WI State Police Encounter - Protest and After Action Reports

http://www.cbs58.com/index.php?aid=11271

Coverage of the protest...

 

We're moving discussion of this to a new thread. The other one is hopelessly bogged down by misunderstandings.

 

I noticed that the woman being interviewed said she didn't want to see a gun at all - period. I wonder how she feels about police, then? She must be really uncomfortable around them.

 

So, that makes everyone not having an "I carry" sticker what, one of the bad guys?

 

I was thinking that also. If you read between the lines, she was probably not comfortable with civilians with guns

kudos for wis opencarry. I wonder if the sheriff or trooper office showed up?

 

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/sussexsun/news/85063567.html

Sussex incident triggers gun protest

 

On another forum, Protias responded to one part of the news story:

He also answered the question,

OT, I don't know that much about scanners, but I think those three are pretty darn good ones.

 

What is ironic is the one thing that tips the officer (loading and holstering from the trunk) is what is needed to comply with the law.

So by following the law, you make LEO suspicious of you.

 

Many people are, any cop that has been on the job for more than a few years has had someone tell him how nervous their gun makes them.

 

Three scanners and a CB radio?

My first thoughts or suspicions would be.

1. burglar
2. armed robber
3. Cop wannabe

When I first read that the trooper had contacted the local Sheriff's dept. I thought that was a little overboard. But after reading what he has in his car I no longer think it was.

 

That seems pretty normal. I wonder if he drives an ex-squad too

 

No, he actually drives a Hyundai Elantra. I don't care what you have on or in your vehicle. If you drive a Hyundai Elantra you're definitely not trying to impersonate a cop.

 

And, quite possibly, others around you in the parking lot. MWAG calls start because someone, well, saw a man-with-a-gun. And if you call it, they will come.


Tip of the hat to Hollywood for the assist in continuing to display exaggerated methods of "racking it" which helps other citizens immediately identify evil intent.

 

If you rack it, they will come.

 

Think again, we caught one out here ( in a Hyundai ) with red and blues, a siren, running code three just to, in his words, "get through traffic".

 

Interesting, Dragoon. I have a federally issued Amateur Radio License. In addition to using the radios as a hobby and for emergency communication, I chase tornados as a weather spotter for the NWS. I had another Ham with me one day when we were out observing some severe weather and reporting to the NWS office as they watched the radar. We had several VHF/UHF transceivers and a laptop tied to a NWS radar repeater. Antennas all over my pickup. We also had a video camera, two still cameras, and two pairs of binoculars.

A sheriff's deputy pulled up behind us in the middle of nowhere and accused us of using the radio equipment illegally to plan a bank robbery. The officer declared he was going to confiscate the radios. We followed him to his office and reported by radio to the NWS what was happening. Before we arrived, our county Emergency Manager had phoned someone who got on the phone to the sheriff of the county we were in and raised the roof ... so to speak. When we pulled up, the sheriff went straight to his deputies vehicle. We couldn't hear what was said, but there was a great deal of finger pointing by the sheriff.

The deputy came over and apologized profusely. No harm done. We got both the deputy and the sheriff and gave them the "tour" of how we chase tornados so that communities can have advance warning. Later we came into town and had coffee with them both. Great experience that didn't begin well, but ended with handshakes all around.

 

He thought you guys were planning a bank robbery and then had you follow him back to the office?

 

This obviously was not a big-city cop!! We thought it kinda odd too but we were quite a few miles out of town and I don't think he had a cage. He didn't arrest us either, just asked us to follow him into town. He kinda laughed when he said that about the bank robbery. I couldn't imagine him being serious. There wasn't a building within miles of where we were.

I think, after visiting with him later, he just wasn't sure what was going on with all the radios, antennas and other gear and wanted to find out. This was a very small community in W. Texas. Think Mayberry, USA.

 

Well, because I am going into law enforcement as a career, but also an interest in gun laws here in WI, I am going to refrain from giving my opinion.

Tagged for further reading.