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Guns OK'd for off-duty cops at fair
Police officer groups to continue lawsuit
By James Steinberg
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 7, 2006
DEL MAR – Off-duty and retired law-enforcement officers are permitted to bring their weapons to the 2006 San Diego County Fair when it opens Saturday, the fair board decided yesterday.
But the decision does not apply to future fairs, and it leaves intact a lawsuit pending in federal court brought by the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego and the San Diego Police Officers Association. The lawsuit seeks to permanently prevent the board from enforcing the weapons restriction.
The new policy, a draft of which was made public last week, “recommended” that off-duty officers leave their weapons at home or check them in a secure locked facility before entering the fairgrounds.
But the bottom line is that the officers may enter the fairgrounds if they have proper credentials and sign a “concealed weapons release” that they are authorized to carry weapons and are not, nor will they be, under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating or hallucinatory substances while they are at the fair.
Deputy Sheriff's Association president Jim Duffy and Escondido Police Officers Association head Paul Woodward told the fair board before yesterday's vote that they were comfortable with the new policy, but expressed concern that it applied only to this year's fair.
Both urged the board to make the policy permanent. The five directors present voted without discussion, however, to adopt the policy only for this year's fair.
Richard Pinckard, the attorney for the deputies and police officers association, said after the vote that the broader issue of a weapons policy at future fairs remains unresolved and that the suit will continue until they are.
Duffy had said earlier in the day that he was willing to ask both groups to drop the suit if the policy were made permanent.
The parties could resolve their differences as early as next week at a June 14 mandatory settlement conference, Pinckard said. If they don't, the issue is likely to go to trial after the fair closes July 4.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Irma E. Gonzalez has ruled in favor of the officers twice already. She granted an injunction June 27 preventing the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which operates the fairgrounds, from enforcing the weapons ban. And Aug. 30 she denied the fairgrounds' request to dismiss the suit.
Armed off-duty officers were first barred from the fair in 2003 because of the fairgrounds' concern that armed individuals in civilian dress were a threat to public safety.
The officers contend that federal law clearly gives them the right to carry their weapons at the fairgrounds and other public venues when off duty.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060607-9999-1m7guns.html
Police officer groups to continue lawsuit
By James Steinberg
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 7, 2006
DEL MAR – Off-duty and retired law-enforcement officers are permitted to bring their weapons to the 2006 San Diego County Fair when it opens Saturday, the fair board decided yesterday.
But the decision does not apply to future fairs, and it leaves intact a lawsuit pending in federal court brought by the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego and the San Diego Police Officers Association. The lawsuit seeks to permanently prevent the board from enforcing the weapons restriction.
The new policy, a draft of which was made public last week, “recommended” that off-duty officers leave their weapons at home or check them in a secure locked facility before entering the fairgrounds.
But the bottom line is that the officers may enter the fairgrounds if they have proper credentials and sign a “concealed weapons release” that they are authorized to carry weapons and are not, nor will they be, under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating or hallucinatory substances while they are at the fair.
Deputy Sheriff's Association president Jim Duffy and Escondido Police Officers Association head Paul Woodward told the fair board before yesterday's vote that they were comfortable with the new policy, but expressed concern that it applied only to this year's fair.
Both urged the board to make the policy permanent. The five directors present voted without discussion, however, to adopt the policy only for this year's fair.
Richard Pinckard, the attorney for the deputies and police officers association, said after the vote that the broader issue of a weapons policy at future fairs remains unresolved and that the suit will continue until they are.
Duffy had said earlier in the day that he was willing to ask both groups to drop the suit if the policy were made permanent.
The parties could resolve their differences as early as next week at a June 14 mandatory settlement conference, Pinckard said. If they don't, the issue is likely to go to trial after the fair closes July 4.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Irma E. Gonzalez has ruled in favor of the officers twice already. She granted an injunction June 27 preventing the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which operates the fairgrounds, from enforcing the weapons ban. And Aug. 30 she denied the fairgrounds' request to dismiss the suit.
Armed off-duty officers were first barred from the fair in 2003 because of the fairgrounds' concern that armed individuals in civilian dress were a threat to public safety.
The officers contend that federal law clearly gives them the right to carry their weapons at the fairgrounds and other public venues when off duty.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060607-9999-1m7guns.html
