Ok Interaction With Three County Sheriffs

This evening I was at a local Paddock Lake eating establishment and chose not to open carry as they serve beer and wine and I have not yet got permission as well as I was meeting a new lady for the first time so I left my weapon locked in my car. While we were having coffee, 3 (I believe) Kenosha County Sheriffs came in and sat down to eat.

After a while we all got up to leave at the same time (I had on my gun belt with empty holster). We were all standing at the register and I took the opportunity…. I explained that I was kinda new to the OC thing and have OC’d in a few places and what were there thoughts on OC. All three admitted to knowing it was legal and 2 kinda turned to the register to pay their bills. The third was very friendly and said that C.C. for the public was his personal preference and gave the standard reason on OC scaring the uniformed public and something about borderline “disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct” if there were too many complaints. I politely told him that I have OC’d in crowded grocery stores, McDonalds at lunch time, as well as Starbucks Coffee and Lizzy’s Café, all without a single complaint or scared citizen. I also told him that one of our priorities is to be friendly and polite to the public and we always welcome questions as an opportunity to inform that OC is in fact legal and that not all people that carry guns are “Bad Guys. He did seem to actually listen to what I had to say. In closing, he said that he had no problem with OC but personally preferred CC. I thanked him for his time and we went our separate ways.

I will be back there soon to get permission from the owner as I am sort of a regular customer.

Outdoorsman1

do you notice how open carriers generally get better treatment out of Sheriff officers than city cops?

McX said:

do you notice how open carriers generally get better treatment out of Sheriff officers than city cops?

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That's because "city cops" are "city people"! haha

Well done Outdoorsman! :monkey

Edit: The one officer is incorrect about charging anyone with DC for merely openly carrying.

I have spoke with many Kenosha County deputies about OC and CC and most that i have spoken with have a similar opinion however they have all stated that they have no problems with OC just a preference for us to be able to CC. As a side note one of them even stated that he OCs when ever he can other than when he must CC due to laws and encourages his wife to OC.

protias said:

Well done Outdoorsman! :monkey

Edit: The one officer is incorrect about charging anyone with DC for merely openly carrying.

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*borderline “disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct” if there were too many complaints.*

According to his post the officer never said he'd charge anyone with Dc for merely openly carrying.

HolyOrangeJuice said:

*borderline “disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct” if there were too many complaints.*

According to his post the officer never said he'd charge anyone with Dc for merely openly carrying.

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Unless the person was actually making a disturbance, then I would say yes, that person should be charged with DC, however, let's say a group of WAVE people saw you carrying, everyone called it in, then what? Do the police charge you with DC? Do they tell the people unless you are causing a disturbance to just mind their business? That is what I would really like to know.

Even better, ask the officer if it's "disturbing the peace" if a hundred people complain about some fat woman wearing stretch lycra. It's a disturbance and people called, right? Now, what ya gonna do about it, scout?

HolyOrangeJuice said:

*borderline “disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct” if there were too many complaints.*

According to his post the officer never said he'd charge anyone with Dc for merely openly carrying.

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He may not have characterized his response like that in so many words but the implication was in fact exactly that.

If a law's enforcement is predicated on the number of complaints as opposed to... "The Law". Then we have mob rule. If your neighbors get together and decide they no longer like you in the "hood"... well you get the point. The officer was wrong. Laws are not broken and tickets issued or arrests made because to many dumb azz citizens made a complaint. If that is their standard for enforcement, a note should be sent to AG Van Hollen asking if he thinks this is an appropriate standard for the LEO to follow.

Just my 2¢.

Hardballer out!

Dont buy into LE mentality about CC.
It puts them on a power trip to say "Papers,Please".

Just like the kid in the drive thru that says "Would ya like fries with that?"

LR Yote

hardballer said:

He may not have characterized his response like that in so many words but the implication was in fact exactly that.

If a law's enforcement is predicated on the number of complaints as opposed to... "The Law". Then we have mob rule. If your neighbors get together and decide they no longer like you in the "hood"... well you get the point. The officer was wrong. Laws are not broken and tickets issued or arrests made because to many dumb azz citizens made a complaint. If that is their standard for enforcement, a note should be sent to AG Van Hollen asking if he thinks this is an appropriate standard for the LEO to follow.

Just my 2¢.

Hardballer out!

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+1 Well said.

hardballer said:

SNIP He may not have characterized his response like that in so many words but the implication was in fact exactly that.

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+1 That was a not-so-subtle attempt to discourage exercising a right.

hardballer said:

SNIP If a law's enforcement is predicated on the number of complaints as opposed to... "The Law". Then we have mob rule.

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We have mob rule anyway. Two competing mobs vying for control of the same territory: the Democrat and Republican Parties.

Too bad we can't get the UN to enforce RICO against them.

Citizen said:

We have mob rule anyway. Two competing mobs vying for control of the same territory: the Democrat and Republican Parties.

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Nothing more than Legalized Crime with a Flag on the wall.

LR Yote

Citizen said:

We have mob rule anyway. Two competing mobs vying for control of the same territory: the Democrat and Republican Parties.

Too bad we can't get the UN to enforce RICO against them.

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+1

Quote...

"*borderline “disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct” if there were too many complaints.*

According to his post the officer never said he'd charge anyone with Dc for merely openly carrying."

The impression I got from talking with him face to face that his comment was more of a personal opinion, not that he would "automatically" charge an OC’ers based on number of complaints. He was ok with OC because he knew it was legal, just not his personal preference for how the public should carry. Based on our conversation, I would think that he would investigate the "complaints" and make a determination if in fact they were valid before talking any action... And I was ok with that impression....

I would not decide to write a note to the attorney general based on a single LEO comment on a hypothetical situation.


Outdoorsman1

protias said:

Well done Outdoorsman! :monkey

Edit: The one officer is incorrect about charging anyone with DC for merely openly carrying.

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I do not think he ever implied that he would charge DC for merely OC... It was more that if he got a lot of complaints he would investigate the complaints FIRST... then make a determination as to their validity... He basically said that he new OC was leagal and would check out the situation before taking action... and if the complaints were only related to OC and nothing else, then based on his knowledge of the law (OC = legal) he would take no action.

Outdoorsman

Outdoorsman.