An offer of Insight Into LEO's Reactions/Perceptions to OC

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I am offering this link to a collection of articles because it contains extensive transcripts of media coverage of the tragic shooting death of TCPD Sgt. Dennis Finch in 1998. http://www.mcrkba.org/VPCLEOKIA1998.pdf If I understand correctly, Dr. Lee gathered this compliation primarily as a segment of a broader research document. To see the articles surrounding Sgt. Finch's death you must scroll down to about the middle of the pdf display.
This shooting death was a big deal here in the north as few officers die in the line of duty and even fewer have died as a result of criminal attack. I recall on the night of this tragic event that the suspect was reported in the news as merely "wearing a holstered gun while in his yard doing yard work." Apparently the police responded to the man's home after his neighbors complained about the OC. Knowing what I do about OC here in Michigan, I recall wondering what made the police confront the man. Later I learned that the police had good reason to suspect the man's mental stability.
I offer this information as to why OC will, IMHO, make some LEO's uneasy.

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I can understand why someone with a historu of mental illness might make anyone nervous if seen carrying a firearm. But merely carrying a firearm in a state where that is not illegal, I don't get it.

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Thank you for posting the link as it can be good reading although I can't see how those examples remotely apply to "a man with a gun" when all he is doing is shopping for a lovely bunch of bananas with his family at a grocery store or getting gas at a gas station or any of the ordinary legal activities that we typically do while OC'ing.

All of those story's have extenuating circumstances attached to them.

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Dan F. wrote:

I am offering this link to a collection of articles because it contains extensive transcripts of media coverage of the tragic shooting death of TCPD Sgt. Dennis Finch in 1998. http://www.mcrkba.org/VPCLEOKIA1998.pdf If I understand correctly, Dr. Lee gathered this compliation primarily as a segment of a broader research document. To see the articles surrounding Sgt. Finch's death you must scroll down to about the middle of the pdf display.
This shooting death was a big deal here in the north as few officers die in the line of duty and even fewer have died as a result of criminal attack. I recall on the night of this tragic event that the suspect was reported in the news as merely "wearing a holstered gun while in his yard doing yard work." Apparently the police responded to the man's home after his neighbors complained about the OC. Knowing what I do about OC here in Michigan, I recall wondering what made the police confront the man. Later I learned that the police had good reason to suspect the man's mental stability.
I offer this information as to why OC will, IMHO, make some LEO's uneasy.

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I'm from Traverse City and followed this event. The police over responded. They escalated the encounter and provoke the citizen. Yes he was an odd duck, but he had not been in any way violent or a threat. He was OCing in his yard because he thought the Mafia was after him and that the local police were in on it. My thoughts are that if the police had left him alone the Sgt. would still be alive and the man wouldn't be in prison for life.

This incident was post in an earlier thread last year.

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Venator wrote:

....
This incident was post in an earlier thread last year.

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Prior to my posting I did a search on the topics " Dennis Finch" and "Traverse City" and found no references in this group. I finally found your original posting when I searched through your previous posts. You raised some very good points in your original posting(s) and,even though it is pretty much a rerun, I think it is a good case study for newbies like me and perhaps bears repeating from time-to-time.

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Link doesnt work.

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Tucker6900 wrote:

Link doesnt work.

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Cut and paste without the http, just the http://www.... That was the only way I could get it to work.

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got it. Thanks!

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Actually, it worked for me when I just took out the www. after the http stuff.

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I often have a meal or coffee with the cops and yesterday morning I discussed OC with an LEO over breakfast. Now I am presenting this information as insight into the attitude of ONE LEO and not his entire department. Since we were off duty I began my conversation by asking him if he minded discussing work on his day off. He replied that talking about work was fine and wanted to know what I wanted to ask. I replied that I had been reading the website OCDO and asked if he agreed that OC was legal in Michigan. He replied that he knew it was. I then asked him what his reaction might be if he were to see a person OC-ing on the street. He answered that he would be curious as to what "statement" (quotes addded by me) that person was trying to make. In other words, he said he would view it as something along the lines of picketing or other lawful, overt public displayto make a statement. He said he didn't see it as a threat to our community but did say he would be VERY concerned if he saw a person dressed in BDU's walking down the street carrying a rifle (I suppose this concern dials up or down depending on whether or not it's currently hunting season). He also agreed that said person dressed in BDU's with a rifle would be engaging in legal activity.

To repeat, this is a summary of one conversation and by no means a guage of an entire department.