Jefferson County S/O - PROFESSIONALS

Just happened to be leaving the new Safeway Center parking lot this evening when my wife and I spotted an individual on the west side of the lot in the trees with a couple of dogs and a rifle w/scope. Yes, you read it correctly.

After verifying what was thought to have been observed, SEVERAL times, we called it in.

While on the phone with the COMM Center, giving play by play, the S/O was asking thorough questions of the subject and his actions while trying to position to observe.

The subject decided to go mobile with his backpack and dogs. Fortunately, it was away from the grocery store. However, it was in the direction of the hill behind the restaurant.

The deputies arrived on scene and ordered the subject to his knees, cleared the weapon and interrogated. At no time was adrenaline allowed to get the better of the deputies as they maintained good command control without burying the subject in the ground with boots and barking K-9s and etc.

As we drove away after the questioning, I could not help but wonder how another agency may have handled the situation. Would this guy have been totally muddy and bruised? My opinion is that these folks undergo good training.

It appears that this guy was waiting in the parking lot for a friend to pick him up. It was unfortunate that he was waiting with a rifle that was not cased. Wow! My wife has good vision at night!

The point that I would like to make? I observed professionals take command of a serious situation and conduct a thorough investigation without any brutal actions to what turned out to be a innocent civilian.

Kuddos JeffCo!

:bravo:

I'm so glad they didn't beat the crap out of some innocent guy on behalf of your panicked call.

What law(s) were being violated?

TM & DP,

Are you serious or just pulling my leg?

I'm actually just feisty tonight. I understand and would probably have acted the same.

Yes.

TM,

I figured that would have been the case. I asked my wife SEVERAL times if she was seeing this correctly before I placed the serious call.

I am VERY happy it turned out to be "non-issue". What would I have done had we merely drove by while someone went in the store and shot an employee, someone's father, sister, teacher? I don't believe any justification needs to be dispensed out to any degree.

Everyone gets to go home to their families tonight!

actually AV8OR, you and your wife did good. I would much rather people err on the side of being overly cautious, then have something like what happened here in tucson happen again someplace else. That too was a dude with a shotgun....just think what could have been avoided if someone had seen him with the shotgun in time to call the SO.

So, the issue was concern that a crime may be in the making?