Baltimore police slightly alarmed at bumper stickers
Watch out! He’s got a Gadsden flag:
while the individual who is displaying the symbol may not be armed, the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an armed individual.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:36 am
That’s like the MIAC report that called people who were Ron Paul supporters or who had Gadsen stickers ‘Domestic Extremists’.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:05 am
So does my Marine stick automatically mean I am crazed war veteran who will crack and go psychotic for no reason? Don’t answer that! I guess it depends if you listen to the obama doj…
June 8th, 2011 at 10:09 am
Uh oh, I’ve given money to Ron Paul, I have a Gadsden flag and I am a concealed carry permit holder.
But wait a minute, I’m also law abiding, civic minded and I vote. I’m not a militia member, don’t know anyone who is and I coach my daughters soccer team. I pay my taxes, register my car and boat with the state, keep my licenses and insurance up to date and I pay my mortgage.
Perhaps this bumper sticker thing is actually an ungrounded stereotype? But wait, LEO’s would never generalize a group of people. So that can’t be the case.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:17 am
So does that mean a set of 24’s on a Caddy Escalade mean that one MAY encounter an Armed Drug Dealer, especially if it occurs in the Hood? Or that a man wearing an M-65 Army Field Jacket MAY be considered Armed, like Deniro’s character Travis Bickel in Taxi Driver? You know, all these “Fusion Centers” and “Threat Analysis Centers” which are being funded by the Tax Payers need to be shut down and the Staff sent back to the TSA, and leave Intel Gathering to the Pros.
Of course, now that the presence of a sticker on a car means that the driver MAY be Armed, I’m sure the Pima County Sheriffs SWAT team will now just Open Fire on said Vehicle when they see it dropping off Kids at school this Fall.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Evidently not thinking is MUCH easier than thinking.
Would be funny if these weren’t the people who commit massive-spray-and-pray murders of lawful citizens.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:46 am
Profiling for political purposes? That’s illegal in Oregon, don’t know about it’s legality where YOU live.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:53 am
I pointed out to my BPD buddies that this is kinda like Captain Smith worrying about Titanic passengers getting food poisoning.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:02 am
Once again, I am forced to reiterate my claim. Any cop that does not approach a car as though the occupants may be armed has no business in police work…
June 8th, 2011 at 11:37 am
And…let’s all calm down. Statistically, people with Gadsden flag stickers probably are more likely to have guns than those who don’t have the stickers. People who very quickly reach for the glove box upon being pulled over are also more likely to be grabbing a weapon or stashing contraband than those who don’t. It’s just a factor to consider. In all likelihood, the Tea Partier is going to be more polite and cooperative than the average person and the person reaching for the glovebox is getting his registration so it can be ready when the cop gets to his window.
No one’s being arrested for this, nor is it even being used for reasonable suspicion. It’s just a reminder to the cop to be aware of his surroundings.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Wolfwood, in an ideal world I’d agree with you, but you apparently have no idea how Baltimore City police tend to behave.
June 8th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Warning, A Thin Blue Line Stickers
While the individual who is displaying the symbol may not be eating doughnuts, the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an individual with powdered sugar residue.
June 8th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
This was all spawned by our friends at the SPLC. This report is from yesterday.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-urges-dhs-to-reassess-resources-after-key-analyst-reveals-unit-on-domestic-terror-was-scaled-back
June 8th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
By their criteria, they could look at my truck and conclude I’m freakin’ Dillinger.
June 8th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Rabbit? Er, I mean John? I thought you looked familiar!
June 8th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
This is America. Every individual you encounter MAY be armed.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
I think I saw a Colorado State Patrol car in the CSP HQ parking lot with a Gadsden flag sticker.
June 8th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
I keep my registration in my sun visor along with proof of insurance… It unnerves them that I am so ready for them… No glove compartment or any movements that expose myself to scrutiny… I get all the standard questions like do I a have any drugs,guns, rocket launchers and or weapons of mass destruction… That is literally what I hear at every stop… I started laughing so hard when he asked me if I had weapons of mass destruction last time I was pulled over that the officer turned red…
June 8th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Back in the 80’s I had a bumper sticker that said “Come near me and I’ll kill you.” I still have fond memories of that one, but in retrospect, I’m sure it would have gotten me in lots of trouble today.
June 8th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
“…the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an armed individual.”
Translation; “If you believe in liberty, you’re not one of us. You are a threat.”
June 8th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
PROFILING!!!