City Officers with Guns in Courthouses

http://www.tampabays10.com/video/news/? ... &sid=80376

Way to go Chief Aradi and Chief Klein. Also thank you to Channel 10 for reporting the truth. The truth is this is nothing more than the Sheriff's attempting to flex his muscle. We receive the same training as PCSO. Our inability to carry our weapons in court is a slap in the face to all municipal officers. The two people doing the slapping are the Chief Judge and the Sheriff. I am glad to see the standards council fighting back.

It is time for the standards council to sign a countywide mutual aid agreement between all city agencies for full jurisdiction in each other's cities.

The cities should start to information share and start working on sharing services. Cut the sheriff out if he doesn't want to play well with others.

We are the majority, its time to start acting like it.

This was posted on the FOP website


MEETING WITH CHIEF JUDGE MORRIS ON 5/12/08

On 5/12/08, I met with Chief Judge Morris at the Criminal Justice Center to discuss the possibilityof relaxing the restriction against uniformed police officers from carrying their firearms into thecourt complex.
In light of the recent events at the St.Petersburg Courthouse, several members have contacted meand asked if the FOP would approach Judge Morris and ask if he would consider amending theadministrative order. Also at the meeting was Capt. Schobel and Bob Gualtieri.

I made my presentation outlining the concerns members have about being disarmed in thecourtroom while in uniform. I spoke about officers being trained in active shooter situations and the natural reaction officers have to assist in cases of critical incidents. Additionally, I mentioned
that the situation at the St.Petersburg courthouse could have been very tragic if a disarmed uniformed police officer would have been present, making the officer a target of the gunman, who purportedly had a hatred for government and the police.

After listening to my presentation, Judge Morris explained that he understood the FOP’s concerns and is not a proponent of disarming uniformed police officers. However, he said that he has to consider the concerns of all judges in the circuit and after addressing this situation in the past, has been met with an abundance of resistance to allow uniformed officers to carry their firearms in the courtroom. Judge Morris said that the recent changes to the administrative order that allowed
uniformed deputies to carry their firearms passed with the slimmest of margins when judges were polled. Judge Morris reiterated that he understood our concerns and appreciated that the FOP
brought it to his attention.

Although Capt. Schobel and Bob Gualtieri did not speak for or against the issue, my impressionwas that the PCSO is against the idea.

As always, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Ken Afienko

of cousre they are, its a power struggle. which is sad because its gonna have to be a very serious event for them to reconsider this issue. yet I can carry a wepaon on a plane........ makes no sense. how does HR 518 deal with this,,,,

Get with Ken and fight this.

If the union needs to file suit citing the federal law under house bill 518 then please do so.

We need to keep up the media pressure on this story.

All the news channels should be covering this issue and we need to put the sheriff and judges on the spot.

If federal law says we can carry our weapons anywhere, then exactly where does a judge get away with limiting our rights under federal law. Perhaps, there is a provision in federal law that limits those rights in courthouses or others places, if so, I would like to know where I am limited.

I did notice all the St. Petersburg officers outside the courthouse that day that rushed to the scene, fully armed, prepared to help the judges and staff if needed. I would like to see the poll on the amount of judges at the St. Petersburg courthouse that day that were upset with all the armed municipal officers on scene. Also, I am going out on a limb that the baliff's weren't exactly worried about it either.

This is wrong anyway you slice it. This needs to be addressed and the bigger issue of the Sheriff's power trip needs to come to a rapid and strategic end.

hmm the deputy got the job done, one dead suspect. and you grip, you are safer in the court house than your own house. Do your job and shut up

There are so many ways to respond to this post.

I say we just ponder your pathetic retort to the facts.

JUST DO YOUR JOB AND SHUT UP. Poetic and right to your point. Baseless but your point none the less.

How can I do my job with no gun? Maybe you want to confront an active shooter with just your sharp wit and dizzying intellect, but me, my friend, I prefer to tilt the odds in my favor and use my superior fighting skill which includes firearms.

There are shootings at courthouses every day in this country and it's only a matter of time that we have one at the main courthouse on 49 St.. Not for nothing, but I'm not going to rely on some deputy or bailiff to save my tail...good thing my agency is one of the great ones that allows me to carry a backup gun...

I think it BS that it took this long for us to be able to carry inside. I think every LEO that comes in the door should be able to carry. We carry the same damn guns and recieve the same damn training ( I imagine ), so why not have the same damn rights to protect human life. It needs to be changed before someone gets hurt or killed.

After my meeting with Judge Morris, I learned that several chiefs signed a letter requesting officers be allowed to carry their firearms into the courtroom.

Although Judge Morris said that he must answer to the judges that work for him, I still can't find any logical reason why we can't carry our firearms into court. He did say that several of the judges were opposed to uniformed officers, other than deputies, from carrying firearms. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but we unfortunately have to live with it until the policy changes. The FOP has, and will continue, to address this issue.

My fear is that is a crazed person gets passed the mag and into the courtroom, we, as unarmed uniformed officers, will become the first target. What many don't realize is that bailiffs don't have real portable radios, they only have walkie talkies. They can't even talk to PCSO dispatch should something happen, yet officers have portables, but can't defend themselves----makes no sense.

From what I understand the Sheriff is opposed to this idea. As usual, the Sheriff wants total control, but he is sacrificing our safety for his ego. This to me in unacceptable. As officers, we understand that bailiffs are in charge of the courtroom and will defer any event to them, but why disarm a police officer who has had the same type of training?

The FOP will be keeping up the fight with this issue. Something needs to be done before someone gets hurt.

Bailiff deputies at CJC are able to communicate between themselves and building control, which is the nerve center for the complex. You self servingly paint a grim and incorrect picture of the security at the court complexes. As demonstrated by Deputies mg and bjl, a recent bad guy was stopped in his tracks. Were there others that were missed? Research all the reports of guns and other weapons confiscated by bailiffs over the years, and persons arrested for same, and I think you'll end up apologizing for your rantings.

If you really want progress in your quest to have all uniformed law enforcement have guns in the complexes, stop pouting like a baby and work quietly to achieve your goal. Find out what it is the Sheriff would require of other agencies to be allowed to carry in the courthouse, for which he has total responsibility and liability. If it's training and qualification by PCSO LETS staff, arrange for it. This tactic of demeaning the Sheriff and accusing him of being power or control hungry will not work. You tried the thing with the unfair labor practice and it cost you. You represented jb in his appeal and it cost you. Your judgement is not good. Reform while you still have the cush job at fop. Try the art of compromise and negotiation, rather than bluster and saber rattling.