Falcon Heights shooting<\/a> occurred two miles from my house.\u00a0 I have a permit to carry a pistol, same as the driver. The cop was acquitted and social media is howling it\u2019s a racial outrage but I\u2019m not interested in who\u2019s to blame in this specific incident.\u00a0 I\u2019m only interesting in making sure it doesn\u2019t happen to me. <\/span><\/p>\nThe evidence at trial boiled down to this:\u00a0 <\/span>the officer thought he gave a command which the driver failed to obey.\u00a0 The eye-witness passenger thought the officer gave a different command which the driver was in the midst of obeying when the officer fired.\u00a0 Neither the officer nor the eye-witness had time to think up a lie to pad the video to make themselves look better for a jury.\u00a0 They both believed they were telling the truth as they heard it.\u00a0 It\u2019s a classic case of eye-witnesses recalling identical events differently. <\/span><\/p>\nI don\u2019t want to die and the officer doesn\u2019t want to kill me.\u00a0 How can we work together to make certain that doesn\u2019t happen?\u00a0 Police have standard procedures for high-speed pursuit, for approaching a stopped vehicle, but apparently there is no standard procedure for Encountering A Lawfully Armed Citizen.\u00a0 The advice I got in my permit-to-carry training was: \u201cinform the officer you have a pistol and ask how he wants to handle it\u201d which is another way of saying \u201cThere are no rules, the officer will make up something on the side of the road, but if you fail to comply, you die.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s not good enough.\u00a0 <\/span>The driver might not hear clearly because of a crying kid or complaining passenger.\u00a0 <\/span>The office might not hear clearly because of traffic noise.\u00a0 <\/span>And instructions can be misinterpreted with deadly results. <\/span><\/p>\nThe Falcon Heights incident is a vivid illustration of why the current make-shift policy is not good enough, why there must be a standard Pistol Protocol for officers and permitted carriers to know and understand, and why the high-stakes nature of an armed encounter demands the Pistol Protocol be stupid simple to understand and yet crystal clear to follow.<\/span><\/p>\nI think permit holders and law enforcement leaders should meet to negotiate a standard Pistol Protocol, add it to every law enforcement curriculum and role-play it in every permit-to-carry training session. \u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s a draft:<\/span><\/p>\nStep 1.\u00a0 Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) approaches stopped vehicle, Permit Holder (PH) rolls down window, puts hands on the steering wheel and keeps them there. \u00a0No other movement.<\/span><\/p>\nStep 2.\u00a0 PH says \u201cOfficer, we need the Pistol Protocol. I have a permit to carry a pistol.\u201d\u00a0 PH says or does nothing else until PH receives verbal confirmation from LEO that the Pistol Protocol is in place.\u00a0 If LEO fails to confirm, PH repeats the request for the Pistol Protocol.<\/p>\n
Step 3.\u00a0 LEO repeats back that PH wants to use the Pistol Protocol, thus verifying that the officer is aware of the existence of a legally permitted weapon and that a dialogue has begun about how to secure the weapon. \u00a0LEO says or does nothing else until he confirms that the Pistol Protocol is in place.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI confirm you have a pistol and a permit to carry.\u00a0 <\/span>We are now using the Pistol Protocol.\u201d<\/p>\nStep 4. \u00a0LEO instructs PH as to the next thing the LEO wants the PH to do so the LEO can secure the weapon.\u00a0 Could be \u201cmove your car to a safer location\u201d or \u201copen the door using your left hand and step out\u201d or whatever the situation requires, taking into account lighting, weather, number of passengers, etc. \u00a0Whatever LEO instructs, PH repeats back before doing it, LEO affirms or negates (followed by repeat of intended instruction). \u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLEO:\u00a0 <\/span>Using your right hand, slowly turn the engine off, then put your hand back on the wheel.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPH: I\u2019m going to use my right hand to turn the engine off, then put my hand back on the wheel.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLEO: that\u2019s correct, go ahead.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>At that point, the driver turns the engine off and puts his hand back on the wheel.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nStep 5. \u00a0PH, moving slowly as LEO watches, carries out all LEO instructions until LEO announces the pistol is secure.<\/p>\n
Step 6.\u00a0 When LEO announces the pistol is secure, the Pistol Protocol is not ended, it is in recess.\u00a0 LEO instructs PH what else to do (driver\u2019s license, proof of insurance) and writes summons or gives a warning to complete their other business.<\/p>\n
Step 7.\u00a0 When LEO is finished with other business, LEO tells PH that LEO is restarting the Pistol Protocol to safely transfer the pistol back to the PH but LEO does not transfer the pistol until PH confirms that LEO has restarted the Pistol Protocol.\u00a0 \u201cLEO:\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m restarting the Pistol Protocol to hand the weapon back to you.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPH: We\u2019re back using the Pistol Protocol now.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nStep 8.\u00a0 LEO tells PH what LEO intends to do with the pistol, PH repeats it back, then LEO and PH slowly and carefully transfer the pistol back to the PH.\u00a0 \u201cLEO: I\u2019m going to hand you the magazine to put in your pocket, then the weapon to put in your holster.\u00a0 <\/span>Do NOT load the weapon until you have left the scene.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPH: You\u2019re going to hand me the magazine to put in my pocket and the pistol to put in my holster, but I won\u2019t load the weapon until after I leave here.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLEO, okay, here\u2019s the magazine . . . pocket, good . . . and here\u2019s the pistol.\u201d<\/p>\nStep 9.\u00a0 LEO and PH go their separate ways.
\nThere could be fewer steps, more steps, enhancements and improvements, but the key elements are (1) both LEO and PH affirmatively and verbally acknowledging the existence of the pistol so they can deal with it safely and (2) both LEO and PH read-back instructions to avoid misunderstanding, before any movement takes place.
\nThis draft is not perfect but it\u2019s good enough to be going forward.\u00a0 Next step, figuring out how to get pistol carriers and cops on board.\u00a0 Volunteers are needed to negotiate in good faith.\u00a0 And salesmanship to convince cops and permit holders that it\u2019s something they need to learn.
\nCould use a catchy phrase to help people remember.\u00a0 The fire prevention people hit a home run with \u201cStop, Drop and Roll.\u201d\u00a0 How about:<\/p>\n
Say It. \u00a0Repeat It. \u00a0Do It. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTell me.\u00a0 Hear me.\u00a0 See me. <\/span><\/p>\nListen.\u00a0 Repeat. \u00a0Comply.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nI work for the local government bureaucracy.\u00a0 <\/span>My bosses are sensitive to political pressure and controversy.\u00a0 I can’t speak out in my own name so I’m writing this under an assumed name to ask for help.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nIf you see merit in the idea, please take the ball and run with it.\u00a0 If it’s not your cup of tea, can you forward it to someone who might help? <\/span><\/p>\nThe tragedy in Falcon Heights ruined several lives.\u00a0 <\/span>There is absolutely no reason to ruin more.\u00a0 <\/span>Help me prevent that. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nJoe Doakes, Saint Paul, Minnesota<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Joe Doakes emailed me this request: The case is over. \u00a0The next one hasn’t happened, yet. \u00a0\u00a0This is the time to restart the conversation about the Pistol Protocol. Please run this letter on SITD. Joe Doakes So here is the letter: Open letter to politicians, cops, citizens: I write to enlist your support for law-abiding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[269,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grass-roots","category-victim-disarmament"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63559"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63561,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63559\/revisions\/63561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}