-286for shooting from the road?
It seems many CC LEOs are complaining of low pay. Here's a letter from Kevin P. Carroll, President of the Chesterfield Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge # 47:


[SNIP]
"I want to thank all of the citizens that have spoken out about the police pay and retention issue. It pleases me to see people exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. As a police officer, it is important to know that we are appreciated for the work that we do. I know that your police officers welcomed the needed support from the community.

"I have lobbied in the General Assembly over the last two years on a variety of issues. It's a funny thing about politicians. Generally speaking, they do support strong public safety whether they are Republican, Democrat or Independent. They just don't want to spend money on it."

Well, he specifically lobbied to close the gun-show loophole and for the Miller arrest for any misdemeanor bills. Not very helpful to Virginians who carry.
 

Repeater

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Repeater wrote:
It seems many CC LEOs are complaining of low pay. Here's a letter from Kevin P. Carroll, President of the Chesterfield Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge # 47:


[SNIP]
"I want to thank all of the citizens that have spoken out about the police pay and retention issue. It pleases me to see people exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. As a police officer, it is important to know that we are appreciated for the work that we do. I know that your police officers welcomed the needed support from the community.

"I have lobbied in the General Assembly over the last two years on a variety of issues. It's a funny thing about politicians. Generally speaking, they do support strong public safety whether they are Republican, Democrat or Independent. They just don't want to spend money on it."

Well, he specifically lobbied to close the gun-show loophole and for the Miller arrest for any misdemeanor bills. Not very helpful to Virginians who carry.
Oh, and there's a shortage of police officers for Chesterfield:

Reassignments cause frustration

The county's shortage of officers is forcing the police department to play its own version of musical chairs as it shifts manpower from specialized crime units to cover more critical patrol operations. There are currently 31 vacancies, attributed mostly to the department offering the lowest starting salaries in the region and compression in the pay scale.


"I've got a bucket with a hole in it, and I've got to stop the water from running out," says Police Chief Thierry Dupuis, describing his current challenge of trying to keep officers from leaving the department for better paying jobs elsewhere.

Well, Chief Dupuis supported closing the gun-show loophole, too. Perhaps his attitude percolates down.
 
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