I know this has been asked before, but what is your experience with citizens who respond negatively when you tell them that you're an off duty cop and you're carrying your sidearm.
I ask this because I was talking to parents recently over the phone. We were just talking about school and how my LEJA classes were going and so on, then the topic moves to what department I might work for and why that one over this one, etc. I mentioned that one advantage of police work is off duty carry. As soon as I said that my mom said "Well you may be allowed to carry in public, but if you expect to go home you'd better leave your gun outside."
I know this sounds stupid especially since I'm not even an officer yet, but what the heck is wrong with people? Officers have been entrusted with the power to wear half the power of God on their hip when they're in uniform. Apparently some people have this belief that as soon as the uniform goes off, our training is magically forgotten and our good judgement goes out the window with it. If anything the taxpayers are getting more for their money. Keeping police armed off duty gives them the ability to "resolve" crisis situations that require an immediate armed response.
Whatever, I am continually disgusted by people who can't even trust the police with guns. It's not like guns emit some sort of radiation that causes people to behave irrationally. In fact I'm amazed that the Senate was able to pass the bill to allow pilots to be armed.
I gotta go to class now so my rant will just have to end this rant.
I ask this because I was talking to parents recently over the phone. We were just talking about school and how my LEJA classes were going and so on, then the topic moves to what department I might work for and why that one over this one, etc. I mentioned that one advantage of police work is off duty carry. As soon as I said that my mom said "Well you may be allowed to carry in public, but if you expect to go home you'd better leave your gun outside."
I know this sounds stupid especially since I'm not even an officer yet, but what the heck is wrong with people? Officers have been entrusted with the power to wear half the power of God on their hip when they're in uniform. Apparently some people have this belief that as soon as the uniform goes off, our training is magically forgotten and our good judgement goes out the window with it. If anything the taxpayers are getting more for their money. Keeping police armed off duty gives them the ability to "resolve" crisis situations that require an immediate armed response.
Whatever, I am continually disgusted by people who can't even trust the police with guns. It's not like guns emit some sort of radiation that causes people to behave irrationally. In fact I'm amazed that the Senate was able to pass the bill to allow pilots to be armed.
I gotta go to class now so my rant will just have to end this rant.

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