[Libertarian_congress]

I've been trying to keep active and lose some weight lately, and in doing so, decided to go for a jog on one of the trails at Roswell Area Park today. Since it's hot as hell and this is America, I decided to open carry rather than getting my CC holsters/firearm sweaty. The first hour of the trail was incredibly anticlimactic, although I passed probably a dozen people, none of which even made eye contact for more than a second or two. When I reached the point where the trails converged, I noticed there were four police vehicles and a half dozen officers positioned around the trail. I greeted them and asked how they were doing, and was told I had caused "quite a stir." I shrugged and told him "I'm sorry, sir," to which he replied I could go. I was mentally preparing myself to call a lawyer, but instead had a neutral/positive experience. I ended up sending this message to their public contact email address to show appreciation towards law abiding officers:

To whom it may concern,

I wanted to express my gratitude for the professional manner in which police dealt with a potentially sensitive situation today at Roswell Area Park. I had decided to openly carry a firearm today in compliance with Georgia law, while jogging in the park and was confronted with several officers in four police vehicles at a point where the trails converge approximately an hour into my workout. As I approached the officers, I removed my earphones and kept my hands completely visible and greeted them. After exchanging pleasantries, one of the officers told me that I had caused "quite a stir today," to which I respectfully apologized, but offered no additional explanation. I was told I could go, and did so.

I fully expected a negative confrontation when I saw the police vehicles at the park. The officers were courteous, followed Georgia law closely in their interaction, and respected me as a lawful gun owner and resident of Roswell. I know of open carriers that have had very negative experiences with police, and wanted to take a moment to show my appreciation for Roswell's police department. Rather than calling my lawyer for an unlawful detainment, I was allowed to return home and carry on with my day, as it should be.

 

[Gunstar1]

Your, right. While it is unfortunate that 4 cars responded to someone walking on a trail while openly carrying, it is good to know that they didn't detain you simply because you caused "quite a stir".

 

[Fallschirmjäger]

Yep, they have every right to ask questions, (the same as you, me or the busybody next door) but they did not exceed their authority and everything seemed to end well.

I only wish Gwinnett PD had the same reaction a number of years ago.

 

[NTA]

you were profiled
OK to go !

 

[phaed]

i wouldn't call that neutral or positive. neutral, you wouldn't know anything about it. positive, you wouldn't know anything about it, and the people that tried to employ force via proxy against you would have been educated. the only people causing a stir were the cops that allowed it.

 

[Matt43R]

i wouldn't call that neutral or positive. neutral, you wouldn't know anything about it. positive, you wouldn't know anything about it, and the people that tried to employ force via proxy against you would have been educated. the only people causing a stir were the cops that allowed it.

Police officers are supposed to respond to the public right? Obviously someone called in about a man with a gun. I imagine, based on the cops response, there were a couple questions asked from the dispatcher about what they saw, hence the response.

I guess my question is, what should the police do when they receive a call about someone with a gun? Not respond at all, respond with SWAT or something like this? Just one police officer respond?

I think the biggest problem is the way the public has been brainwashed to freak out when they see a gun.

 

[Libertarian_congress]

Police officers are supposed to respond to the public right? Obviously someone called in about a man with a gun. I imagine, based on the cops response, there were a couple questions asked from the dispatcher about what they saw, hence the response.

I guess my question is, what should the police do when they receive a call about someone with a gun? Not respond at all, respond with SWAT or something like this? Just one police officer respond?

I think the biggest problem is the way the public has been brainwashed to freak out when they see a gun.

I think the dispatcher can set the tone for such a situation by asking the right questions and relaying the information to the officers, even in jurisdictions where policy dictates they send someone out for every call. For example, this is how I imagine the call went:

Citizen: Hello, 911, I saw a man with a gun in the park.
Dispatch: Was he pointing it at anyone, or doing anything threatening?
Citizen: I'm not sure, but I didn't feel safe and think police should look into it, it could be dangerous.
Dispatch: Alright, could you provide a description of the man, I'll have a team of officers investigate....

How it should have gone after the "it could be dangerous" remark:

Dispatch: Ma'am, we have officers patrolling the park regularly, and based on your description, I don't see a reason to tie up additional resources. Carrying a firearm is legal in the state of Georgia and local parks do not have the ability to interfere with lawful exercise thereof. I'll notify officers that are already in the area, but do not foresee the need for additional actions.

Maybe I live in a fantasy world where I want people to be educated and engaged. That's part of the reason I choose to open carry on occasion, in an attempt to normalize and educate people to guns in public.

 

[patrick4588]

Seems legit to me. Good job on all ends

 

[Phil1979]

I openly carried at Roswell Area Park recently, but no one called the police on me. I guess the folks that day were not in the mood to be stirred. LOL

It was in the news a few weeks ago that a man was knocked down from behind and robbed there on the trail.

 

[bubbageek]

I think the dispatcher can set the tone for such a situation by asking the right questions and relaying the information to the officers, even in jurisdictions where policy dictates they send someone out for every call. For example, this is how I imagine the call went:

Citizen: Hello, 911, I saw a man with a gun in the park.
Dispatch: Was he pointing it at anyone, or doing anything threatening?
Citizen: I'm not sure, but I didn't feel safe and think police should look into it, it could be dangerous.
Dispatch: Alright, could you provide a description of the man, I'll have a team of officers investigate....

