Well, the patrol guys use them for patrol, but they have always driven marked units. The Inspectors drove unmarked units. But a year or so ago, the decision was made to go with marked units across the board to increase visibility. Inspectors were not happy and, for the most part, still aren't. The unmarked units are slowly being phased out. Personally, I have always loved my jet black Tahoe with tinted windows, even thought it looks straight off the set of "24". For the marked Tahoes, Inspectors get a choice of 4WD or the 2WD Chevy police package (PPV). The nice thing is that they have the dual M4 and Remington 870 racks right up front. What sucks is that they all have full cages. But when the government gives you a takehome G-ride and pays for the gas, I try not to complain too much. Beats burning my own gas and putting miles on my own truck to get to and from work! Russell In a message dated 8/30/2011 8:19:33 P.M. Central Daylight Time, usms@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: Russ, I have never understood why they painted them instead of leaving them plain? It’s not like you’re doing patrols in them are you? I was offered a choice this year when I changed assignments of a new Tahoe or a new Silverado extended cab truck. I was going Tahoe until they told me it was 2 wheel drive, so I picked the truck. I miss the room but I love the 4 wheel drive. The chief judge and the building security committee seem to rule the roost. B From: badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of SWColony@xxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 9:02 PM To: badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Badges - Re: A Question For Everyone Bill, I shudder to think how much money we have spent on those new Tahoes. A fortune, I am sure. The guy you see if probably a COTR, poor sucker. The problem with being a COTR is that it takes up all of your time and you don't have time to do any police work. I recently got out from under being a COTR and, like you, I'll take a solid boot to the fruit before I ever get cornered into doing it again. It is miserable. Absolutely miserable. In our federal courthouse, FPS are the only law enforcement authorized to be armed except for USMS deputies and CSOs. However, when I lived in Maryland, all LEOs could be armed in the federal courthouse in Baltimore. You signed in with the CSOs when you entered and were given a lapel pin to wear. In our local and county courts, LEOs retain their firearms. With the federal courts, it has been my experience that it varies drastically from District to District, based more upon the wishes of the Chief Judge than on the Chief Deputy. Russell In a message dated 8/30/2011 7:54:45 P.M. Central Daylight Time, _usms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:usms@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) writes: Russ you guys have really flashy Tahoes. We have one inspector we see from time to time who seems to spend all of his time checking up on the contract guards, testing their use of the x-ray etc. I have never heard him talk about any kind of enforcement work other than one time he was talking about working some kind of special assignment with FAM at bus stations. I can tell you from my time as a JSI, I would rather get kicked in the crotch than do that job again. Contract violations are a pain in the rear and I don’t miss that at all. I have to surrender my weapon when I go into the local common pleas court. I don’t mind. I do have issue with people we don’t know carrying firearms in our building. I don’t want them in the court rooms and me not know who they are. When I used to have to ride the pine I wanted me and my partners to have the weapons and everyone else unarmed. I had enough to do keeping track of the turds on trial and if something bad happened seeing someone in the courtroom whip out a weapon who I didn’t know would cause me some problems. B From: badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of SWColony@xxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 8:39 PM To: badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Badges - Re: A Question For Everyone Well, as an FPS LEO myself, I can tell you that the FPS Inspectors in marked units and wearing blue BDUs are fully trained federal law enforcement officers (graduates of either FLETC UPTP or FLETC CITP and FPS follow-on) with the same law enforcement authority as any other federal LEO. Only certain FPS LEOs administer the contracts, and they are designated as Contracting Officer Technical Representatives (COTRs). Just as USMS Judicial Security Inspectors are COTRs for the USMS CSOs, a designated FPS Inspector is usually the COTR. However, in some areas, non-sworn FPS Physical Security Specialists have been designated as COTRs to relieve the law enforcement officers of that additional duty. Being a COTR is not fun. I'm pretty sure most JSIs would agree. LOL! It has been my experience that the contract guards (Protective Security Officers, as they are now called) are a mixed bag. Some are terrible, some are great, and most are somewhere in between. In my area, many are retired police officers and quite a few are still active local or county LEOs who are doing the contract security as a side-job. Personally, I have no issue with cops being armed in federal facilities. That being said, I agree with Bill that the "their house, their rules" law has to apply. When I go into the new FBI building, I can keep my gun, but I have to leave my Blackberry at the guard booth. Seems rather silly to me, but their house, their rules. In twenty years of law enforcement, I have never been asked to surrender my weapon at a local PD, sheriff's office, or state law enforcement office. I would find it very strange to ever see that. Obviously when going into a custody facility, you lock your weapon up, just like everyone else. When I visited the White House, I was "asked" to secure my weapon with the USSS before going in. Obviously, I complied with a smile. Russell In a message dated 8/30/2011 7:02:29 P.M. Central Daylight Time, _usms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:usms@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) writes: 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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto: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@xxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:cd2u@xxxxxxxxxxx) > To: _badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto: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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) [mailto:badges-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of _SWColony@xxxxxxxx (mailto: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@xxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto: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