Off Duty Concerns :: Blue Sheepdog

Archive for Off Duty Concerns – Page 2

Q&A on LEOSA

by Richard

April 26th, 2011

In the Winter 2011 edition of the NRA Law Enforcement Quarterly, there is an excellent article answering a lot of questions about the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.

Previously, Randall wrote about the updates to the LEOSA signed into law by President Obama. I suggest reading his article, and then reviewing the NRA article.

Stay safe!

Richard is a police officer with a medium sized, central Florida department, and previously worked for a Metro-Atlanta agency. He has served as a field training officer, court officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, watch commander, commander of a field training and evaluation program, and general pain in the butt to management-types looking to cut training hours.

Categories Off Duty Concerns
Comments (0)

Flying with Firearms—Part II

by Randall

March 24th, 2011

Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on flying with a firearm.

Flying with a gun In Part I of Flying with a Firearm, we discussed preparing for a domestic airline flight with a firearm in checked luggage. I will now cover some of the things I learned when arriving at the airport.

First, you must go through the counter check-in procedure at your airline. You may not declare the firearm at curbside check-in. Once at the counter, tell the attendant that you are a police officer declaring an unloaded firearm to check in your luggage.

If you are traveling under your state’s CCF license or as a private citizen, I would tell them you are declaring a legal, unloaded firearm in your checked luggage. By first stating you are law enforcement, or otherwise legally checking in, it seems to keep the drama to a minimum.

This is where things get interesting. Some airlines will ask to see the unloaded weapon and inspect the packaging of the gun and ammunition, per Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. This is to be expected, in fact, appreciated.

Categories Firearms, General, Off Duty Concerns
Comments (0)

Flying with Firearms—Part I

by Randall

March 17th, 2011

I was traveling to Washington, D.C. with a fellow officer on a trip to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. I had never flown with a firearm before. Unless you are on official business, law enforcement officers are not allowed to fly with a firearm in the passenger cabin.

My friend had flown with a handgun in checked luggage many times. All firearms must be checked in luggage. I had always thought flying with a gun would be a hassle. I decided to see how it really worked for domestic air travel.

Flying With A Gun The most important hurdle is doing your homework to package your gun and ammunition correctly, as defined by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations and by the rules of the air carrier on which you are traveling.

The firearm must be unloaded in a lockable, hard-sided container. My first tip is that the plastic gun case your firearm came with may not be secure enough. The regulations prohibit cases that can be “pulled open with little effort.

Even if you are able to padlock the manufacturer’s gun case, many lack the rigidity to keep the ends from being pried apart far enough to liberate your gun. I recommend buying a metal case made specifically for securing a firearm.

Categories Firearms, Off Duty Concerns
Comments (4)

Officer Victim of Arson

by Richard

May 10th, 2010

As if we needed another reminder of officer safety off-duty, a Watkinsville, GA police officer’s truck was torched while he slept in his home. Fortunately, he awoke before the fire engulfed his house.

Pay attention to who is around your home. Invest in motion activated lights. Get a fence and dogs. Take those reasonable steps to protect your family and property, because there are people who would like to visit harm upon you.

Stay safe!

Categories News, Off Duty Concerns, Officer Safety
Comments (0)

Have gun, have handcuffs

by Richard

May 4th, 2010

Long time readers of this site know I am a vocal advocate for carrying a firearm (or two) off duty. An off-duty deputy sheriff demonstrated why this is so important Monday when he stopped a mass stabbing at a store.

The woman was running through a California Target store, stabbing people with two knives she was carrying. An armed off-duty deputy chased and confronted the woman, stopping the attacks.

The incident highlights several points:

Having a firearm allowed the deputy to respond to the violent attacker.
Once the deputy was involved, no one else was stabbed.
The deputy had handcuffs, which allowed him to secure the attacker once he confronted her.
Some customers thought the deputy was the attacker because they saw him with a firearm.

Moral of the story? Have gun, have handcuffs, and identify yourself clearly to others in the area. I hope the deputy’s department recognizes how many lives he probably saved by having a firearm and getting involved.

Stay safe!

Categories News, Off Duty Concerns, Officer Safety, Training
Comments (0)

« Previous Page