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Main Page Riding Shotgun May Be in Vogue
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: kwflatbed

An idea from the Old West

ART FEMISTER
Volunteers in Law Enforcement Contributor
Officer.com

As we near the end of 2007, this year has seen a dramatic rise in violence and unfortunately, deadly violence towards law enforcement officers all across the nation. It seems like not a few days goes by that we're not hearing or reading about another officer being killed by a suspect versus a traffic-related accident, which in the past has been the major cause of death for police officers.

Riding shotgun makes a comeback?
As most folks know, the term "riding shotgun" came from the old cowboy days when stagecoaches crossed the wide open territories, loaded with valuable cargo, cash, and other attractive items for thieves. To help protect the load, a second person would ride up top with the driver openly carrying, as the name implies, a shotgun. The reason was quite simple and obvious: to help deter thieves from attempting to rob the stagecoach, and if they did, to provide additional back up for the driver.
With the recent surge in violence against officers, with no reason to believe there is an end in sight anytime soon, law enforcement executives may want to consider a new class of police officer whose primary mission is in effect to "ride shotgun." If this sounds even somewhat attractive, but the thought of setting up an entire new human resources structure to include pay, benefits, retirement, etc., is too overwhelming, perhaps it might make sense to start off with a well-trained and -qualified unit of volunteers to fulfill this mission.
Several months ago in south Texas, a deputy from a large, yet very understaffed agency was on patrol with a civilian "ride along." It just so happens that the female "rider" was previously employed with the agency in a civilian capacity yet had some basic firearms training. That evening, the deputy conducted a "routine" traffic stop at which time the driver of the vehicle exited and opened fire on the deputy, shooting him in his gun hand. The suspect went back to his own vehicle and jumped into the driver's seat. Not knowing if the suspect was going to back up over the deputy, grab another gun or what his intentions were, the female rider took the patrol cruiser's shotgun and opened fire on the suspect who she just witnessed shooting the deputy. The suspect was found dead behind the wheel of his vehicle, not too far away from the scene of the shooting. Publicly speaking, most rank and file members of law enforcement will say, "we appreciate her efforts, however it's not the job of the public to shoot at suspects." But, privately speaking, many of the same officers will say, "great job, she can ride with me anytime."

Full Article: http://www.officer.com/web/online/Operations-and-Tactics/Riding-Shotgun-May-Be-in-Vogue/3$37836

Posted by: Killjoy

While I'm all for an armed citizentry defending themselves, an armed citizentry roaming around looking to "help" police officers sounds like a recipe for disaster. How much training is a "well-trained volunteer" going to get? Our basic firearms course is two weeks, about twelve hours per day with several days of force-on-force training. Can joe average citizen take two weeks off to take a course? Also, there's a lot more to being a police officer then simply firearms training. This sounds like an excuse for whackers everywhere to strap on a gun and run around pretending to "help" police officers.

The best thing average joe citizen can do is to pay their taxes, raise their children the right way, and obey the the law. If they happened to be armed when I'm getting shot at, by all means, help me out. The same thing goes if I'm rolling around on the sidewalk with some mope...giving the mope a knuckle sandwich will get you a hearty handshake. But to go searching for trouble is a bad idea...the best tactic is avoidance. Avoid stupid places, avoid stupid people and avoid doing stupid things.

Posted by: Wolfman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy

The same thing goes if I'm rolling around on the sidewalk with some mope...giving the mope a knuckle sandwich will get you a hearty handshake.

I would give them a laurel, and hearty handshake.

The primary purpose of the armed citizen should be to protect themselves and their families. Obviously, if you're getting the contents kicked out of your scrotum and into your throat by the roadside an armed citizen would be a nice accessory, but you gotta ask yourself if the baggage of a "volunteer" latched to your right arm is worth whatever backup he may (or may not) provide should the stinky brown stuff hit the whirling blades.

If PD's need someone to ride shotgun, double up on real live sworn officers in the cruisers. Let the volunteers help people hook up their child seats.

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