Good CCW Police Encounter in AK

I

Isk

New member
I was involved in a vehicle accident this afternoon in Kenai, Alaska. I was rear ended by a guy in a pick-up. I called the local police to come to the scene and a young officer (Officer Cushman) showed up and introduced himself. I shook his hand and he asked if everyone was ok and what had happened.

Once I got the opportunity, I told him that I had a concealed weapon in the bag in my front seat and asked whether or not he would like to secure it before I grabbed my registration. He kind of laughed and said "thanks for letting me know, I don't need to secure it I'll just keep an eye on you" (in a half-joking manner). After I got the registration he was like, "so, what do you carry?" Then we proceeded to talk guns for a little bit.

It was a really great experience. Officer Cushman was professional and helpful. I just wanted to post this and let everyone know that there are cops out there who respect your right to defend yourself. Just another reason I love living in the Last Frontier!
 
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Glad everyone was ok.

I just wanted to post this and let everyone know that there are cops out there who respect your right to defend yourself.
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The title of your thread, although catchy, doesn't paint the correct picture of most LEO's in Ohio or their attitude towards cc.

Please don't get the wrong idea about LE in Ohio.

This crap that happened in Canton(if thats what you're referring to) is not close to the norm.

I personally know a guesstimate of maybe 200 LE officers throughout the state ranking from Patrolman to Chief or Sheriff. Also know a few Safety Directors.

Course I've not had the opportunity to talk to all of them but I assure you the general consensus is that they could care less about those qualifying and passing the background check to carry doing so.

Every cop I've talked to here says they are worried about the same people having guns they've always worried about, the criminals.

In fact, when our cc laws went into affect, the sheriffs of a few different counties knew there was going be a mad rush for people applying for their permits. The sheriffs also knew there was only a certain amount of personnel,along with limited budgets which resulted in not enough LE or money to assign just to take care of the mad rush. They asked deputies if they could volunteer and many did.

Again, glad no one was hurt and your experience was a great one.
 
Yeah, you're right. That wasn't really fair.

I lived in Ohio for three years and I ran into both good and bad officers of the law...and most had no issues with concealed carry permits (though I never had any police involvement when I was carrying).

My apologies to the officers of the state of Ohio. I let marketing get the best of me.
 
I'm sorry, but what happened in Canton CAN happen again.

The cop who did it hasn't been prosecuted. And the prosecution against his victim is still going on. The Canton police and city leadership have told every cop in town that this is acceptable behavior. None can be trusted one inch. All are willingly operating under a disgraced badge...every one of them is pure criminal scum.
 
None can be trusted one inch. All are willingly operating under a disgraced badge...every one of them is pure criminal scum.
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What a disgusting, bigoted, small-minded comment. We as gun owners don't like it much when we are all characterized according to the worst among us. We have no business doing it to LE, most of whom are our natural allies. I have lost respect for you, Jim.
 
Look at the video again. Look at his partner tolerating this. Same as the same partner tolerated it a year earlier against another victim.

Note that the brass hasn't condemned the actions of this criminal cop.

Now tell me how there's any barrier at all to this happening again.

Or put another way: how many officers inside this agency, which isn't all that big, knew what kind of a lunatic that "officer" is?

I'm sorry but I have lost all tolerance for the "blue wall of silence". The only thing that will end it is public backlash, at least verbally for God's sake, against departments where members act as insanely as this. If they want to be respected they're going to have to clean their own house and that particular house in Canton is diseased.
 
I took Jim's comments to be directed towards the officers in Canton, OH rather than all LEOs in general.

All the officers in Canton have been painted with the broad brush of tolerance (if not encouragement) of injustice towards CCW holders by the statements of Canton's Council President Allen Schullman's with his idiotic defense of the indefensible behavior of Officer Harless.

I have no interest in spending one minute inside Canton city limits and subjecting myself or my family to the kind of behavior that is apparently normal accepted practice among its officers. If the City Council President thinks Officer Harless's behavior was defensible then it is clear that the City of Canton condones this and thus, that is the treatment that one can expect by the Police officers of Canton.

Having said that, I don't extend that opinion to any LEO outside of Canton, OH. My dealings over the last many decades with LEOs have been uniformly respectful of my rights. Accordingly, I have respect for all LEOs. I just wouldn't care to test that in Canton, OH.
 
Knowing that countless videos and reports are out here in cyber land about bad encounters with police, I am always happy to read about the good ones.

Believe it or not, we have police officers who read these boards and positive stories are also an influence.

