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How to identify yourself as a "Good Guy" to police under a bad situation?

zigziggityzoo

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
1,543
Location
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
imported post

Rule of thumb: IF you're not in immediate danger, your gun is holstered. IF you see the boys in blue, your gun had better be holstered quick.

Edit to add: Call 911 if you're present and armed. Let them know so they know there's a potential good guy at the scene, and not to go a-blazing at the first MWAG they see.
 

joshuaeberly

New member
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
165
Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
imported post

1) if possible, call 911 and describe yourself.
2) if at all tactically possible, disarm yourself at first contact with PD.
3) ID YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY. While I understand some of the attitudes regarding providing ID that have been presented elsewhere on this forum, I'm sure we all realize, but I'll say it anyway. there's a time and a place to refuse to ID. An active shooter situation IS NOT ONE OF THEM!!!! play it safe, and be smart.
4) that's about it.
 

northofnowhere

Campaign Veteran
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
232
Location
RTM, Lake Linden, Michigan, USA
imported post

Thinking ahead is a good smart first play. Keep in mind it won't just be your adrenaline pumping at the scene, the officers will already be pumping as they are driving. Give the dispatcher a "simple" desciption, something that will stand out in the officers minds as they arrive on scene. Wether it be a color shirt or pants, something they will easily identify with and think about.
 

ilbob

Campaign Veteran
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
778
Location
, Illinois, USA
imported post

Chances are you are SOL, and will die in a hail of police bullets.

Your widow will wonder why you turned into a head case and started shooting people at random, forcing the police to kill you, because you can be sure thats what the official story will be in most jurisdictions.

Your call to 911 will be reported as part of your insidious plot.
 

Hcidem

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
316
Location
RTM Rockford, Michigan, USA
imported post

ilbob wrote:
Chances are you are SOL, and will die in a hail of police bullets.

Your widow will wonder why you turned into a head case and started shooting people at random, forcing the police to kill you, because you can be sure thats what the official story will be in most jurisdictions.

Your call to 911 will be reported as part of your insidious plot.
I see you are from Illinois. :D
 

dougwg

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2007
Messages
2,443
Location
MOC Charter Member Westland, Michigan, USA
imported post

A couple "rules" I will live by if in that type of situation.

1. Call 911 and identify myself.
2. Don't spin around and pointmy gun that the responding officers.
3. Yell "Off duty (city) police officer" while following any orders of the responding officers. (drop the gun, lay down on the ground etc...)

I'm not a police officer, but hopfully it will keep the cops from wrongly shooting ME, which at THAT moment is my #1 goal. There will be more than enough time to sort everything out later.

In a very bad situation my number one goal is to stay alive, everything else is second.
 

diesel556

Lone Star Veteran
Joined
Nov 27, 2008
Messages
714
Location
Seattle-ish, Washington, USA
imported post

dougwg wrote:
Better than getting shot, many times, over and over resulting in my death. :?

Smell what I'm stepping in?
If they give you the chance to say anything (i.e. you are an off duty officer"), that means they didn't come out guns blazing. I'm not sure how it would benefit you in that situation.
 

dougwg

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2007
Messages
2,443
Location
MOC Charter Member Westland, Michigan, USA
imported post

It would simply give them pause and me a few seconds to insure I remanded hole-less.

Mike,

Being a lawyer I figured you would pick up the fact that I simply stated "Off duty (city) police officer".

I purposely made an incomplete statement. I didn't state "I AM AN off duty officer". I would think a good lawyer would argue that I didn't actually state that I am an officer. Therefor I was not "impersonating a police officer".

But IANAL so I guess I could be wrong, but alive. ;)
 

jmlefler

Regular Member
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
287
Location
Southwest, Michigan, USA
imported post

Not bad...

Maybe just yelling 'police officer, police officer' would be better. If you survive and are asked why you were trying to impersonate an officer, you reply "I was just trying to get the officers' attention...", which is the absolute truth.

Carry on
 
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