To all AR15 members.

Thanks for the advice on how to deal with assholes in our ranks,
"WARNING! Please do not..."

Now the point of this posting;

I do not intend to re-invent the wheel but I want to make one thing very clear.

Just because you see the FOP in pictures behind Bill Cliton [not a typo] do not assume that cops are the scurge of this contry and want you destroy your 2nd Amendment Rights.

It goes well beyond us.

We enforce laws written by people voted into office by the people. We don't create them.

Do Not assume all cops have a problem with the 2nd Amendment.

I DO NOT. I WANT civilians to own and carry their firearms.

I have had some heated clashes with senior department officals and other cops about my attitudes and handling of firearms cases.

As an example;

While working drug interdiction on IH-35 in Texas, I stopped a pickup truck one night pulling a large flatbed trailer. There was about a dozen boxes on the front end of the trailer about the size paperwork is stored in and they had that appeared to be vegetables in them.

Running the license plate, the vehicle came back as registered/owned in "The Valley" or far south Texas near McAllen. This is the Number 1 area for smuggling narcotics into the U.S.

I stopped the truck FOR A TRAFFIC OFFENSE, i.e. there were no lights on the trailer. I didn't "Make-up" anything. You know when you've been busted to rights.

I spoke to the driver, a 36yo W/M, he said he was a farmer and was heading into Dallas to sell at Farmer's Market.

He had no criminal history.

I asked to perform a cursory search for contriband (that was my job) He said "No" Which he legally (thankfully) can do.

I figured that living down there he was stopped by cops pretty regularly. When I asked why, I got the feeling he, Primarily due to Hollywood, was afraid that I might put narcotics in his truck and arrest him for them. NOT!!!!

Finally he consented. As I opened the center console, I observed a Ruger Semiauto in the storage compartment.

Obviously, His ass was mine!

No way in hell.

I checked to make sure it was unloaded, then I turned and asked him if he had a CHL to carry it. He said no.

Now I've really got him.

No way in hell.

I handed it to him and said, "Sir, this will do you little good if it is not loaded." Then I handed it to him and wished him well with his sales in Dallas.

I raised my hand and swore to a group of people in an auditorium that I would protect them and DEFEND the constitution. NOT interpret it.

I will live to that oath.

Don't get bent because they're wearing a badge. Their attitudes are the only thing worthy of upsetting you.

My job is simple. I keep the butthole across the street from being a problem in your life or your family's lives.

BTW; If you got a ticket for speeding, well above the posted limit, then you are the jerk.
It honestly is a safety issue. You may know how to handle your vehicle at higher speeds. You're either correct or arrogant. But it is the less than intelligent people that I worry about. The ones that change lanes in front of you while your shaggin' it. Either way, someone's bound to die.

I wish all LEOs were like you. Thanks for your good work.



Aviator  [img]www.dredgeearthfirst.com/aviator.gif[/img]

As my attitude towards LEOs is well known on this forum, I have finally met/heard of a HUMAN  PO. Be always safe.

Thanks for the post DirSec. I'm glad to see other officers stand behind the constitution and their promise to uphold it.
Just because you can arrest someone doesn't mean you should.
Under Texas law the farmer was traveling. The law is written so that the farmer could have been arrested and would have had to prove he was traveling, but thankfully you used common sense and could see that for yourself.
I commend you Sir.

I would hope that no one would ever complan about an office like yourself. I applaud you, and hope that we as a nation can find many more men and women who are willing to pick up the badge and defend the constitution, not just their paycheck. You are a model officer, again makes me wish I lived in TX.

Don't get bent because they're wearing a badge. Their attitudes are the only thing worthy of upsetting you.


News Flash.... up here that attitude comes as an accessory with the badge[:X*]

Project Exile will make sure that firearms law breakers like the one mentioned above is jailed a prosecuted under federal guidelines.

Good job brother.

We, law abiding citizens, will demand nothing more than just that....Thank you.

This is from a previous post by someone else: Thank You for how you do your job!  [:D]

Well said.  

You give honor to our brotherhood.

"when a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself public property."
-Thomas Jefferson

It is a hard philosophy to practice, but I try hard at it for 40 hours a week.

