Cheyenne cop to combat vet: "I'll release you if you let my buddy point his gun at you" and other

Pierson, 31, of Pensacola, Fla., was carrying the pistol, which is legal in Wyoming, when he was pulled over by Deputy Corry Bassett of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

In a sworn statement this month, Bassett acknowledged he offered to release Pierson if he allowed Deputy Rob Andazola to draw his weapon and cover Pierson.

“I didn’t know whether kicking my leg over the bike, or walking away, or what they could possibly constitute as a hostile act,” Pierson said in a telephone interview Monday. “I didn’t like the terms. And I was a little unnerved by the fact that they were threatening lethal force with a deadly weapon against a man who was compliant, in handcuffs, who had been screened.”

I'm sure by now we're all very accustomed to the stories of the cops claiming threatening actions and throwing down the deadly force card at anything from a puppy in a cage to an amputee in a wheelchair to grandma walking with her cane and even making games out of it as these two did so this isnt really the upsetting part.

This is:

Bassett said in the sworn statement that he had been trained to put his personal safety above the rights of a citizen openly carrying a handgun.

“We’re told every day, our safety is first,” he said. “We’re here to come home every night.”

Patricia L. Bach of the Wyoming attorney general’s office represents Bassett and Andazola. She declined comment.

Again this notion of the holy and just cop with his life on the line raises it's pitiful head from the shadow as justification for abuse not only as an abstract concept but as a standing order drilled into them every day.

You are #, they say, for harming no one and practicing a Constitutionally protected and god-given right. They are a privileged and protected class. Never forget that.

Pierson said he is seeking damages, an apology and a statement by the jurisdictions involved that the open carry of handguns is lawful — and that the purpose of government is not officer safety but the protection of peoples’ lives, liberty and property.

Local Paper
Marine Corps Times

I believe this is the stop in question:

I listened to this video the other day. I say listened because it is just still pictures with the audio of the stop in the background. I was disgusted by the actions of the officers involved. He was in a no obligation to inform state and an open carry state. The officer obviously saw the gun and just wanted to be a prick. How could he miss it? They were just looking for a reason to trample all over his rights. Bet they're a little upset now to find out they were recorded. I hope they lose their jobs at the bare minimum.

Originally posted by 369821

I hope they lose their jobs at the bare minimum.

Unfortunately it wouldnt make much of a difference.

Bad cops are like pedo priests and bad teachers. They just get shuffled around.

Fired officers hired
Officer fired for excessive force hired
Board forces police to re-hire fired officer

All the token firings in the world wont change anything. There needs to be a fundamental philosophical shift in the institution of law enforcement as a whole. Otherwise abuse and corruption will remain a constant.

I do get that the cop has to be concerned for his safety, however, the vet was within his rights AND when asked if he had a gun, he did not say he did. So I also understand, how because there are so many innocent people getting shot by cops these days, if I were in the vet's position, I might have been concerned that my saying "yes, I have a gun" might just get me shot by the cop before he thought about it.

After all,people are getting shot because the cop mistook something as simple as a cellphone for a gun in their hand.

Unfortunately incidents like this one are happening more and more everyday. That officer made it clear that he felt he was above the laws and the Constitution. Poeple who open carry need to know their rights and the laws just like this Man did. In the long run he was right and I'm sure it will end up being ruled as such. The saddest part is that these officers are not ussually held accountable for their illlegal actions. He was smart to record them as well. There needs to be an organization that does nothing but pursue charges against these officers when they don't follow the law themselves. Corruption is so rampant these days that you cannot trust a single department to do the right thing anymore.

This goes to show that no matter who you are, if you exercise your rights as they stand in the Constitution then you will be targeted for harrasment. There is no doubt this man was detained illegally. I think ATS needs a separate forum for law enforcement who don't uphold the law. Yeah, it's that big of a problem.

There is a national database now called the "Real ID Act" where the police officer once seeing this guy runs his license in the system.

The system pops up a message saying "possibly violent, use extreme caution"....and the cops all use heavy hands on this ex-military folk.

If you have a cop friend go ask him about it. The Pentagon actually requested this system be put into use. Cops beat down and oppress ex-military....they get sad and die earlier...saving Uncle Sam $$$$.

Feel the boot.

Originally posted by usmc0311
Unfortunately incidents like this one are happening more and more everyday. That officer made it clear that he felt he was above the laws and the Constitution. Poeple who open carry need to know their rights and the laws just like this Man did. In the long run he was right and I'm sure it will end up being ruled as such. The saddest part is that these officers are not ussually held accountable for their illlegal actions. He was smart to record them as well. There needs to be an organization that does nothing but pursue charges against these officers when they don't follow the law themselves. Corruption is so rampant these days that you cannot trust a single department to do the right thing anymore.

This goes to show that no matter who you are, if you exercise your rights as they stand in the Constitution then you will be targeted for harrasment. There is no doubt this man was detained illegally. I think ATS needs a separate forum for law enforcement who don't uphold the law. Yeah, it's that big of a problem.

