When to say police

[ExactlyMyPoint]

Took a Vehicle and Street Tactics class. Two scenarios and what they suggest:

You find an armed BG

In your command voice, with your firearm in low ready, you shout out, "Police....drop the weapon".


You are in a store/restaurant/public place and shots are fired. You draw your firearm.

Whether you shoot or not, right now, you look like the bad guy. You should be repeating the phrases:
"Police, somebody call the police"
"Police, is anyone hurt? Somebody call the police"
"Police, don't go near him, he still may be dangerous" (assuming you shot the BG and he is bleeding on the ground)

The theory behind this logic is that in the first scenario, you are NOT saying you are the police, but if the bad guy is actually a good guy, he will not try and shoot you as bad guys do not ever say the word police. If he is a bad guy, he may be more inclined to comply.

In the second scenario, again you are NOT saying you are the police, buy you want everyone to know that you are not the bad guy. Bad guys do not ever say the word police. If a crowd sees a person with a gun and there was a shooting, they will assume you were the shooter. This prevents other CCW holders from actually trying to shoot you, too.

Another point the instructor made was that you are in no danger of "impersonating" a police officer. People do it all the time, for example at Halloween and such. The only time you can get in trouble impersonating a police officer is when you do it for personal gain.

Just a few thoughts.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Crowman]

In the 1st scenario I would take it that you are stating you are the police. In the 2nd the first 2 seem OK but the 3rd one comes out you are saying you are the police or could be construed as such.

[goldshellback]

WAY too much ambiguity in that me thinks........

....and BG's using the 'police' word have been in the news for quite some time now (WRT home invasions........)

[Mike1956]

Where did you take this training?

[dukalmighty]

Whomever taught yo to imply you are a cop has no business teaching,when did he say you should flash your CCW Badge

[Bill MO]

Where did you take this training?

Yep, don't think I want to spend my money there. Like minds want to know.

Question, Do they provide lawyers with their advice? I think you are going to need one if you follow their training.

[zacii]

But bad guys have been known to say 'Police!'

Every once in a while a thread pops up where there was an incident where the BG was impersonating a LEO.

Sent from my Galaxy S2

[Matthew Temkin]

Now that I am retired I would probably ask very nicely---"Please!!! Don't Move!!"'
Say it very fast with a New York accent and the bad guy may think you are saying, "Police!!!"

[rocky]

This sounds like a really bad idea to me. What happens when someone demands you act as a police officer after you have said this?

[Glhadiator]

No way am I ever going to do that. Frankly I am stunned that anyone would teach using such a method.

[Mike1956]

No way am I ever going to do that. Frankly I am stunned that anyone would teach using such a method.

Concealed carry badges, sashes, abstinence before marriage, just say no...nah, nothing is very stunning any more. With this thread, tho, there is quite a bit to add to the "Things My Instructor Told Me" list.

[pgrass101]

I have heard that you could say "Pl-ease drop your weapon" so it might sound like Police, but in 2 of your three examples it seems like you are claiming to be the police

[GeorgiaDawg]

Some of you haven't read In the Gravest Extreme, have you?

As far as identifying yourself, don't impersonate a police officer. At the same time, if you're ordering a man to stop, yell "Police! Hold it!" If anyone asks you can say later that you were shouting for the police in the same breath that you ordered the suspect to halt. How fast is he going to stop if you cry "Hold it! Private Citizen"? The cry will also prevent your being mistaken for a fleeing felon by officers arriving on the scene.

[suntzu]

If I do not feel the need to shoot (i.e. no threat to me or others) why am I pointing a gun at an armed person pretending I am a cop....that is what you are doing regardless of what idiot instructor told someone to do this. This is about one of the dumbest things I have heard. It also sets a really bad precedent for BG's who do home invassions by saying "police!".

Semantics aside and regardless of how the English language works if someone does this they are doing it to imply they are police and under oath they will have to say so,

[d2jlking]

I'll impersonate Santa Claus if it keeps me from being shot by someone who thinks I'm a bad guy. It's easily explained away after the fact. Now, saying it to try and keep yourself safe, and saying it to exercise some unearned authority are two different things. Not in favor of someone pretending to be a cop. However, I don't see what harm can come if you've already shot the guy.