KPD has serious training issues
As I wrote in a comment in this post the Knoxville Police Department needs more and better training for its police officers. We expect them to not only enforce the law but to understand the law.
Does this seem like KPD understands the law?
Gun owner receives apology from police chief
Chief’s letter, more training follow officer’s confusion, threat of arrest
Trevor Putnam knew the gun laws. The officer who stopped him didn’t.
“When I told him that I hadn’t done anything, he said he’d find a reason to put me in jail,” said Putnam, 24, who works with guns every day as vice president of Coal Creek Armory in West Knoxville.
“It’s not that I have a problem with police officers. I deal with police officers nationwide from Arizona to Maine every day. But I lost my confidence in a legal right that I knew I had.”
Knoxville police officers will get a refresher course on the state’s gun permit laws after an officer who didn’t know the law stopped, frisked and threatened to arrest Putnam for legally carrying a gun inside a Wal-Mart this summer.
This keeps happening. The question is why?
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 am
Because you have a human right that requires an affirmative defense to enjoy, that the modern media vilifies, and on which the law changes every six miles or two years?
This shouldn’t be surprising. Even if he did follow the letter of the law, and didn’t try to falsely imprison an innocent man, to enforce the law he is supposed to assume guilt until a slip of paper is shown to him.
That he treats a man the law assumes to be guilty poorly should amaze no one.
September 22nd, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Take a page from the IWW.
If cops get stupid, then give them more opportunities to get stupid.
Start making a point of visiting Knoxville. Open carry only. In groups. with camcorders.
September 22nd, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I would so like to be part of an open carry demonstration in Downtown Knoxville. Can you image that scene?
I firmly believe that KPD is anti gun.
How can you not know the laws?? Ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse for me if I do something dumb, why does it seem to not be an issue with this officer?
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:07 pm
The officer committed a crime. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, ask any cop or prosecutor. The officer should be arrested on charges of battery and taken to trial.
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:43 am
the real problem lies with upper level management.
They’re fostering the attitude, allowing the behaviour, and administering the discipline (not very dam’ much, in this case).
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Another option … finding every felon the officer was involved in arresting in the past, and mailing him a transcript of the officer admitting in public that he makes up stuff in order to arrest people.
Expect every criminal arrested by that officer in the past ( and in the future ) to appeal.
He should find himself working in mall security in short order.
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:44 pm
1. In a just world, the KPD would have accompanied the apology with a check for $5,000 (statutory damages under section 1983). That might have helped them remember to make sure officers know the law before they are turned loose on the streets with a badge. But since training costs and not-training doesn’t…
2. Neither the chief’s apology nor the Internal Affairs report on the incident mentioned the cop’s threat to fabricate charges. Not knowing the law is reason for training. Abusing authority should be grounds for firing and barring the officer from ever holding any position of authority. But apparently it isn’t against departmental policy…
September 24th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Until these thugs start losing their commissions, nothing is going to change.
This officer committed illegal acts and so far, is walking away.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:19 am
[…] KPD has serious training issues As I wrote in a comment in this post the Knoxville Police Department needs more and better training for its police officers. We expect them to not only enforce the law but to understand the law. Does this seem like KPD understands the law? Gun owner receives apology from police chief Chief’s letter, more training follow officer’s confusion, […] […]