I agree ATS needs to make a forum it is getting ridiculous!

The rider could have said yes I have a gun, BUT, he did not need to!
However he did know his rights and expressed those rights politely and with honor, were as the Cop whose job it is to know those laws is ignorant!

The Cop stated it perfectly I AM IN CONTROL…it was illegal to detain him and will no doubt show up in the courts because of this. It actually sounded like a profile of a war veteran! He served our country in a way this Cop will never understand!

Get used to Judge Dredd People!
Eventually they will be given the authority to be THE LAW. Judge, Jury and Executioner!

reply to post by usmc0311


First of all, I live in Wyoming.

It is Legal in Wyoming to open carry a firearm without a permit.

It is Legal in Wyoming to concealed carry a firearm without a permit as long as you are a resident.

These officers were in the wrong. However, the issue was remedied by their supervisors and the man was released.

He was never charged and never taken in because he did not do anything illegal.

In all honesty, I can understand why a cop would be on edge about a guy open carrying; yes it may be legal but it's still a gun and the cop has no idea whether you are going to turn violent or not. For the sake of not being a douche, the motorcyclist should have informed the cop that he had a weapon, even if he is not required to, and proceeded to disarm himself.

There are bad cops, then there are idiots like this guy who get treated badly because they treat the cop badly. Seriously is it that hard to answer the question of "are you armed?" Does the constitution need to read, "don't give cops a hard time," for people to gain some common sense?

Anyone would be cautious of a person with a gun, hence why so many people call in cases of people open-carrying, so why would a cop, of all people, be an exception?

A little logic goes a long way. The cop doesn't care if you're in handcuffs, he is making sure he doesn't get shot at. There are many videos on the net of cops pulling people over, being careless, and paying the price. It doesn't make this guy a bad cop.

I don't usually play devils advocate on these issues but..

I think the cops were pretty easy on this guy in all honesty. I mean, the cop asked if he had a gun and he said "I don't permit you to search my property", which really wasn't what he asked. I don't think he necessarily should have been cuffed, but with that said, this cop seemed to handle this better than most do from what we've seen on ATS. The guy argued with the cop for ever and the cop listened to his arguments. He could have yelled and screamed and blew the whole thing out of proportion while power tripping (which we see often) but he didn't. In the end, there was no incident and the guy went on his way. I'd say this story ended in a win.

ETA: I also think the title of the thread was a bit sensationalized.. In the context of the situation, it was really just a point that if someone won't tell you if they have a gun, then cops ARE going to be prepared for whatever real unknowns (dangers) that could exist.

Originally posted by DaMod
reply to post by usmc0311

 

First of all, I live in Wyoming.

It is Legal in Wyoming to open carry a firearm without a permit.

It is Legal in Wyoming to concealed carry a firearm without a permit as long as you are a resident.

These officers were in the wrong. However, the issue was remedied by their supervisors and the man was released.

He was never charged and never taken in because he did not do anything illegal.

I know these things. I read the articles. He was still illegally detained and cuffed. I'm glad his supervisor had the knowledge to dissolve the situation. The problem is it should not have been an issue to begin with.

Being former law enforcement I can understand where the officer was coming from. There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. We have the luxury of knowing a little more information about the guy on the bike than the officer did at the time of the stop. True, it is not a requirement to inform the officer but it's just common courtesy. There is no law requiring me to tell the officer that I will need to go into my glove compartment to get my insurance and registration. I do it because he doesn't know me from a crazy person that just butchered his family. I'm big on Constitutional rights as my signature will say but I'm also big on officer safety. Rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

Something which I think you should all watch, especially Americans



The video description is very apt as well:

"When I was a "police officer" back in the early '70s the transformation was just starting to take place from a mentality of a public servant working for the citizens to "law enforcement". The first I noticed of it was when the police departments started preferential hiring of ex-military people returning from Viet Nam. They started introducing military tactics into the department, including the first S.W.A.T. team. They quit referring to people on the street as citizens and started calling them "civilians", or more commonly "assholes".

This is one of those situations that I am always on the fence about. I can't help but to have some understanding for the Police Officer's situation. With that said, however, I also recognize that "open carry" is a law is this State. Further the laws do not require a person to notify the police that they are carrying a weapon. This Police Officer is required to have knowledge of these laws. I can only conclude that he should have taken these laws into consideration before deciding to join the police force. Maybe he should have stayed at waiting tables.

What's going on in this situation is that this cop has expectations of guaranteeing his own personal safety which are in direct conflict with at least two state laws. If that's the kind of safety he requires, he's in the wrong job and the wrong state. So he's either totally ignorant of the laws he's to be enforcing, or he thinks they don't apply because he lacks the balls to do his job according to its guidelines.

