Back in January I read an Officer down story that made me wonder how many of our nations Police Officers actually carry their firearms while off-duty.
about Tyron Franklin, 23, a rookie patrolman in Paterson, N.
J.
who was shot and killed when someone tried to rob him at gunpoint inside a restaurant.
Franklin was in civilian clothes and was unarmed.
Franklin leaves behind a 16 month old son.
Off-duty Police Officers can become crime victims just as easily as the average citizen.
There is also a good chance that off-duty Police Officers will witness in progress violent crimes that may require intervention.
We also have to remember that we arrest violent criminals all the time and we may run into some of them while we are off-duty.
I have been recognized off-duty by known criminals while walking through a shopping mall and grocery store.
Those are the 2 times during the past 17 years that I know I was recognized because I also recognized the criminal.
I am sure there have been many more times during that period of time that other criminals have recognized me while I was off-duty but I was unaware because I did not see the criminal.
When we are off-duty we do not have back up Officers nearby to aide us if the need arises.
We also do not have access to the majority of the equipment that we rely on such as our radios, batons, taser, handcuffs.
The one piece of equipment that should be available to the 0ff-duty Police Officer is his/her firearm.
I personally do not carry my firearm concealed on my body while off-duty but I do keep it secured inside my vehicle.
With my firearm inside my vehicle I can quickly arm myself and take action if I come upon a situation that requires immediate intervention.
I know that with the rise of violent crime it would be wiser for me to carry my firearm concealed on my person rather than leaving it inside my vehicle.
A perfect example of why Police Officers should be armed while off-duty is the Utah mall shooting involving Utah police Officer Ken Hammond.
Hammond was armed while walking through a mall when an 18 year old subject began randomly shooting shoppers inside the mall.
Hammond heard gunfire inside the mall and he confronted and fired at the suspect who had already shot several people.
Officer Hammond's actions without a doubt saved numerous lives.
If Officer Hammond had not been armed he would not have been able to intervene and he could have become a victim.
President Bush signed into law a measure that allows off-duty and retired Police Officers to carry firearms across state lines for public safety and self defense purposes.
Our government realized that with the rise in crime and threat of terrorism it makes sense to have off-duty Police Officers armed while traveling the country.
As Police Officers we are never truly off-duty and being armed while away from work will help keep you and your family safe and enable you to take appropriate action if you encounter a violent situation where innocent people may be harmed.