Badges - Re: A Question For Everyone
- From: "William Taylor" <usms@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:59:47 -0400
There are a couple different kinds of FPS. The FPS you see in uniforms
guarding buildings are I think just about all contract guards. They aren’t
government employees. They are hired by a private contractor and may or may
not have law enforcement background. Around this area of Ohio they finally
went to automatics. They do not carry their weapons to and from the job site.
There are also FPS agents who from what I see appear to administer the
contracts and show up in really flashy marked patrol vehicles and wear blue
bdu’s. Not sure what enforcement authority they have. The court security
officers running the access points into the federal courts are also contract
employees. They are not government employees and they only have authority while
they are at work on the job. They are by and large completely retired police
officers. They also cannot carry their issued weapons out of the office, so
they carry their own weapons to and from. They get it and are good guys.
The take your gun off at the door policy is one I agree with for non uniform
officers or agents. In our building, if you don’t have an office in the
building, you lock your gun up at the front check point. I don’t care if the
guy has 25 years and is a 300 shooter, if he’s not in our building and may or
may not be known to the people responsible for securing the interior and
exterior, they aren’t carrying a gun. It’s a safety issue for our guys and
for the guys we make lock their weapons up. I get into a lot of police and
sheriff’s offices and very few make me remove my weapon, but when they do, I
just do it. It’s their house they can run it the way they see fit.
From: badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Christopher Karney
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 7:29 PM
To: badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Badges - Re: A Question For Everyone
I have found the FPS guards up there with the TSA "officers" at O'Hare and
Midway Airports in terms of incompetence. The US Marshalls are a different
breed though.
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 30, 2011, at 16:43, Mike Volling <mvolling@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This happens in Chicago as well. What annoys me there is exactly what happened
to you: they make you leave the building, walk across the street, lock your
weapon up there, and come back to their side of the street. Nothing like
walking across the street in downtown Chicago in full uniform with an empty
holster to make you feel vulnerable.
I've never understood why they do that. I wouldn't dream of telling a Federal
Officer he had to disarm before walking into our station. I could only imagine
the reaction if we did, yet they have no hesitation about making you do it.
_____
From: C D Rowsell <cd2u@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, August 30, 2011 1:43:32 PM
Subject: Badges - Re: A Question For Everyone
I attended an event last Friday with the U. S. Dept. of Labor, put on in the
San Francisco Federal building. Going in at 0830, I ID’d myself and told the
security I was carrying a weapon. The early morning crew let me right through
without a problem. A group of us then left at noon for a tour of an offsite
facility. When we returned, we had to repeat the screening process. This time
the day time crew was on duty and the supervisor for the building (Federal
Protection Services) happened to be standing in the lobby next to the Dept. of
Labor reception desk. The uniform FPS guys took my ID and told her that I had
been in the earlier meeting and was returning from the tour. She basically said
no way I was getting back in with my weapon. The uniform guys then suggested I
go check my weapon at the California Superior Court located across the street
and one of FPS guys walked over with me to do it. He was telling me that since
the shootings at Federal buildings (Las Vegas particularly), they don’t even
let the retired Feds (FBI etc.) come into the building armed. (The private
security contractors working the early morning shift apparently didn’t know
this little piece of information.) With all the discussion that occurred my
second time in, this either hadn’t occurred since the policy was instituted
(for the security contractors) or the policy hadn’t been communicated to them
properly when it was instituted. I do have to commend the FPS guys who really
did accommodate me. They could have simply told me I wasn’t getting back in
with a weapon and not bothered with me any further.
So all you Feds on the list, it appears the fun goes away once you retire.
CD
From: badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of SWColony@xxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 3:23 AM
To: badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Badges - Re: A Question For Everyone
While I am not a fan of TSA, I do think flight security needed to be taken out
of the hands of private contractors. I also think the expansion of the FAM
program was good. DHS has some problems, but I don't think DHS is the
"boogeyman" some folks make it out to be. All in all, I don't know that I feel
"safer", but I do feel more "aware" and that makes me feel more secure.
As Mike pointed out, I have the luxury, as a fed, of carrying my firearm
everywhere I go, to include on commercial aircraft. I'm sure that contributes
to my feeling of well being. However, a lot of local and state cops take
advantage of LEOSA, which did not exist pre-09/11. Even though it excludes a
few places, it does allow cops to carry nationwide. I think that helps. I
also think a lot more private citizens are now legally armed, and that also
contributes to my feelings of a safer environment.
I definitely don't fear the government. I'm leery of it, and very aware of it,
as I think all citizens should be, but I don't fear it.
Russell
In a message dated 8/29/2011 8:11:18 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
CarlGlas@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of September 11,
2001, I have a question to ask of each
of you.
With the creation of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security
Administration, and all the other federal agencies that were created
with the intentions of making us all feel safer, do you?
Do you feel any safer or secure today than you did on September 10, 2001?
The Badges Law Enforcement Discussion Group - Est. 1997
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