Dickson City, Pa Police Harass Gun Owners

[granuale]

Some out of control police thugs harassed, arrested, and then stole the gun from a guy minding his own business. His name is Rich Banks and he definitely deserves our support


See discussion thread. At first this thread was just a way to talk about an upcoming social event – at page 15, it became a thread to talk about police misconduct and the thread’s name was then changed.

 

[PoconoEagle]

there are lessons to be learned for everyone , keeping a level head always prevails when protecting our rights!

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

the remarkable even tone and temper on that board speak well for those on it and how they represent their cause in the real world. no internet heroes of the revolution

 

[10 Ring Tao]

It still blows my mind how easily cops violate the spirit of laws with absolutely zero compunction.

 

[jgo296]

whats worse is if that guy wasnt educated and who he was or whatever
the cops wouldhave gotten away with it

 

[Blackbeard]

I'm a little confused about the "proof of ownership" the cops seem to think he needs to get his BUG back. It was in his posession, doesn't that imply ownership? Nine-tenths of the law and all that, right? If it were narcotics in his posession they wouldn't hesitate to say he was the owner.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I'm a little confused about the "proof of ownership" the cops seem to think he needs to get his BUG back.

It's plain old-fashioned bullying behind a badge.

Do people normally walk around carrying proof of ownership of their shoes? How about their glasses? How about their jackets? Do cops ever demand people prove they own their watches? How about pens and pencils and shirts?

Frankly, I think that town's chief of police needs to be fired on the spot. Harsh? Yeah, maybe, but it would send a message to the cops on the street to operate within the letter and spirit of the law.

 

[32winspl]

I gotta say that I was floored by the logic of Blackbeard's statement; "If it were narcotics in his posession they wouldn't hesitate to say he was the owner."
VERY WELL PUT, Blackbeard!

 

[Deanimator]

Frankly, I think that town's chief of police needs to be fired on the spot. Harsh? Yeah, maybe, but it would send a message to the cops on the street to operate within the letter and spirit of the law.

No, what would send a message would be suing the officers involved individually. Not being able to pay your mortgage focuses the mind on the importance of respecting the law and civil liberties like few other things...

 

[Pilgrim]

What generally happens is the employing government agency steps in and defends the sued officer unless it can show the officer operated totally outside department regulations and policy. A little difficult to do when the officer is working, wearing his uniform, etc.

If the plaintiff prevails over the officer, the employing government agency pays general damages and in most cases punitive damages.

If the employing government agency doesn't pay all damages, the officer turns around and sues the employer for not properly training him for the situation that got him sued in the first place.

Pilgrim

 

[El Tejon]

What happened?

 

[buck00]

Someone pointed out a pretty disturbing trend in PA which has been going on. The police (both local and SP) have been using the PA State Police firearms database to look up serial numbers of pistols. If they don't find them in the system (during a traffic stop, etc), they seize the pistol and basically say "until you can prove this is your pistol we're keeping it." In some cases they arrest the owner or impound the car on top of that.

Unfortunately it turns out the PSP database was never intended to be a state registry of firearms, and it is not updated or completely accurate.

This is what happened with Rich at the Old Country Buffet. The LEOs seized one of his pistols based on this (on top of everything else). Good luck to him.

 

[TexasRifleman]

What happened?

It's buried in the thread but basically they were having an Open Carry get together at a restaurant and the local LE heard about it.

8 patrol cars showed up and everyone who was OC was escorted outside the restaurant by the cops for questioning. After about 40 minutes of this they let them all go but one. It's claimed by a few posters that initially there was only cop and she was unaware of OC being legal so she called for backup. Eventually she was straightened out and let most everyone go.

At least one guy was arrested, digging further it looks like they eventually changed their minds and let him go.

Someone said they got nearly the entire episode on video camera so that is good.

That's just my take on reading through some of it. It's 55 pages long and I don't have that kind of time


ETA: Post #201 on page 21 is the post by the guy "detained".

