should LEO's be required to know carry laws?

[Rneck]

during a recent discussion with a local LEO about carry laws in SC he said that one could not have a weapon in a vehicle without a CC permit. I didn't want to argue with an officer but checked the laws when I got home. In SC you can have a loaded weapon in your glove box, console or trunk without a permit. So my point is, shouldn't law enforcement officers be required to know the laws they are responsible for enforcing?

[Big ugly]

YES, And they are supposed to uphold those laws. If it was me, I'd have told the feller what the law was. Also, feel free to contact the hub that said officer works from and speak with the CO over it. By the way you can do that without giveing yur name if you so choose.

[Jay]

Sure they should... just like folks elected to Washington DC to represent us people, should respect and adhere to our Constitution. Is is gonna happen? Perhaps in rare cases.... sadly.

[glocknut]

Heck No! I want our cops as ignorant and beligerant as possible! Just like they are in Arkansas....

mike
gn

[jacksonco]

Originally Posted by Rneck

during a recent discussion with a local LEO about carry laws in SC he said that one could not have a weapon in a vehicle without a CC permit. I didn't want to argue with an officer but checked the laws when I got home. In SC you can have a loaded weapon in your glove box, console or trunk without a permit. So my point is, shouldn't law enforcement officers be required to know the laws they are responsible for enforcing?

It is not possible for a law enforcement officer to know all of the laws that are on the books. Many enforce municipal as well as state laws and there are a bunch of laws.

However if I was an LEO I would be sure to have a good grasp of the weapons possesion laws as it would likely be a law that would come up often in the profession. LEOs deal with firearms quite often and it would be to their advantage to be familiar with the laws and statutes

[Gun Geezer]

LEO's drive vehicle's equipped with computers so why can't they simply pull up the statutes concerning any possible situation they encounter and quote chapter and verse? Folks elected to Washington don't follow the Constitution for the same reason criminals don't obey gun laws. They are all crooks!

[BRSmith]

They should have a "working knowledge" of them. We mere civilians are expected to know the laws of where ever we are or what we are doing. Our LEOs should be held to the same standard. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, ask any lawyer.

[rentalguy1]

Yes, but many of them feel they are above the law, so why should they bother with knowing them...

[carver]

Originally Posted by BRSmith

They should have a "working knowledge" of them. We mere civilians are expected to know the laws of where ever we are or what we are doing. Our LEOs should be held to the same standard. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, ask any lawyer.

I agree with you on this one 100%!

[redwing carson]

Having trained police officers in firearms law it is easy to understand the problem. Many if not all I had in classes did not feel that civilains should have the right to carry deadly weapons. They can not relate to the right of the public having a right to carry. Most of them can not understand the training they must go thru to carry a fire arm, when a citizen can carry without real formal instruction and regular up dated trng. Police officers are very likely to ignore your rights even though they know the rules. The power of the badge to over rule your rights. As stated do not let your rights be taken report these officers to your local government officals.

RC

[Alpo]

Florida law also says that you can carry a loaded firearm, concealed in your vehicle, for self defense, without a license. It has to be concealed in certain ways, but it's legal. Before I got a carry permit I had a pistol in the glove box all the time. It was lying on top of a photocopy of Florida Statues, chapter 790, with 790.251 highlighted.

"No sir, Officer. You are incorrect. If you will look here, you will see that it is completely legal for me to have that gun in that glove box."

[Rneck]

good idea alpo, I just put a copy in my truck

[lawdawg]

The short answer: yes, they should.

But, in the defense of my fellow police officers: as JACSONCO stated, there are literally thousands of laws and statutes on the books and it is impossible for LEOs to know every one of them and all the substatutes that accompany them. In the case of carry laws, they are often changed and some are quite complicated (by design) to begin with. Most people on this forum could probably quote their state's concealed carry laws ver batem, and know most of the case law and court rulings as well. This is our passion, our hobbies, our interest. To the average police officer, who deals relatively little with lawful citizens lawfully carrying a concealed firearm, these are rather obscure laws. Most of the people he encounters carrying a concealed weapon are thugs who have long records and are carrying for all the wrong reasons. I myself, even being somewhat of a "gunnut" have misquoted the law on occassion. I very much disagree with redwing carson. I don't know where he has encountered these officers, but I can tell you that in my years as a LEO, I have NEVER met another LEO who did not support your right to carry. I have met or communicated with LEOs on all levels from all over the US and even some from Canada, Great Britain, and Australia, and even they thought that citizens should be allowed to carry firearms. I'm not saying there are officers who do not support right-to-carry laws, just none that I've encountered. Anyone who has has done this job for over a week knows that crime is reduced when the general populace are armed and can defend themselves. That's a no-brainer.

We will, however, enforce whatever laws are in the books, whether we agree with them or not. That is our job. While it is impossible to know every single one of those laws, it is our duty to make sure of that law before we arrest someone for breaking it. Are mistakes made? I'm afraid so. I, like every other cop, am only human. I know of no other profession on the planet that demands so much perfection, yet compensates so little. Receiving proper training and equipment to do our job correctly and effectively is a constant struggle. Most citizens consider us a necessarry evil at best so therefore are reluctant to increase their taxes so we may receive the proper training and equipment. Yet some expect us to know every single aspect of evry single law on the book, make ALL the right decisions in a split second without ever making a mistake, perform our duties like the cops on TV do including impossible tasks of shooting guns out of people's hands, solving crimes in an hour, find and analyze every peice of evidence like they do on CSI. and do it on a pauper's salary and budget.

