How many LPO's are allowed to carry any kind of weapon?

[Nauticus]

At my store, we will chase you to the end of the parking lot (as per policy). Only things we can carry are restraints and slash resistant gloves.

I don't think loss prevention really NEEDS weapons. I can see a baton or something, but I'm not sure anything more is necessary. Remember, we have the option to pursue an arrest on somebody. If you think the apprehension is risky, then you don't apprehend them. You're undercover, and those decisions, you can make.

[ghostguy6]

I dont think there is anything you can legally carry in Canada that you could call a weapon without getting charged. You might get away with a flashlight with a strike bezel on it but you would probably get fired unless it was a real life and death situation.

[Minneapolis Security]

Security Guard Shot Outside Wal-Mart

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX -- Police are searching for three people after two of them shoplifted items out of a Valley Wal-Mart and shot a security officer in the leg, officers said.

A man and a woman had concealed some items in a purse and tried to walk out of the store near 35th Avenue and Bethany Home Road when a security guard confronted them, police said.

They struggled, and that's when a third person waiting in a car outside shot the security guard, officers said. All three took off.

"I saw the Wal-Mart employee go over and start talking to him," said Francisco Ramirez, a witness. "Then I saw him grab the purse, and then the dude that was with her started kicking him."

Police said the shoplifters fled in a black four-door sedan.

The guard suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
http://www.kpho.com/news/16882284/detail.html

[CorpSec]

Anything that can happen to a police officer can happen to a security officer is the way I look at it. YOU know you aren't a cop and won't push things if the bad guy decides to run away, but THEY might not have any idea. They just see a guy in an authority position trying to stop them.

[mjw064]

Anything that can happen to a police officer can happen to a security officer is the way I look at it. YOU know you aren't a cop and won't push things if the bad guy decides to run away, but THEY might not have any idea. They just see a guy in an authority position trying to stop them.

I agree with that 100%. But in the same way there are plenty of Police Officers out there who aren't armed either. Notably almost all State Mental Hospital's employ Police Officers and it is very rare for them to be armed, many other regular hospitals also employ Police Officers who aren't armed (like the NYC Dept of Hospitals Police and the NY Dept of Health Police) and about 10% of University Police Departments aren't armed ... and the university police departments are generally doing allot of traditional police work on and off their campuses. Some of those agencies such as the Iowa State University Police are a full service police agency and are providing a full range of police services without armed police officers.

I guess it is American culture to think of police and guns as synonymous, but it wasn't always that way even here (NYPD didn't arm their officers until around 1898 for instance) and it is definitely not that way throughout the rest of the world (think London and Tokyo).

So, although I am a proponent of arming security officers and of law abiding citizens carrying weapons, I think it is important to understand that there are many full service police departments who are providing a full range of police services without carrying guns and at least statistically it isn't generally a problem.

[CorpSec]

MJW,

Some of what you referred to has changed. For instance, they now carry guns at the Iowa State Universities that were previously unarmed.

In Minnesota, I can not think of anyone holding the title of Police Officer that is unarmed. All of our mental hospitals have their own security departments that are not classified as police.

I don't know of any full service police agencies that are still unarmed in the country.

[mjw064]

Well there are other university police departments who are unarmed ... its somewhere between 6%-10%. There are plenty of them in Pennsylvania, despite the Pennsylvania Legislature attempting to pass legislation requiring all police officers at state universities to carry firearms. The university president's won and there are still more than a dozen university police department's in that state who do not carry firearms. I agree times are changing, but the fact is that they do still exist.

Maryland is another example. I know for a fact that the officers at all state mental hospitals in Maryland and the District of Columbia are commissioned as police officers, however they do not carry firearms.

So yeah it's less and less common, but they do exist.

[TACTICAL 785]

"I agree with that 100%. But in the same way there are plenty of Police Officers out there who aren't armed either. Notably almost all State Mental Hospital's employ Police Officers and it is very rare for them to be armed, many other regular hospitals also employ Police Officers who aren't armed (like the NYC Dept of Hospitals Police and the NY Dept of Health Police)" that can't count they may not be armed but they do have accses to Chemical resteraints

Also places like London And Tokyo do have armed Police officers, you just don't see them patroling the streets as much. What about Scotland? what About Northern Ireland all armed officer just like everwhere else.

[Nauticus]

I dont think there is anything you can legally carry in Canada that you could call a weapon without getting charged. You might get away with a flashlight with a strike bezel on it but you would probably get fired unless it was a real life and death situation.

You are correct.

In-house security and loss prevention has different rules, though - it's generally more lenient. Contract security, for example, can't even carry handcuffs in some provinces.

[HotelSecurity]

You are correct.

In-house security and loss prevention has different rules, though - it's generally more lenient. Contract security, for example, can't even carry handcuffs in some provinces.

I don't see any restrictions on batons in the Criminal Code.

[Defensive tactics]

I dont believe it is outlined in the criminal code..

I know that in Ontario you must be trained in deployement and use of the baton before you can carry it on duty. I personally have my Baton certification through PPCT.

[Nauticus]

I don't see any restrictions on batons in the Criminal Code.

Some provinces have laws against the carrying of a baton. In BC, for example, we had the Private Investigators & Security Act which forbid it. Our new act, the Security Services Act, is still unknown as per who can carry what.

In the Criminal Code, if I'm not mistaken, a baton would be classified as a weapon and therefore, if concealed, would be illegal. So an LPO couldn't carry one of those anyway.

[TACTICAL 785]

thats right

Some provinces have laws against the carrying of a baton. In BC, for example, we had the Private Investigators & Security Act which forbid it. Our new act, the Security Services Act, is still unknown as per who can carry what.

In the Criminal Code, if I'm not mistaken, a baton would be classified as a weapon and therefore, if concealed, would be illegal. So an LPO couldn't carry one of those anyway.

I agree with your statment lol

[R.boyle2003]

I'm surprised that no one brought up the issue of proper use of force advancement. I was told in my interview that personal safety took priority over an apprehension. Basically if the situation began to escalate and force used turn tail and run.

That being said I have not began my training yet so I don't know to what extent that will be applicable.

[TACTICAL 785]

But there is near the front...
LOL here it is my friend