“The department is very embarrassed that this happened,” Seattle Police Department Sergeant Sean Whitcomb told slog.thestranger.com. “We’re incredibly grateful to the person that flagged down the bike officers and the woman who followed the patrol car driver around to let them know there was a rifle on the back of the car.” Looking into it, won’t disclose whether it was loaded, no laws broken, yada yada yada. No one’s asking the question posed in yesterday’s rant: Is America Becoming a Police State? What were the Seattle cops doing with a military-spec rifle and why was it out of the police car in the first place? Yes, the cops responsible were irresponsible for forgetting their rifle, but society is irresponsible for making paramilitary police such a normal part of the landscape that the cops can carry an AR so casually. Just sayin’.
I watch COPS (The tv show) sometimes and you see ARs all the time in situations where I wouldn’t say that a rifle is needed, basically I’m guessing they’re paranoid someone is going to be wearing body armor or start shooting at them from 200 yards away anytime they talk to someone.
That… Or they have such a fancy toy next to them in the cruiser they just HAVE to show it off!
Yep, who doesn’t like to show off their new toys?
But…but….God I’m so confused. I thought cops were automatically more qualified than us poor ignorant civilians. I thought cops could handle the responsibility of owning a gun while knuckleheads like us can barely be trusted with super-soakers.
Magoo, any comment? Something about a strawman argument, maybe?
To quote an infamous Youtube DEA agent… “I’m the only one in this room qualified to….. BOOM!”
Well, I guess an M-16 on the trunk is better than a pedestrian on the hood.
Victory, sir, is yours.
I have mixed feelings about cops and the use of an ar15. I do know if I was a cop I would want one in the car. On another note. The pasadena(ca) city PD just decided to use FULL AUTO ar15 as there duty gun. I think this will be the trend soon to be seen across the country.
I think the AR is a ok choice, but maybe in a different caliber, for 2 reasons (1) Over penetration of targets is a real issue with 5.56/.223 and (2) if they truly are going FULL AUTO, I really dont see a use, as when was the last time they had to “let a full mag rip” to suppress someone else’s incoming rounds, with the exception of the big bank heist in L.A. several years ago, and even then 5.56 wasn’t bringing enough to bear against their armor. Personally, I would go with the AR platform with a .45 upper. Plenty of knockdown power and over penetration chances are much less than a 2800 fpm. 5.56. Edit: Also, here locally the AR’s get stolen out of cruisers in their driveways, quite brazenly. I would think that if the public at large knew they were carrying select fire AR’s, the risk of theft could go up and a BG getting a full auto would suck…..
James,
You obviously don’t know anything about overpenetration with a 5.56 round. One of the best reason for switching our long guns out to this caliber is to PREVENT over-penetration. Yes the bullet is flying along wicked fast but when it hits a person (or drywall) it rapidly loses that energy. A 9mm hollow-point coming out of a long barrel (MP5) will fill with drywall and if it doesn’t hit something a little more solid it won’t mushroom…basically it’s a FMJ. Same with your .45 upper theory.
Hope this helped.
What he did was wrong, but we need our police to be better armed than the bad guys. It’s sad when I’m better armed than my local police forces.
“It’s sad when I’m better armed than my local police forces.”
That’s not so hard to do! All you / they need is money. 🙂
This is not what I was referring to when I say I have a trunk gun. It’s supposed to go IN the trunk.
Was this rifle select fire? If not I would not consider it “military spec”. Maybe I’m nit picking.
I think that MAIG would call it an assault rifle either way.
WOW
Irresponsible Gun Owner of the YEAR.
That idiot should loose his job.
If a Seattle civilian pulled a Wilson like this with their tricked-out AR, their rifle would be confiscated (and kept by the SPD for “training” purposes) and the civilian would likely be charged with Unlawful Display Of A Firearm, or even Reckless Endangerment.
RCW 9.41.270 makes it a crime to carry or exhibit a firearm in a manner that warrants concern for the safety of others. This statute is qlwo used to harass peaceful open-carry advocates, but it is more properly applied to a situation like this in which an unattended and possibly loaded rifle is bouncing around on the trunk lid of a police car.
I don’t like to see people charged with crimes for simple mistakes, and it’s probably more appropriate to deal with this screwup as a disciplinary matter than as a criminal one. But do you think YOU would get that break if it was your gun?
Remember the line from Blade Runner: “You know the score, Deckard. If you’re not a cop, you’re little people!”
further updates: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015452756_coprifle29m.html
These make the two officers look even worse.
So after passing a lengthy interview process, probably 9-10 months in the academy, ?-years with the department and “extra training” just to be issued this rifle he still does something incredibly stupid. How cold us mere mortals possibly trusted with firearms. Especially ASSAULT RIFLES(or assault clips or whatever the current bogey man is)