How it should have gone after the "it could be dangerous" remark:

Dispatch: Ma'am, we have officers patrolling the park regularly, and based on your description, I don't see a reason to tie up additional resources. Carrying a firearm is legal in the state of Georgia and local parks do not have the ability to interfere with lawful exercise thereof. I'll notify officers that are already in the area, but do not foresee the need for additional actions.

Maybe I live in a fantasy world where I want people to be educated and engaged. That's part of the reason I choose to open carry on occasion, in an attempt to normalize and educate people to guns in public.

Libertarian Congress,

911 operators do not get to make decisions like that. They can ask questions and certainly get details but really have little say whether they dispatch the call or not. I once had to dispatch a call on a guy mowing his grass. He was mowing is such a way that the clippings were going on the road. A neighbor called it in for littering. The responding officer had a chat with the caller and not the guy mowing the grass.

When I ran the PSAP up here years ago a MWAG or a shots fired call would get one officer dispatched to investigate.

 

[AtlPhilip]

Would this have gotten an officer dispatched?

Citizen: Hello, 911, I saw a man with an iPhone in the park.
Dispatch: Was he playing it to loud, or doing anything disruptive?
Citizen: I'm not sure, but I think he stole it and think police should look into it. He could be a mugger.
Dispatch: Alright, could you provide a description of the man, I'll have a team of officers investigate....

Dispatching police because people are stupid is a waste of resources. 4 cars and 6 cops to investigate a jogger is criminal...

 

[gunsmoker]

"I think he stole it" is plenty of reason to dispatch officers.
Although the officers should not use force or threat of force to stop somebody based on that alone.
It's plenty to get them to the scene, and if they find a person on foot or sitting down using that allegedly stolen i-pad, they can ask him questions.


A better example of a no-dispatch situation would be where the caller says the cops ought to "run the serial number" on the device just to check to see if it's stolen, but the caller denies having any knowledge or even a foundation for suspecting it is stolen.

 

[Bob_Hayles]

"I think he stole it" is plenty of reason to dispatch officers.
Although the officers should not use force or threat of force to stop somebody based on that alone.
It's plenty to get them to the scene, and if they find a person on foot or sitting down using that allegedly stolen i-pad, they can ask him questions.

A better example of a no-dispatch situation would be where the caller says the cops ought to "run the serial number" on the device just to check to see if it's stolen, but the caller denies having any knowledge or even a foundation for suspecting it is stolen.

Citizen: Hello, 911, I saw a man with an iPhone in the park.
Dispatch: Was he playing it to loud, or doing anything disruptive?
Citizen: I'm not sure, but I think he stole it and think police should look into it. He could be a mugger.
Dispatch: Alright, could you provide a description of the man, I'll have a team of officers investigate....

"I think he stole it" qualifies as "a foundation for suspecting it is stolen", and justifies dispatch? In that case, get me the Secret Service's phone number as "I think the president is a traitor" and it needs investigating.

 

[phaed]

Police officers are supposed to respond to the public right? Obviously someone called in about a man with a gun.

first off, i don't believe cops should exist. that aside for a moment, being a man with a gun is not a crime, even by their supposed standards.

I imagine, based on the cops response, there were a couple questions asked from the dispatcher about what they saw, hence the response.

I guess my question is, what should the police do when they receive a call about someone with a gun?

explain that its not against the law? what would a dispatcher do if someone called and told them they saw someone chewing bubble gum?

Not respond at all, respond with SWAT or something like this? Just one police officer respond?

if they choose to investigate, is there a way they can do it that does not harass or interfere with the person carrying a gun at all?

I think the biggest problem is the way the public has been brainwashed to freak out when they see a gun.

the cops in this incident only supported that behavior. you should realize it's in their interest to do so. they are biased in a way that maintains a monopoly of force and job security.

 

[Libertarian_congress]

Got feedback from the chief of police:

Mr. [Libertarian_Congress], thank you for the note explaining your situation and our response to the call. We trained all of our officers last year on the new carry law and I am happy to hear but not surprised that we are handling the situation correctly. We have a very good group of officers who try hard every day to do the right thing. Thank you again, Rusty

 

[legacy38]

The Roswell Police Department has received training on the topic of Interacting with Armed Citizens...


I understand the training was well received and they took the instructor to a barbecue restaurant.

 

[70755]

The Roswell Police Department has received training on the topic of Interacting with Armed Citizens...

I understand the training was well received and they took the instructor to a barbecue restaurant.

Excellent!

 

[Bob_Hayles]

The Roswell Police Department has received training on the topic of Interacting with Armed Citizens...

I understand the training was well received and they took the instructor to a barbecue restaurant.

You don't happen to know who the instructor was, do you?

 

[jsaund22]

He's probably met the instructor once or twice...

 

[CoffeeMate]

I understand the training was well received and they took the instructor to a barbecue restaurant.

What did you have? I mean, what did the instructor have?