I need to vent

[tionico]

Rent a cops can be a trip.... most are, in fact. Part of it is the lowlife mall crawlers they have to deal with every day, but let's face it, most have that job cause they can't get much else. Most of them really have NO authority at all, all they can do is call the REAL cops. I've been accosted by them a few times, they were WAY out of line, and I knew it. I suspect they figured since thay had the monkeysuits and tinplate badges I'd cower and grovel. Well, they figured me wrong. When I know I'm within the law and my rights, I will simply walk away. Sometimes when they show off their wallet with badge and ID card. I'll read the fine print and learn they are an "officer" with XYZ Security Service, or whatever. I will simply ask them "oh, so you're a rent a cop then?" That ALWAYS steams them, as I walk away..... I refuse to allow them to waste my time. A face to face trade of legal firearms lawfully owned/possessed violates NO laws. Now, before the mall can start enforcing a firearms ban on their property, they will have to post adequate signage informing the public of such. They CAN ask you to leave mall property for any cause....perhaps. I do believe they would need some grounds for doing so. and the simple statement that the mall owners do not allow firearms on the property might not be enough. Power tripping, is what I calls it......

 

[BUZO71]

Rent a cops can be a trip.... most are, in fact. Part of it is the lowlife mall crawlers they have to deal with every day, but let's face it, most have that job cause they can't get much else. Most of them really have NO authority at all, all they can do is call the REAL cops. I've been accosted by them a few times, they were WAY out of line, and I knew it. I suspect they figured since thay had the monkeysuits and tinplate badges I'd cower and grovel. Well, they figured me wrong. When I know I'm within the law and my rights, I will simply walk away. Sometimes when they show off their wallet with badge and ID card. I'll read the fine print and learn they are an "officer" with XYZ Security Service, or whatever. I will simply ask them "oh, so you're a rent a cop then?" That ALWAYS steams them, as I walk away..... I refuse to allow them to waste my time. A face to face trade of legal firearms lawfully owned/possessed violates NO laws. Now, before the mall can start enforcing a firearms ban on their property, they will have to post adequate signage informing the public of such. They CAN ask you to leave mall property for any cause....perhaps. I do believe they would need some grounds for doing so. and the simple statement that the mall owners do not allow firearms on the property might not be enough. Power tripping, is what I calls it......

They can ask you to leave for any reason as long as its not because of a "protected class." Now, the mall owners may not like it, but as long as they are acting as agents of the owner, they can tell you to leave.

They also don't have to post signs about firearms. Imagine how big the sign would be advising people of all of the rules..

My question is, what do you do at malls that have them accosting you?

 

[markw76]

Sometimes all it takes is some moron telling the mall security that you look suspicious...you know, shifty eyes that are too close together, pointy head. Unless the security person is experienced, many see any citizen complaint as a potential career-making arrest opportunity. You know, like on TV...

 

[swoop]

Sometimes all it takes is some moron telling the mall security that you look suspicious...you know, shifty eyes that are too close together, pointy head. Unless the security person is experienced, many see any citizen complaint as a potential career-making arrest opportunity. You know, like on TV...

Shifty eyes, pointy head, I love it. Guess there will be bad apples in every bunch...want to be cops that couldn't make the grade. I would expect that there are some good ones though.

 

[markw76]

It'd be nice if they kept in mind they were just another set of eyes and ears and how to use them effectively, along with their legal limitations. Most get "the talk" but don't get much training.

 

[fishnhunt]

With the way the world is now it might not be a good idea to do gun deals in public places unless they are designated for just that.
Nobody likes to be hassled including me but what saddens me about this whole thread is how some of you talk about as well as think how a person that works for a living like a mall cop is some how lower level folks.
There are certainly jerks in all fields.
Any of you have kids or relatives working their way through school, maybe at a burger joint?
Even friends or perhaps you yourself did. Do or would you consider them as being on a lower scale or working at that job because they can't get a better one?
Personally I know a few quite respectable people who did all kinds of work to fund all or part of their education.

 

[pdx1]

With the way the world is now it might not be a good idea to do gun deals in public places unless they are designated for just that.
Nobody likes to be hassled including me but what saddens me about this whole thread is how some of you talk about as well as think how a person that works for a living like a mall cop is some how lower level folks.
There are certainly jerks in all fields.
Any of you have kids or relatives working their way through school, maybe at a burger joint?
Even friends or perhaps you yourself did. Do or would you consider them as being on a lower scale or working at that job because they can't get a better one?
Personally I know a few quite respectable people who did all kinds of work to fund all or part of their education.

