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Police agencies questioning "always armed" policy
AP is reporting that some LE agencies are questioning the standard "always armed" policy -- because their officers have an unfortunate tendency to shoot armed, off duty, officers who are trying to prevent crime.
"The International Association of Chiefs of Police has called ``always on duty'' policies a costly tradition. The group, which has more than 20,000 members, recommends that off-duty officers who witness a crime call for assistance rather than pulling a weapon."
At least the International is consistent, given its general attitudes toward gun ownership. But you'd think the solution would be reducing the chances of mistaken shooting of an armed person trying to prevent crime, rather than disarming the officers.
It appears to me that this (shooting of armed offduty LEOs) is an unintended consequence of the gun prohibition movement. If police are told that only police and criminals have guns, then when confronted with a plainclothed person with a gun, the possibility that said person is not a criminal does not naturally occur.
It would be interesting to see if shootings of offduty LEOs is decreased in states where concealed carry is legal, common, and accepted by the police.