I had a new neighbor (From the big city of LA) who called the sheriffs office about gun shots. (She called the police first and was told she was not in city limits, she would have to call the sheriffs office.)

I turned around and there was the local Sheriffs deputy, leaning against the front of his car watching us. I set the gun down and walked over to see what he needed. He explained he had gotten the call from a "Frantic Woman" and pretty much figured it was at my place. We talked some more and I invited him to shoot.

He said he would be back after work and went to explain to the lady what was going on. I think it was two days later that I saw the woman's son out walking and talked with him, inviting him and his mother to come shoot. (She is a better shot than most of the guys I shoot with!)

So many of us are too busy to know who our police officers are, and the police are covering an area too big to let them know who we are. Even if you dislike the police, try to take a moment out of your time to flag an officer down, say hello and find out about them.

We have some very good police officers in our country and to paint everyone, or even most of them, as corrupt or incompetent is wrong.
 
To say that every cop or Canton city leader agree's or condones the actions of Harless or verbal garbage of Schulman is like saying every cop and city leader condone's and agree's with the actions of the six cops that beat and tased the homeless guy to death July 5th 2011 in Fullerton Cal.

Last I heard, five of those cops have been re-assigned and the sixth on Admin. Leave pending IA investigation.

If you haven't seen this yet just Google: Homeless man beaten by police in Cal.

Take a good look at the before and after pics. of this victim and tell me that six officers had to inflict that kind of beating on this man plus taser him multiple times to subdue him. Do ya think that just maybe some of this beating was inflicted after he was subdued. After all there were only six LEO's present and the man was tasered several times.

Abuse of power... is... abuse of power.

What Harless did in Canton is as wrong as two left feet.

Don't know what makes me angrier, whats Harless did or the statements by Schulman afterwards. But its still not fair to paint all LEO's in Canton as having the same attitude.

As far as 'the blue wall of silence', I doubt that that's what is currently going on in Canton with the case. IMO, at this point, its more about money and saving face more than anything else. The city leaders know the ccw holder is going to sue regardless if the city pursue's charges or not. The city's gambling for a win.

Bottomline is we simply cannot let these kind of incidents fade from the limelight. When they occur, and I'm sure the Canton incident won't be the last one we'll see, they have to stay in the public eye until they are justly resolved.
 
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I am indeed referring to the Canton badge in particular as being dishonored.

Now...yeah, it's real obvious why they're trying to still back Harkness' actions. Money. Doesn't make it right, and it doesn't change the message sent to the rest of the rank and file: we'll back you up no matter what.

And that's damned dangerous regardless of the money potential - which actually isn't very big in this case as nobody was physically hurt. If anything, that's the worst part: the brass and city "leadership" are willing to back a freakshow appearance over relative pocket change.
 
I never thought I would see the day where someone posted something about police being corrupt. A whole department for that matter.

I know not all police are like that and there are alot of good guys that are cops. I just havnt met many..a couple sure...but in my personal experience and it may just be location..the bad outweigh the good.
 
I did not say that every cop in Canton, OH condones Harless's actions. But if there are good honest cops in Canton, OH they have been dishonored both by Officer Harless, and by the City Council President.

My comments stand. Officer Harless's actions have been endorsed by the City Council. Therefore, this is the behavior that is accepted or expected of police in Canton, OH by its city officials. They consider it acceptable to threaten the life of suspects in custody (and handcuffed). Thus, that is what a visitor can expect in any interaction with a police officer in Canton.

If one gets better treatment, good. But I would not expect better and neither should anyone else.
 
I thought the Canton cop was fired...?
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Nope! "Suspended while it's being investigated", which is bad enough - but they're also still prosecuting the permitholder for "failure to disclose".

THAT is beyond merely unacceptable and well into intolerable.
 
but they're also still prosecuting the permitholder for "failure to disclose".
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Disgusting.

When those tasked with protecting We The People have become the ones that We The People need protection from, then the time has come for We The People to obtain new protections, in one manner or another.

Sometimes there's Justice, and sometimes there's Just Us.
 
The most peaceful possible resolution to this class of problem will occur when every officer in every department knows that horrid behavior will cause the public to lose all respect for that agency. I know of little else that will control this kind of "blue wall" problem where they know they have a complete lunatic in their midst.

Again: that's the BEST case scenario.
 
It was good to hear a positive comment concerning an officer who realizes his job is to serve the public.

I hope you took the time to write his Chief and the local newspaper and comment on his professionalism.

I would avoide the chatting about guns. Just tell them that the officer was professional and did a good job.
 
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