Officer Safety

[Notorious]

Everyone,

Thanks for the comfirmation! I'm alway suspect of e-mails which are making the rounds. I will pass this on to my friends and family and hope that it makes the rounds in the retired LEO comunity who don't get all the new official notices but may have stickers on their vehicles.

First thing first, tell then to take off the stickers!

[BostonFan]

Got that email this morning from our watch commander

[URBAN COMMANDO]

That's why you block your plates with the DMV Form from your watch commander

[696k]

Something else to stop doing...

Confidential your plates. If a marked unit rolls up on you and 28's you plate there it is...and if some loser tries to ID you thru the DMV they stike out unless someone is working on the inside...then all bets are off.


And can I add one more thing to avoid? Your stupid Academy Tshirt or sweat gear is not a fashion statement. I understand ur proud of your accomplishment but save that stuff for a range day or your next ACT training. Case in point.

I'm getting a haircut last week and a guy walks in with his son. The guy looks in his early 30's and is sporting a academy t-shirt. Nicely done mind you but still it is VERY obvious what it is. So I casually ask if he went to the academy?

He says "sir yes sir" (guess he's still a bit new) and proceeds to tell me where he works. I check him to see if he is carrying but in his work out shorts and t shirt it is highly unlikely. About that time a lady who has her sons in the barber shop pipes up she retired from the same department about 5 years ago due to and IOD thing. They start swapping stories.

Me? I just listened. Never did ID myself as a cop either. No need to I guess but here's the point. We need to stop wearing stupid s*** that ID's us and we need to be careful about who the hell is listening to our conversations. And for God's sake if you are gonna wear that stuff be armed. I'm a good guy so this time it wasn't a big deal. Next time who knows?

Just the thoughts from a dinosaur who roams the night in a black & white...

[Notorious]

I've done a few renewals at the DMV and the counter lady always had to ask for my info because she can't pull it up because it's blocked even to her. Now, I am sure someone on the inside with enough time can gety info if they wanted to but it felt a bit reassuring to see the average counter jockey can't get my info just like that.

[retired]

Even tho I'm retired from LASD, I am on their email list for dept. info and they confirm it also.

KMA license plates are asking for trouble.

Ron, may not recall who it is, but we worked with a deputy who bought a truck from another deputy at the station. The license frame was KMA 628 and the personalized plate read, "I B 417." I told him he should get new plates and remove the frame as he was just putting a big bulls eye on his head, but he wouldn't do it. As far as I know, nothing ever happened, but I thought it was stupid.

Another dumb thing were the guys who would put a pair of large grips on their backup. We knew then as the leos know now, the bad guys know leos carry backups. It may be a bit of a help when it is out of sight because it may be out of mind. When the grips stick out of the rear pocket for the world to see or for a bad guy to grab when the deputy is occupied with another bad guy; it is not a good thing.

I could not convince my buddy to change the grips back. I carried my S&W Model 60 .38 with the stock grips on and off duty. This was back in the day when we carried revolvers as bugs and as a service weapon. Due to dept. restrictions, there really weren't any small semi-autos out there that I was aware of when I was in patrol.

[Notorious]

That was one thing that really bugged me about some deputies that I saw around the area. Their j-frame sticking out the back pocket for the world to grab. I didn't see it that often but it was often enough to notice it wasn't an one-off situation. I don't see it anymore so that's a good thing.

[Jack L]

KMA license plates are asking for trouble. I don't put them, any work related or gun related stickers on my car either. NRA stickers advertise gun owner.

A+. In this day and age, stealth is the only way to keep you and your family as safe as possible. I always have thought the department should allow yearly $ for reasonable home surveillance or at least some security measures. A LEOs safety and possible work does not end after the shift is over, it's 24/7. It only makes sense to me.

One area I built a beach home, in Shelter Cove, CA, we all donated $ so the lone sheriff deputy could have his own K9. This area was very remote with no backup for a long time if needed. None of us gave the donation a second thought. After all, when help is needed, help can be delayed if the LEO needs help too.

[Notorious]

If only more folks thought like you. The world would be a better place. Thanks.

[415dog!]

lets not forget B2V stickers folks. I see those everywhere...

[Petro6golf]

I have a buddy who gets a take home car. He parks it in his drive way, brand new charger. Has had the thing keyed, windows shot out of his house with a bb gun, back sliding glass door etched Fu%k the police in the middle of the night while he was sleeping. scary stuff

[Falconis]

May be a good idea to keep your registrations out of your car. Certain gangs target certain parking lots and steal the car's registrations.

[Notorious]

What's a B2V? Never seen those. I have seen tons of KMA and KJC plates... and even some blue line stickers, and one idiot with the plate of something like "830 PC" or something like that.

[Watchur6]

Baker to vegas

[Notorious]

Got it... never seen those stickers, but have seen dudes wearing those B2V tee shirts around... or the Mud Run... yeah... with pics of cops on it... real subtle there, slick!