Weapons stolen from U.S. Marshal

[Working Man]

Weapons stolen from U.S. Marshal Carrollton Tx.

Does anybody have a link to the full story?

I saw this on the news last night but just caught the end of the report.
It seems he had 2 weapons (police did not release the type/make), 2 bullet
resistant vests with POLICE on the front and back and a U.S. Marshal badge
stitched on the shoulder, 2 holsters, and some tactical equipment in the
locker of his truck. Some time between midnight and 4 am it was broken into and
the contents stolen.

Now some guy and his buddy is going to be pretending to be U.S. Marshals
and breaking into peoples homes. Another knock against no knocks.

 

[Zen21Tao]

This can't be true. Antis assure us that only LEOs are competent enough to own firearms. It just can’t be conceivable that one of these competent LEOs would leave their weapons less than adequately secured where criminals could gain access to them. I guess even LEOs can’t be trusted with firearms. <Sarcasm Off>

 

[buzz_knox]

The longguns were a UMP45 and a Bushmaster AR-15 with assorted gear.

How about we focus on the incident, rather than the "shows LEOs aren't superior" spin?

 

[Working Man]

The vests with POLICE on the front and back and the U.S. Marshal badge
concern me more than the weapons do. Granted the typical BG won't have
such weapons as stolen but the vests will give the accesses they would have
found harder to obtain.

 

[CraigJS]

LEO's aren't superior, they are human just like us, make mistakes just like us..
BUT, the anti's SEEM to think that they are different than us, and are in some way safer to carry arms. I think that was Zen's point.
Bottom line, POOR security of gear, has created a real and possibly very dangerous situation. Something we all could be guilty of at one time or another..

 

[buzz_knox]

The vests and ID are a concern, but not really that much of one. Most people can't tell the difference between legit. gear and that you get from a costume shop or over the web. If the gear is black, says Police somewhere on it, and the intruders are yelling "Police", then the masses (conditioned by TV shows to see that as legitimate behavior) will think it is.

As for the point about LEOs, I agree they are human and subject to mistakes (including stupid ones due to complacency, which I suspect was the issue here). But even the sarcastic (if completely accurate) comments will bring out the knee jerk "that's cop bashing" contingent out and convert an otherwise worthwhile thread and discussion into a flame war.

 

[Zen21Tao]

CraigJS
That indeed was my point. LEOs come from being average everyday citizens. Antis paint them as being superior to the average citizen so they can seperate the polices use of firearms from the average citizens use of firearms.

I have seen LEOs that commit themselves to only the minimum required firearm training and hold huge egos think that because of their position they are better trained than the average gun enthusiast creating in them a false sense of security that makes them even more lax in their training. At the same time I have also seen many LEOs that do train far more often then they have to. These LEOs strive to be the best that they can possibly be.

The same applies to the average everyday citizen. I have seen quite a few gun owners that buy a gun for self defense but hardly, if ever, go to the range to use it. On the same taken, there are also many gun enthusiasts that go to the range and train far more often than the average LEO does even to the point that they are called “gun obsessed.”

Buzz Knox
I welcome those that want to come calling me a “cop basher.” The simple fact is that most of the people that see anything said to equate LEOs with being no better than average citizens as an attack on LEOs may themselves be compensating from some shortcoming they have. The best LEOs that I know, both in skill and personality, are those that don’t put their occupation up on a pedestal with the expectations of being admired by non-LEOs. I have the utmost respect for such LEOs that humbly do their job protecting others without any desire for acclaim or appreciation.

 

[boofus]

Well the government has decided regular people aren't good enough to own things like the UMP45. You have to be a specially trained expert agent of the government.

Oops, looks like they aren't good enough either.

I know for sure if it was a privately owned SMG it'd most likely be locked up in a safe tighter than Gitmo. Most private MG owners just can't afford to lose a $15,000 gun, even if they have insurance the hassles of getting a claim reimbursed just aren't worth the risk.

 

[buzz_knox]

I welcome those that want to come calling me a “cop basher.” The simple fact is that most of the people that see anything said to equate LEOs with being no better than average citizens as an attack on LEOs may themselves be compensating from some shortcoming they have.

I agree with the points, having been called a cop basher plenty by those same kind of individuals. But those threads tend to devolve into flame wars that result in closure. Playing into the hands of said individuals by getting threads closed, and thus off the scope of many who might otherwise have read them, doesn't help.

It's possible to discuss the security failures implicit in this incident and the reasons therefore without doing so in a way that allows individuals with a vested interest in covering over LEO mistakes with the opportunity to do so.

 

[buzz_knox]

I know for sure if it was a privately owned SMG it'd most likely be locked up in a safe tighter than Gitmo. Most private MG owners just can't afford to lose a $15,000 gun, even if they have insurance the hassles of getting a claim reimbursed just aren't worth the risk.

That begs the question of where the vehicle was located when it was broken into. When I travel for training, the weapons go into the hotel with me. If I'm at home, the weapons go inside with me.

 

[Working Man]

That begs the question of where the vehicle was located when it was broken into. When I travel for training, the weapons go into the hotel with me. If I'm at home, the weapons go inside with me.

According to what I saw of the news report it was in his driveway.

 

[buzz_knox]

That's what I suspected. I know an FBI agent who keeps his SWAT gear in the trunk of his car, so that if he gets a call out, all he has to do is jump in and go. I understand about keeping things readily accessible, and I believe his car has additional locks. But still, I wonder if the risk of a theft is worth the extra few minutes required to take the gear from a more secure location into the vehicle.

 

[AJAX22]

It sounds like the thief knew what was in the truck (unless the good stuff was in plain view)

You'd think that knowing for absolute certain that the house belonged to a swat officer would be something of a deterent.

You know that when they find any piece of that gear they're going to string up who ever has it by the boys untill they talk. (not literally)

This act shows a disturbing combination of stupid and ballsy, not a good thing to have running around with auto weapons.

 

[buzz_knox]

A few years back, a Customs officer had his car stolen in New Orleans IIRC, with his gear (including a Steyr AUG) in the trunk. The word went out that they didn't care about the car, but the weapons and gear would be returned without X hours, or all hades would break loose. The weapons were recovered almost immediately.

 

[ball3006]

From what I saw on TV....

he had his gear in a tool box in the back of his pickup truck parked in front of his house. For what the equipment was, not too bright.......And, who is it that is always preaching to the masses, "never leave any valuables in your vehicle"......chris3

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

LE of all kinds, especially alphabet soup agencies, tend to lose firearms quite often. They've even lost class III weapons.

 

[P0832177]

LE of all kinds, especially alphabet soup agencies, tend to lose firearms quite often. They've even lost class III weapons.

I would say that a HK UMP qualifies, or years ago a Morton County, ND deputy lost a Surplus M14. Seems some honest citizen returned in the next spring.....

 

[CraigJS]

Question for those that would know, I don't.
Wouldn't it be possible to disable any of the class III weapons by a simple removal of a piece of the slide, bolt, spring, etc. that would render the gun to a street thug worthless? If they are a military style weapon aren't they broken down rather easily to service, as in to clear a stoppage under fire..
Again I don't know, so I'm asking. Would a "state of the art" alarm system not be a prudent thing to equip these vehicles with? Was this his personal ride or a company ride?
Sorry for so many ???

 

[grimjaw]

longguns were a UMP45

*sigh*

Stealing one would be just about hte only way I could own one.

jmm