This morning I filed a complaint with Plymouth police. I don’t get the impression they take it very seriously. Do you? Here’s a description of the incident that I am complaining about. Yes, it happened three months ago but better than never!
Here is the video on YouTube as well, in case Vimeo is not convenient for you.
12 replies on “Filed Complaint with Plymouth Police”
This is good stuff, George. It might be useful to make up a checklist or small guide for others who want to do the same. A few observations and thoughts that could be included.
1. They will ask you to come into the back of the station, which requires you be disarmed. This is not required in order to file the complaint. (Wouldn’t surprise me if they use this as an excuse to record the weapon’s make model, and serial #)
2. Ask them to answer questions on camera. They will refuse, but might offer to do so in writing. If they do not offer, ask them if they will. In either case, come prepared with a typed list of questions with your email address on it, and probably an SASE, so they have no excuse not to.
3. Have a concrete list of things that would resolve the issue to you satisfaction, and include them on the paperwork. It could be a formal apology, mandatory retraining, suspension, firing, a million dollars, whatever you think is appropriate and achievable.
4. Ask someone to sign for receipt of the complaint. Ask for the timeframe you can expect a formal acknowledgment in, and follow up if you do not receive one.
5. Issue a press release sent to all the relevant newspapers, radio and TV stations, and other publications. Include a copy of the release you intend to issue with the paperwork you submit to the department.
Those last three depend on what your expectations are, but they are fairly minimal and pro-forma actions, and they all make it harder for them to simply toss the complaint, or merely go through the motions. Even if you are not expecting concrete results, you might be surprised, and in any case, you make the system take more active notice. The press release alone probably means that the issue gets noticed and tracked further up the chain of command then it would otherwise be.
And the award for Best Editing in a Secretly Filmed Encounter with the Police goes to … George Donnelly! Good job, Mr. Donnelly! Not only does your edited video take away any of your credibility, it’s also inadmissible in court!
Why would I need to use it in court Fiona?
BTW Plymouth has completely ignored my right to know request.
Ok so fun fact for you, Police has every right to ask for ID if youre walking around with a gun and a kid, and once you refuse to ID yourself, they have every right to detain you until they find out who you are, Detain does not equal Arrest. and once you are detained they will search you to make sure you have nothing else on you to hurt them. You carried a gun and then refused to ID yourself this was your fault, they shouldnt take you seriously. While you do have the right to open carry, you also have to ID yourself.
Oh and you are apparently nuts and the fact that you even were granted a permit to carry. And you really dont know what youre talking about. They were reponding to a call about a male with a child carrying a gun, they had every right to stop you, your kid should be taken from you and put some where safe. And all these people that are agreeing with you are terrible. And wait till you actually need these “bad guys” help one day and see if you change your attitude nut job
Matt, you are simply wrong about me being required to ID myself under those circumstances. The PA supreme court has even held that to be true.
I hope no one ever makes such an absurd, hateful and callous statement to you ever – for any reason – about taking your children away. But what comes around goes around and karma’s bitch so prepare yourself.
I have finally begun posting my collection call “Rules that may save your life” on my own blog (http://www.chl-tx.com/instructorsview). The first rule I in the series is “Keep it hidden”, which I posted this morning (and no, I’m not into April Fools jokes).
I am not philosophically opposed to open carry, but I would not do it myself unless there was not an option to conceal. One of the reasons for that is exactly the hassle that you have documented.
TXCHLInstructor, your comment is in a grey area very close to being spammy and off-topic.
That said, April 1 is absolutely the right day to publish something about keeping your pistol hidden.
Since I sincerely dislike spam, and I don’t wish to be associated with anything considered even “borderline” spammy, I request that you delete all of my comments from you blog. In turn, I will delete the links I have from my blog to yours.
Talk about overreaction. I’m not deleting your comments.
Im 21 now and I do carry a weapon at all times whether its open-carry or concealed carry. I live in Alabama where open carry is legal, and i also have my CCP. I completely agree with you george. The world is filled with people who want to harm other humans. Whether or not a man decides to see the world the way it is, or live in an imaginary place where the law-abiding citizen who carries a tool to protect himself is actually crazy and ‘shouldnt be paranoid’ is a mans choice. Like you said earlier ‘when seconds matter, the police are minutes away’. I don’t care what other people think about me carrying a handgun, because the order of protection im providing at all times is 1. The people I love 2. innocent bystanders in a crime who could be harmed and 3rd and finally Me. Im actually a non believer in any and all religions, but its my love for humankind and my natural instincts that make me want to protect those who need protection. Also, to anyone that agrees with ‘Matt in the comments below’, you should realize it is obvious to any person who has studied gun law that he doesn’t know what hes talking about and hasn’t done research. If he is willing to cooperate with cops who enforce there own law or arent well trained in gun law, thats his own way of handling things. Finally I must say on my own that if I’m not physically, mentally, or financially harming anyone, let me do what I want and stop imposing your will on my life.