What a dope. Who the hell forgets a rifle?

 

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http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2011/08/officer_suspended_after_leavin.html

 

HOPEWELL — A state trooper made a surprising discovery while surveying a flood-damaged area last Friday morning.

 

An assault rifle.

 

The state trooper was a part of the emergency response team surveying the western portion of Cumberland County, and discovered the rifle on Beebe Run Road in Hopewell.

 

The rifle belongs to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and was accidentally left in the road by the officer, according to Sheriff Robert Austino.

 

“The officer was cleaning out his trunk when he got sidetracked by some trespassers,” Austino said. “Once the trespassers left, the officer got in his car and accidentally left the rifle behind.”

 

According to Austino, the “trespassers” were merely people that were getting too close to the flood damage caused by the Sunday storm that tore through the western part of the county.

 

The rifle was in a canvas case and was unloaded, but there was ammunition inside of the case.

 

The officer is currently suspended with pay throughout the investigation and his identity was not released.

 

“I’m very upset over this,” Austino said. “Our officers receive training through the police academy and undergo repeated training with firearms.”

 

Austino called the violation “total negligence,” and that the firearm should have never left the officer’s trunk.

 

“There’s no excuse for it,” Austino said.

 

The officer had been keeping watch over Beebe Run Road near the Seeley Lake area where a portion of the road was collapsed.

What a dope. Who the hell forgets a rifle?

 

The answer is...Nobody that takes firearms seriously.

Wow, not good, while mistakes happen, not mistakes like this.

 

Harry

 

 

The answer is...Nobody that takes firearms seriously.

 

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Sh1t happens. One would laugh at all the like stories if they only new. But, then again, there are those who would probably demand resignation. Which are you? (rhetorical)

I'm curious as to why he was "cleaning out his trunk" in that area in the first place.

 

As far as forgetting stuff, we all do it at one time or another especially if we get sidetracked as the officer probably did. Good thing the rifle was found by another officer and did not fall into a bad guy's hands.

Sh1t happens. One would laugh at all the like stories if they only new. But, then again, there are those who would probably demand resignation. Which are you? (rhetorical)

 

After you saying that and what I see in my line of work, I have yet to see a single ATC event accurately reports in the last 25 years I have been doing my job. Probably like you, some similarities, but factually wrong , maybe be semi close 20% of the time, but the other 80% just laughable.

 

Harry

The answer is...Nobody that takes firearms seriously.

 

Funny. Just heard about a guy on the forum that found two guns over several days at a range... So, it's not just LEO's that forget where they put stuff.

 

If this becomes another cop bashing thread - may as well just lock it now.

If this becomes another cop bashing thread - may as well just lock it now.

 

I hope not, Just wonder how a topic and discussion on a forum like this in Switzerland would go.

 

Harry

I know a guy who was hunting and left a Remington 1187 in the back of his pick up and forgot to close the tailgate. It was long gone by the time he figured out it was missing.

I hope it wasn't one of the ones with a bayonet lug on it. Those ones are deadly.

I sometimes forget tools on my truck, hate to see someone get battered with a breaker bar!!

 

yep **** happens and life goes on..

 

Cop cars have alot of crap in the trunk I suspect he took the time to organize..just did not put it all in the right place..

If this becomes another cop bashing thread - may as well just lock it now.

 

Dan- You're not over reacting, are you?

 

 

The department has taken punitive action. Now, let's get this guy back to work.

Sh1t happens. One would laugh at all the like stories if they only new. But, then again, there are those who would probably demand resignation. Which are you? (rhetorical)

 

What would happen to one of us if we did something like this? Would a civilian get punished for leaving a gun out like that? With ammo?

You'd lose the gun most likely...

Besides the obvious, the unfortunate fallout from this event may be officers not being allowed to have a rifle in their patrol car anymore. I think its a useful tool they should have on hand. Unfortunatly that town is likely now going to see it as a potential liability.

“The officer was cleaning out his trunk when he got sidetracked by some trespassers,” Austino said. “Once the

trespassers left, the officer got in his car and accidentally left the rifle behind.”

 

I wonder if he left the trunk open, and then maybe they shouldn't give him a car!

Dan- You're not over reacting, are you?

 

 

The department has taken punitive action. Now, let's get this guy back to work.

 

Nope - not particularly a cop lover either. I've had my share of run-ins with A-holes. Sometimes I have been the A-hole, sometimes they have been the A-hole. Just saying this guy has been disciplined. I'm sure the guys in the department will ride his azz for this.

 

Which one of you have not forgotten that coffee cup on top of the car, that oil cap in the engine compartment, that 9/16 or 13mm combination wrench in the guts of the car... Right, we're human - errors happen. Yes, if it were one of us, they would throw the book at us but we would still be able to do our jobs... This guy, not so much - I think he'll be driving a desk for a while. Damn, I've seen stupid ****, this is not as stupid as say leaving the infant in the infant carrier on top of the car...