Thank you..

 

[fromotoc]

Just remember these guys are just doing their job, or what they deem as their job. I have a job where I act as security at certain times, and I am definitely very wary and hard-edged when it comes to possible firearms related incidents. How would you feel if someone came to your place of work and informed you that there were people brandishing firearms in the parking lot? You might be a little on edge, and probably have your guard up. If someone you knew told you this, you might even call the police. Would you want to confront possible firearms brandishing people and tell them to leave?

No, I'm not a mall cop and never have been. And as frustrating as your situation was, just remember that that is a risk you take when dealing with firearms in public.

 

[terrylf72]

+1... if what you're saying is how it was relayed to police, I can't see police responding.

+2

i discribed this situation to my law inforcement buddy.. All he could do is laugh.. and said that the PD down there must have been bored that day cause normaly he doesnt respond to calls like that either. Also said might be funny to invite " Mall Cop " to the training center and use him as a training dummy.. LOL

and pirateer2007, sorry for your bad day!

 

[pirateer2007]

Thanks Terry. As for us thinking that mall cops and security guards are a lower class of person... That was never what I meant to convey through this thread. I understand the necessity for such and respect the role that they are hired to perform. It is only when they over-step their role (which in my oppinoin seems to happen quite often) that I get a little frustrated. I am a youth pastor for a living, but one of my buddies down here puts on concerts which feature such bands as Decrepit Birth, Carnefex, The Fall of Troy and 3 Inches of Blood which are all hardcore "death metal" bands. I am hired to work security at all of his shows. Doing such gives me an opportunity to spend time around kids who don't attend church, and meet them in a setting they're comfortable in. I also worked security at many different music venues in Spokane over the years. I guess it just pisses me off knowing how things should be handled, and instead having to watch this false sense of "authority" go to people's heads. It seems to happen more often than not. I think that often times we speak in generalities here, but we all know and understand that there are both good workers and not so good workers in every profession. This just seems to be one where the "not so good" seems to outweigh everyone else. I truly wish that this wasn't the case though.

 

[Trlsmn]

Why didn't you just leave and let them track you down if it is that important? I wouldn't have the patience to sit around while the rent-a-cop yacked on the radio.

I would have smiled, waived and left.

 

[Trlsmn]

With the way the world is now it might not be a good idea to do gun deals in public places unless they are designated for just that.
Nobody likes to be hassled including me but what saddens me about this whole thread is how some of you talk about as well as think how a person that works for a living like a mall cop is some how lower level folks.
There are certainly jerks in all fields.
Any of you have kids or relatives working their way through school, maybe at a burger joint?
Even friends or perhaps you yourself did. Do or would you consider them as being on a lower scale or working at that job because they can't get a better one?
Personally I know a few quite respectable people who did all kinds of work to fund all or part of their education.

I did a gun buy in the S.E. Portland Police precinct parking lot

 

[elsullo]

The mall cameras are not fixed-focus, they can roam and zoom in on suspicious behavior. The malls have a bank of monitors watched by "light-duty" security people, who radio to the beefcakes to go investigate potentially criminal behavior. Mall parking lots are constantly sites of drug deals, gang fights, and ordinary car thefts and breakins. I don't go to malls. I am just too suspicious looking.......................elsullo

 

[clearconscience]

To be honest he probably should have called the cops. There was a gun shop down here robbed of like 120 pistols one of which ended up in a school around the seattle area. You never know who is doing what.

But that rent a cop is an idiot for coming up to you. If you were a bad guy he would be on a cold slab bout now.
Wasn't there a mall shooting up near seattle no too long ago?
Maybe someone should have seen that guy before he shot up the place.

I was shooting near Bend last summer and some people that live near there called the cops because of the shooting. We were on BLM land and doing nothing illegal. Even had a good stop on the bottom of a bluff. The cops were on the other side of the bluff talking to someone else and apparently one of our shots hit a rock and buzzed the cops so they came fling up in their cars to see what was going on. They came up and were really cool about it, they ran my serial on my AR15 (and I know some of you would have complained about your rights abused, blah, blah) we said we would leave for the day so they wouldn't get anymore complaining. What's the big deal. I would rather be cool to them and they were cool to us, and the next time they won't pull the power trip with us. Everyone's happy.