Proposal would allow Larimer County employees to pack heat on the job

[Drizzt]

The Associated Press State & Local Wire


January 21, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle


8:40 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 320 words

HEADLINE: Proposal would allow Larimer County employees to pack heat on the job

DATELINE: FORT COLLINS, Colo.

BODY:
Larimer County workers would be allowed to carry guns on the job under a proposal being considered by commissioners.

An employee brandishing a gun in a break room and another dropping one in a stairwell prompted the proposal. The three-member Larimer County Board of Commissioners may vote on the personnel policy when it comes before them Jan. 28, according to county manager Frank Lancaster.

Officials say the policy mostly codifies pre-existing but unwritten regulations. If the Larimer County sheriff issues a concealed-handgun permit to a county employee, the proposal would allow the employee to bring a gun to work.

Commissioner and Loveland resident Glenn Gibson said Monday that his mind still wasn't made up.

"Guns at home, Second Amendment right, 100 percent," Gibson said. "Guns at work, and making your constituents, customers and citizens comfortable, that may be something else."

Eleanor Dwight opposes the proposal.

"You can't get into Coors Field with a bottle of pop," said Dwight, spokeswoman for the Larimer County Million Mom March, which, she said, advocates "sensible" gun laws. "But if you have a concealed weapon (in Larimer County) it's O.K."

The county has no policy on whether employees can carry concealed weapons, according to officials. So the assumption has been that it's OK.

The proposed "Workplace Violence Prevention Policy" confirms that right, but does require employees to notify their supervisor, Lancaster said. Also, if someone is reckless with a gun, they may lose their privileges.

That may apply to the two people who sparked the current policy debate, although one no longer works for the county for unrelated reasons, Lancaster said.

No one was hurt in the mishaps, but Human Services Department employees complained. The head of Human Services decided to prohibit weapons in the department but then realized that no overall policy existed.

 

[shu]

Interesting. I guess if there are Federal and State laws which cover the subject, we certainly need some County statutes.

We could keep the Human Services Department happy by a County Statute allowing Departments to ban CCW in 'their' part of the PUBLICLY OWNED building. After all, Human Services is one of the more likely places for a disgruntled employee incident. Makes sense we should prohibit the work or visit there from defending themselves.

Perhaps after the Federal, State, and County statutes, the Departmental Procedures could allow workers to decide for themsleves. Individuals could be allowed to suspend the 2nd ammendment in 'their' 36 square feet of the PUBLICLY OWNED building by posting "WEAPON FREE CUBICLE" sign. Remove shoelaces, shoes, belts before entering; empty all pockets; bring no pens, pencils, or other pointy objects; hands and feet must remain outside cubicle at all times.

 

[Drizzt]

Greeley Tribune, Colorado


January 21, 2003, Tuesday

KR-ACC-NO: GY-GUN-POLICY

LENGTH: 580 words

HEADLINE: Weld County, Colo., Shuns Policy That Allows Employees to Bring Guns to Work

BYLINE: By Annie Hundley

BODY:
Weld County commissioners say they probably won't follow neighboring Larimer County in allowing county employees to tote guns to work. Larimer County commissioners are expected to pass later this month a violence-prevention policy for the county's 1,400 employees that would allow them to bring concealed guns and knives to work. "No, I don't think we agree with that at all," said Mike Geile, a Weld County commissioner. "I guess my question is, what do you gain with an employee who carries a weapon into the workplace?" Geile asked.

Larimer commissioners argue that the workplace gains a measure of safety by allowing employees to have guns.

"I'm looking at it as a violence-prevention policy, not a weapons policy," said Commissioner Glenn Gibson of Loveland. "This was something that we felt was a good idea that would address violence in the workplace, so people would know violence would not be tolerated in our workplace and this would be a happy place to work."

The commissioners are expected to adopt the policy at a Jan. 28 meeting in Fort Collins. Larimer say the policy is likely the first of its kind in Colorado.

The policy came about after two Larimer county employees asked for a policy banning concealed weapons as a result of two incidents when employees brought guns to work. County staff then reviewed about 20 violence-prevention policies from across the country, all of which prohibited or severely restricted guns on the job. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden strongly lobbied for allowing guns. In his four-year tenure, he has issued 2,273 concealed-weapons permits, the second most in the state.

"More guns equal less crime," Alderden said. The policy would allow all county employees with concealed weapons permits to carry weapons to their jobs. County workers provide services ranging from issuing building permits and marriage licenses to registering citizens to vote and greeting visitors at Larimer County buildings. Kit Grashot, who has worked for Weld County as a security officer at the Centennial Center in downtown Greeley for five months, checks people who enter the building for weapons, but does not wear one herself because of the county's no-weapons policy. Only Weld's law enforcement officers are allowed to carry weapons.

"I don't think everybody should have one," Grashot said, adding that county employees "could get mad and start shooting, just like everybody else."

But because of her security job, Grashot said she would like to be able to carry a baton or mace to protect herself.

Grashot's co-worker, security officer Pat Quinones, said she would wear a concealed gun if she could. If someone entered the building with a gun pulled, Quinones said she would like to be able to respond more strongly than just calling armed deputies for help.

But commissioners Geile and Dave Long both said they don't agree with the contention that guns promote safety. Weld County's workplace safety policy includes safeguards such as reporting misconduct, investigating threats and training managers to keep an eye out for warning signs, they said. "I'm pro gun rights," Long said. "But I'm also pro safe workplace and that's what we try to maintain. You should be able to go to work and be assured that it's a safe place."