I'm not up on all the PA laws but apparantly they took his BUG because it wasn't registered in some database that has been ruled illegal anyway.
He filed a stolen gun report with the PA State Police on advice of counsel LOL

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

since the cops consulted up the chain of command they are probably off the hook.someone shoud be on the hook though bet the memos are flying and a foia of some email accounts would make fun reading

 

[Sans Authoritas]

Someone pointed out a pretty disturbing trend in PA which has been going on. The police (both local and SP) have been using the PA State Police firearms database to look up serial numbers of pistols. If they don't find them in the system (during a traffic stop, etc), they seize the pistol and basically say "until you can prove this is your pistol we're keeping it." In some cases they arrest the owner or impound the car on top of that.

Big, if the law doesn't specifically allow them to do this, how do they keep getting away with it? I know that I could never get away with stopping peacable men and taking their firearms if the law did not say I could. So how are they able to pull it off again and again?

-Sans Authoritas

 

[Sans Authoritas]

Something interesting in the FOIA documents? Like police harassing and insulting peacable, armed civilians in person at a restaurant, doing so in a worse way over the radio, and even worse still in intra-departmental (tax-paid) emails, yet still not receiving punishment or being fired for it? Like what happened at Manassas? That kind of "Interesting," Cassandras?

There are tens of thousands of people in non-monopoly businesses who have gotten fired for being disrespectful to their customers. Once. And justly so. It's far beyond time to hold police to the same standards as the rest of us. But it won't happen. I'll leave it to everyone here to hash out why that is.

-Sans Authoritas

 

[TexasRifleman]

Paging El T:

The guys wife was video taping the whole thing in the parking lot and they threatened her with arrest if she didn't desist.

What's the general legal position on that kind of thing?

 

[Sans Authoritas]

Texas, in a world where police can arrest you, and when you ask what you're being arrested for, tell you, "resisting arrest," or "[peacefully] standing in a public area when you were told by a police officer not to," or, "because that camera could be used as a weapon," does it really matter what the law actually says any more?

-Sans Authoritas

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

yea that kinda interesting they tend to reveal way more than some would want. and since there was a whole lotta cell phoning going on it should leave a trail

 

[Sans Authoritas]

Cassandras, and what benefit did it acquire in Manassas? Justice wasn't done, even with the FOIA documents. Reading it would just be an exercise in frustration for most of us.

-Sans Authoritas

 

[TexasRifleman]

does it really matter what the law actually says any more?

You're absolutely right, apparently it no longer matters.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

what finally happened in manassas? and what woulda made you happy?

 

[El Tejon]

The guys wife was video taping the whole thing in the parking lot and they threatened her with arrest if she didn't desist.

What's the general legal position on that kind of thing?

Depends on how PA law is written. Could not answer that one as to PA law. Where I am, we don't care, everyone video everyone (unless you is a-trespassin' or a voyeurin').

Maybe they threatened to arrest her with "Resisting Law Enforcement" or whatever the PA equivalent is for "interfering" with their investigation? Don't know.

Questioned for 40 minutes!!! Man, they need the El Tejon Short Course in Dealing with Officer Unfriendly. I had the Town Marshal in Wheatfield, Indiana shaking he was so mad in a similar encounter (El Tejon getting coffee at a gas station).

1. Eddie Haskell up.
2. "Am I free to go?"
3. "Please call your supervisor at once, officer."
4. "Am I free to go?"

 

[WSM MAGNUM]

They are having a Nato Meeting tonite.

http://www.pafoa.org/forum/general-...-city-council-meeting-tuesday-13-may-7pm.html

 

[TexasRifleman]

Depends on how PA law is written. Could not answer that one as to PA law. Where I am, we don't care, everyone video everyone (unless you is a-trespassin' or a voyeurin').

Ahh OK. I thought this came up on a Federal level somewhere recently but I can't remember. Didn't pay enough attention I guess.

Thanks