Idiot didn't need to be carrying a weapon openly anyway. All these bikers love to act tough and hard. If a cop asks you "Do you have a weapon" You tell them. Otherwise you could be dead. Officers carry weapons all the time, they are "strapped" in their minds, that means ready to kill. A common citizen is not. This is not the wild west. You don't pass RVs doing a 100 miles an hour and then act like a prick to a cop! Just common sense! What is wrong with you gun carrying morons? Do you really think you are going to stop a robbery? Do you think you are combat trained and ready to be a hero with your pistol? I used to carry...All it ever did was get me in trouble. Then someone broke in my car and took the gun. Maybe they killed someone with it, or committed a robbery. But not once did having a gun do anything for me. Do yourself a favor, you openly carry, you tell the cop "I am armed." Simple. Stop trying this "Don't tread on me, I'm a libertarian, crap." All you are really doing is trying to intimidate other people. And the chances are good you will have your gun taken from you and used against you by someone MORE belligerent and MORE hostile than you are! Creeps in Arid-Zona thinks they are tough carrying guns around openly. It's always bikers. And it's always frightening for women and children. You're nothing but a bully without even one college class in Law...but you're going to make a cop sweat! Big tough guy. Do you know what those field officers go through on every damned traffic stop!? They take their lives in their hands to protect YOU. Some get really antsy after a hard day trying to explain to stupid, testosterone driven lunkheads like you, just what the f*ck YOU are doing to make their lives harder...stop carrying weapons. Stop being an officious prick.

reply to post by whisperindave


Obviously you don't read very well. If you could, you would have noticed that Captain Robert Pierson is a two time veteran of Afghanistan. A man who put his life on the line to protect the freedoms that we hold so dear. The type of man who knows exactly when and what to do with that pistol he was carrying in case he actually needs to use it. He protects our rights only to come home and see that more and more often that police are abusing their authority and attempting to strip law abiding citizens of their rights.

Many people these days know how to use a weapon. It is very common to carry a weapon. There are many stories of people who happened to be carrying their gun saved themselves, their family, or stopped someone in a criminal act. This is AMERICA. The people should be armed and the police should understand the limits of their authority and that they are here to protect the people, not to oppress them. No one I know who carries a firearm does it to intimidate other people. And if people are intimidated by a gun, obviously they don't know much about the roots of this nation and why guns are so necessary to everyone in this country.

Man saves Cafe from Gun Wielding Robbers
Man saves family from road side robbers
Boy Shoots Armed Intruder to Save Siblings
Man saves Police Officer From Gunman
Examples of How Guns Save Innocent People

Nuff said.

reply to post by whisperindave


You are a danger to the 2nd amendment and the freedoms most Americans hold dear. I say pack it up and move somewhere else. Maybe the UK since youre so anti-gun

reply to post by whisperindave


It isnt an uncommon approach to blame the abuses of authority on the people.

Children of alcoholics do this with regular frequency. He drinks because I make life hard for him.
Battered women do the same. He hits me because I make him angry.

It's an attempt to rationalize what doesnt make sense.

In this case it doesnt make sense that a person minding his own business causing no harm to any one or thing should be cuffed, harassed and held at gunpoint and on top of it all receive a lecture on all the things he did wrong while not doing anything.

So folks rationalize.

If you cant see how ridiculous even evil it is for this to go on then you need to take a few steps back and examine your life.

Originally posted by whisperindave
Idiot didn't need to be carrying a weapon openly anyway. All these bikers love to act tough and hard. If a cop asks you "Do you have a weapon" You tell them. Otherwise you could be dead. Officers carry weapons all the time, they are "strapped" in their minds, that means ready to kill. A common citizen is not. This is not the wild west. You don't pass RVs doing a 100 miles an hour and then act like a prick to a cop! Just common sense! What is wrong with you gun carrying morons? Do you really think you are going to stop a robbery? Do you think you are combat trained and ready to be a hero with your pistol? I used to carry...All it ever did was get me in trouble. Then someone broke in my car and took the gun. Maybe they killed someone with it, or committed a robbery. But not once did having a gun do anything for me. Do yourself a favor, you openly carry, you tell the cop "I am armed." Simple. Stop trying this "Don't tread on me, I'm a libertarian, crap." All you are really doing is trying to intimidate other people. And the chances are good you will have your gun taken from you and used against you by someone MORE belligerent and MORE hostile than you are! Creeps in Arid-Zona thinks they are tough carrying guns around openly. It's always bikers. And it's always frightening for women and children. You're nothing but a bully without even one college class in Law...but you're going to make a cop sweat! Big tough guy. Do you know what those field officers go through on every damned traffic stop!? They take their lives in their hands to protect YOU. Some get really antsy after a hard day trying to explain to stupid, testosterone driven lunkheads like you, just what the f*ck YOU are doing to make their lives harder...stop carrying weapons. Stop being an officious prick.

Stupidly left your gun in the car, what a maroon. You definitely shouldn't be carrying a gun. Or own a gun. Or be allowed to vote for that matter, from the sounds of it. That's right, folks, let's give up our guns because it's scaring the women and children. OMFG.