God Bless,

Ronnie

Well said! There are more cops out here than most people think that think the same way. When you take the oath and put on the badge you are in effect, a public servant and I don't see anything wrong with that. When I go out on duty I truly do work for you, the law abiding citizen.

Congratulations DirSec. With one post baring your soul you've managed to turn all the cop haters around here into cop lovers. A feat that no one else has been able to pull off, BULLY FOR YOU!(can you sense the sarcasm or is it too subtle?) It is a comfort to know that there are cops out there that are so much better than the rest of us.(Do you sense the sarcasm now?).

Human cloning...Hummm....Planerench out.

What I'm saying is that this guy is wasting his time telling people what a good cop he is. People who like cops will always like cops, they don't need a reason. People who hate cops will always hate cops, they also don't need a reason. I know you think I'm an idiot(what did you use, to think with that is?) You are also the jerk who called me a racist because I didn't pat you on the back for being so culturally sensitive. So go ahead and say what you have to say then kiss my ass. By "us" I meant other cops, jerky!

Hey beekeeper, I'm not hatin'. I don't take things on the internet that seriously. This is a place where all of us can shoot our mouths off if the mood strikes us. That's why we do it in the general discussion forum. I can be a little abrasive and vague in the message that I'm trying to get across. You have a tendency to jump to conclusions. Both faults are almost epidemic on this board. No harm no foul, no need to avoid each other.

Sukebe(Different name, clearly the same guy)out.

No, DirSec and I are not related- however, we seem to be very similar philosophically.

In DirSec's place, I would have done exactly the same thing.  There was absolutely no reason to arrest the farmer, although there are officers who would have.

I had an incident where I was called to a high school to investigate allegations that certain students had firearms in their cars on campus.  The principal had his list of stooges who were willing to say who it was, and we had all of the lads in the office for interviews in short order.  They all consented to searches of their vehicles, and we found some 10/22's, a 12-gauge shotgun (hunting length, not a riot gun), and a Ruger .44 magnum revolver.  The boys' story was that they had all gone target shooting the day before (this was Monday) and had simply forgotten to take Dad's guns out of the cars.  Further investigation revealed that the real story was this:  a local gang had decided to have an initiation where the prospective members were to accost a child on his/her way home from the local elementary school and beat that child badly enough to send them to the hospital.  These young lads got wind of the plot and said "not on my watch!"  Determined to prevent said act of violence, they armed themselves and were planning on watching over the elementary kids on their way home.  The boys never used this as a defense, but that's what the sitch was.

So, I seized their guns, gave them my card and told them their parents could come pick the guns up at the station.  No arrests were made, and the two boys who were already signed up for the Marines were able to enter without a record.

Two days later, I see a sergeant with some media folks photographing the guns that were seized.  I then get a request from the DA's office for more detailed reports so they can prosecute the boys.  I promptly wrote a report that made it impossible for them to do so.

My point is not to show what a 'great guy' I am, or how I'm 'better' than anyone else.  It's simply to show the folks here that not all cops are badge-heavy assholes who arrest everyone they can, regardless of whether or not it's the right thing to do.

Sukebe, I think you're wrong- when all people hear is bad stories about bad cops, that's the only thing they have to go by.  For many it helps to know that there are some of us out there who do care and who use common sense in our decisions.  If you really are a cop, you know there are plenty of us out there who are badge-heavy and abusive, and those guys get all the press.  Your criticism of DirSec is unwarranted.

Cheers to you and the officers of your kind!

I am probably gonna get FLAMED for this but i do have a question.  Mind you I was not there but I am curious.

When he and his vehicle came back no wants, no warrants, no record why did you ask to search his vehicle?  And more still, when he declined to let you why did you press the matter?  

Maybe I am being picky, but if you stopped him for an infraction and nothing in your story seems to lend that you have reasonable suspicion to search his vehicle should you not have just let him go.  Instead you 'presure' him in to conceding.

Again, I was not there so I don't know.  But I would not have felt all warm and fuzzy if a PO just let me go only after he searches my car, regardless of my clean 'record'.  That should be enough.  Write the infraction ticket and let him on his way.

Regards,

Zaz

PS.  this is not to detract from the fact that you seem to have a good understanding of what your job is supposed to be.