So I do apologize for my brother officer in SC who was mistaken on the one law you are well rehearsed in, and had time to research at home. He could have equally given a wrong answer had you asked him the leash laws of your area, how much livestock one could legally own in the city limits, or various other laws that he does not encounter or enforce on a regular basis. He should have known it.

[rentalguy1]

Originally Posted by lawdawg

We will, however, enforce whatever laws are in the books, whether we agree with them or not. That is our job. While it is impossible to know every single one of those laws, it is our duty to make sure of that law before we arrest someone for breaking it. Are mistakes made? I'm afraid so. I, like every other cop, am only human. I know of no other profession on the planet that demands so much perfection, yet compensates so little. Receiving proper training and equipment to do our job correctly and effectively is a constant struggle. Most citizens consider us a necessarry evil at best so therefore are reluctant to increase their taxes so we may receive the proper training and equipment. Yet some expect us to know every single aspect of evry single law on the book, make ALL the right decisions in a split second without ever making a mistake, perform our duties like the cops on TV do including impossible tasks of shooting guns out of people's hands, solving crimes in an hour, find and analyze every peice of evidence like they do on CSI. and do it on a pauper's salary and budget.

Get a new job or quit crying. Nobody is forcing you to be a cop.

[Blackhawk Dave]

Problem being, too many police officers consider CC holders with firearms as big a threat as the bad guys. Look at how the Police Chiefs and DAs constantly fight to take guns out of the citizens hands.

[johnlives4christ]

i think police officers should know the firearm laws for the areas they work in because firearms should be commonplace and not something only police and bad guys have.

of course you cant expect every cop to know every single law on every subject. and i think one of the main problems is that just about everything is illegal now. people act like children and call the cops for what i consider nothing. cops are peace keepers more then enforcers

cops are pressed pretty thin sometimes, but also they dont care about enforcing the law, to them it's just a job. at least some of the cops around here are this way. the local sheriff is a yes man, he wins by a landslide but doesnt really crack down on actual crimes.

i know some cops really care and they do the best they can but, some have their heads up where the sun dont shine.

[carver]

Cops are just like everyone else, they are just people, some good, some bad. Some knowledgable, some not. Like everyone in America, they have their own ideas about what is right, and what is not, and like most folks, most of the time they simply are misinformed. If you should encounter one of those that don't know, teach him/her. If you can't, then report them.

[johnlives4christ]

police officers have to much power. and they tend to manipulate the power they have when it's convenient for them.

[red14]

It seems logical that if you are to inforce the law, you should know what it is.

[dge479]

Yes they do need to, I dont know how you can expect to have someone enforce laws they dont know.
Maybe the laws need to be simple, so they and us can understand them.

[johnlives4christ]

Originally Posted by dge479

Maybe the laws need to be simple, so they and us can understand them.

you've hit the nail on the head

[RunningOnMT]

Originally Posted by rentalguy1

Get a new job or quit crying. Nobody is forcing you to be a cop.

That's a little harsh don't you think? I thought lawdawg did a pretty fair job of answering the question. I didn't hear any crying.

For all of you who have such little regard for law enforcement, you ought to try the job yourselves.

Just sayin'.

[rentalguy1]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

That's a little harsh don't you think? I thought lawdawg did a pretty fair job of answering the question. I didn't hear any crying.

For all of you who have such little regard for law enforcement, you ought to try the job yourselves.

Just sayin'.

No, it's not harsh. He mentioned a few times how low the pay is in that post. I've been around "the job" for two decades. I don't need to try it. This man chose to be a police officer. If he does not like the pay, he can unchoose it at any time. By coming here, or anywhere else, and crying about the low pay and lack of funding/training is below the "job." I have a high regard for law enforcement. I have a low regard for a man who comes on the interweb to cry about the profession he chose.

[johnlives4christ]

tolerance of others is a value to be praised in ones friends.

[lawdawg]

Originally Posted by rentalguy1

No, it's not harsh. He mentioned a few times how low the pay is in that post. I've been around "the job" for two decades. I don't need to try it. This man chose to be a police officer. If he does not like the pay, he can unchoose it at any time. By coming here, or anywhere else, and crying about the low pay and lack of funding/training is below the "job." I have a high regard for law enforcement. I have a low regard for a man who comes on the interweb to cry about the profession he chose.

Not crying at all! I love my job. This IS the profession that I chose, actually quit a better paying job to do it because it is not about the money (the money is actually not bad). However, neither should you cry when you encounter a LEO that is not perfect, does not know every single law you think he should know, or does his job in a way you do not approve of. The point I was trying to make was that people should not whine and complain about every little mistake someone makes when they are not willing to pay for perfection.

You, as a taxpayer, are the employer of public servants such as law enforcement. Now, if your boss (assuming you have one) expected you to perform your duties to perfection, without a hint of a mistake, without providing the proper training and equipment that you needed to properly do it, could you? Would you? I do.

Now, no one has come on here and attacked your profession (assuming you have one). They did mine, and I think I have the right to defend it. If you think that is "crying" the so be it. While putting up with whiners and complainers and people who criticize you no matter what you do is all part of the job, I lack the humility to take it without at least defending "the job". You may not think I have that right, but neither do I think you have the right to demand we make the proverbial bricks without straw.