SMLE
Member
This is from Friday's Albuquerque Tribune. I think we might ought to change the name to "Pravda".
No gun at court upsets sheriff, police
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/011604_news_noguns.shtml
By Aubrey Hovey
Tribune Reporter
A no-gun policy at the new Metropolitan Courthouse scares Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White.
The policy will require armed law enforcement representatives to secure their guns in one of the 100 lockers at the Albuquerque courthouse, 401 Lomas Blvd. N.W.
"My biggest fear is . . . somebody produces a weapon or has some type of a violent outburst, and one of the law enforcement officers goes to grab the gun in his holster, and the only thing they find is the key to the locker that holds their firearm," White said. "That's a pretty frightening situation."
The decision to ban guns from the courthouse, which opens Tuesday, was made by a security committee with representatives from the U.S. Marshals Service, judges and other court employees, Metropolitan Court Administrator Marc Saavedra said.
"We've been planning this for four years," he said. "This isn't to cause any problems for law enforcement."
Committee members decided a gun-free courthouse would be safer, he said. Metal detectors at the door will keep the public from bringing in weapons, he said.
Cellular phones, pagers, cameras and other camera-capable devices will also be banned in the courthouse.
Albuquerque police spokesman Jeff Arbogast concurred with White, saying the policy puts officers and those around them in danger.
"An officer is wearing a uniform and wearing a badge and . . . part of their tools to protect themselves and citizens are their firearms," he said. "It places officers in a vulnerable situation."
Arbogast said there is a "joint effort" among law enforcement officials to voice their concerns about the policy to the court.
"We would certainly hope that the court would reconsider their decision," he said.
No gun at court upsets sheriff, police
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/011604_news_noguns.shtml
By Aubrey Hovey
Tribune Reporter
A no-gun policy at the new Metropolitan Courthouse scares Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White.
The policy will require armed law enforcement representatives to secure their guns in one of the 100 lockers at the Albuquerque courthouse, 401 Lomas Blvd. N.W.
"My biggest fear is . . . somebody produces a weapon or has some type of a violent outburst, and one of the law enforcement officers goes to grab the gun in his holster, and the only thing they find is the key to the locker that holds their firearm," White said. "That's a pretty frightening situation."
The decision to ban guns from the courthouse, which opens Tuesday, was made by a security committee with representatives from the U.S. Marshals Service, judges and other court employees, Metropolitan Court Administrator Marc Saavedra said.
"We've been planning this for four years," he said. "This isn't to cause any problems for law enforcement."
Committee members decided a gun-free courthouse would be safer, he said. Metal detectors at the door will keep the public from bringing in weapons, he said.
Cellular phones, pagers, cameras and other camera-capable devices will also be banned in the courthouse.
Albuquerque police spokesman Jeff Arbogast concurred with White, saying the policy puts officers and those around them in danger.
"An officer is wearing a uniform and wearing a badge and . . . part of their tools to protect themselves and citizens are their firearms," he said. "It places officers in a vulnerable situation."
Arbogast said there is a "joint effort" among law enforcement officials to voice their concerns about the policy to the court.
"We would certainly hope that the court would reconsider their decision," he said.