Besides the obvious, the unfortunate fallout from this event may be officers not being allowed to have a rifle in their patrol car anymore. I think its a useful tool they should have on hand. Unfortunatly that town is likely now going to see it as a potential liability.

 

Meh. I really don't see a reason for beat cops to have an AR-15 in their car... especially in NJ.

 

Before jumping to conclusions, let me elaborate a bit: It's not that I don't want police to have the best equipment to do the job, but there are certain factors to consider here...

 

1. Probability of need: how often your normal beat cops need the firepower of an AR-15

2. Cost of training: you can't just give these guys a rifle and call it quits, they need to be trained. This means taxpayer dollars for bullets and classrooms... for what return of investment though? (See point 1)

3. Availability of back up. In NJ, with our various state and local agencies, I doubt police are more than 15 minutes away from any assistance at any given moment with some minor exceptions.

 

In short: if you're a state trooper in say... Texas, and you're out on your own with no back up within 35-40 minutes, then you need to have all the firepower you can get because there is no chance back up will help you. But when you're in a city, and help is 5 minutes away, you really don't need to be packing (relatively) heavy weapons.

 

To me, it makes more sense (especially in NJ), to break things down by the County/City level and have established SWAT teams there. Focus the "tacticool" training on those teams and use them to back up the beat cops if they need it.

Meh. I really don't see a reason for beat cops to have an AR-15 in their car... especially in NJ.

 

Before jumping to conclusions, let me elaborate a bit: It's not that I don't want police to have the best equipment to do the job, but there are certain factors to consider here...

 

1. Probability of need: how often your normal beat cops need the firepower of an AR-15

2. Cost of training: you can't just give these guys a rifle and call it quits, they need to be trained. This means taxpayer dollars for bullets and classrooms... for what return of investment though? (See point 1)

 

To me, it makes more sense (especially in NJ), to break things down by the County/City level and have established SWAT teams there. Focus the "tacticool" training on those teams and use them to back up the beat cops if they need it.

 

The biggest threat facing LE and the public nowadays are active shooters. Active shooters don't give a crap about their own lives, and are simply trying to kill and injure as many people as possible before they are killed. A "beat cop" as you refer to them, will be the first cop on scene at one of these events, and they need to enter the location immediately in an effort to stop the shooter ASAP. Waiting on a SWAT team is not an option any more.

I agree with devsadvocate. It is just a waste of taxpayer money for the normal beat cop to have a rifle in the car. Maybe every third officer have one but not every one. The logistics cost alone of supplying ammo for qualification must be astronomical.

Active shooter is exactly the scenario I had in mind. Rather have it and not need it than the other way around. The need doesnt have to be frequest, it just needs to be once. Id rather have one patrol officer on scene armed with an AR running down an active shooter than a swat team a half hour out. But this is simply my NON expert opinion on the subject.

I agree with devsadvocate. It is just a waste of taxpayer money for the normal beat cop to have a rifle in the car. Maybe every third officer have one but not every one. The logistics cost alone of supplying ammo for qualification must be astronomical.

 

No offense eric, but that sounds a lot like the UK... "only 1 out of every 10 cops should carry a gun, the billy club is sufficient..."

I'm in favor of Patrol officers having rifles. You never know when you need the additional firepower to take out active shooters, crazies, bears, terrorists, etc.

And keep one more thing in mind, what a dept pays for an AR is a FAR cry from what we pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I would also suggest one think long and hard about on one hand asking for the restriction of LE and in the same breath asking for us not to be restricted.

+1 to j0n.

 

And as far as not having the patrol officer have a rifle and be trained to use it, would one expect the officer to not act or go into a situation being undergunned?

 

ETA: I am late again to the party.

Reminded me of one I saw on ar15.com that was in Seattle, http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Assault-rifle-left-unattended-on-back-of-Seattle-Police-car-124666029.html

The biggest threat facing LE and the public nowadays are active shooters. Active shooters don't give a crap about their own lives, and are simply trying to kill and injure as many people as possible before they are killed. A "beat cop" as you refer to them, will be the first cop on scene at one of these events, and they need to enter the location immediately in an effort to stop the shooter ASAP. Waiting on a SWAT team is not an option any more.

 

 

You can run down an active shooter with a pistol too.

 

Is active shooter really the biggest threat to the public?

 

I am not against cops having AR's, just asking.

The rifle shouldn't have been in the trunk..it should be in a rack in the drivers compartment.

 

I think all cruisers should have a long gun. Then again I also think they should be stuck with the same configuration and mag limits as non-police and see how quick they start complaining.

I could run one down with a slingshot, but I like having the odds in my favor, no? Outside of a full on terrorist act I would say yes an active shooter is probably the greatest threat. One only need to look to Norway to just how devestating a single active shooter could be.