my story got picked up by the washington times
- Thread starter STATMATT
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Reel Addiction
Members
Sorry you had to go thru that, thanks for your service.
Prince
The ONE who is The ONE
I thik I have an idea how this started and where the confusion came from having run several similiar calls over the last 12 years. I'll resever my opinion for the stories conslusion.
crazyclowntang
Members
I can't believe DC!! and yet they want to be recognized in general elections? Recognize the Constitution and maybe you'll be recognized as a state!
Thanks for your service and fighting for the freedom of this country!
Thanks for your service and fighting for the freedom of this country!
UNCLERUCKUS
"THE ALL POWERFUL Q !!
YES MATT VERY SORRY THEY PUT YOU THROUGH ALL THAT. I TOO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY.
Tony
Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
I'm sorry you had to go through this, Matt. While my brother is an MPD officer, I do believe the gun laws to be absurd (as does he).
Whoever tip-tied you was an ***.
Thank you for your service to our country. You are in inspiration to all of us.
Whoever tip-tied you was an ***.
Thank you for your service to our country. You are in inspiration to all of us.
fishman13
Members
Sorry for youre experiance. Thank you for youre service and congrates on getting into the news
Prince
The ONE who is The ONE
When will the next story be published?
T
tug
Guest
What a tragic store.
Should we revoke Hawaii's statehood? Because they have the same gun laws as DC.
Yes, we should do more for those who serve in the military, as well as fireman, teachers, police officers, etc. but the "defending our freedom" clamoring. That old raw, raw they feed kids who enlist because manufacturing jobs were outsourced overseas a long time ago. I believe Romney justifies it by calling it a free market risk. lol Lets be real. I did my time in the military. I have no romantic ideals about perceived threats to the USA and our military.
I had hoped after the tragedy in Florida we would recognize a state that truly has a gun law that is worthless. I don't own a gun. I'm sure licensing them in DC is complicated. Too bad.
Should we revoke Hawaii's statehood? Because they have the same gun laws as DC.
Yes, we should do more for those who serve in the military, as well as fireman, teachers, police officers, etc. but the "defending our freedom" clamoring. That old raw, raw they feed kids who enlist because manufacturing jobs were outsourced overseas a long time ago. I believe Romney justifies it by calling it a free market risk. lol Lets be real. I did my time in the military. I have no romantic ideals about perceived threats to the USA and our military.
I had hoped after the tragedy in Florida we would recognize a state that truly has a gun law that is worthless. I don't own a gun. I'm sure licensing them in DC is complicated. Too bad.
mscichlid
Founder
Thank you for your service!
That story is unreal. I'm so sorry you had to go through that ordeal.
That story is unreal. I'm so sorry you had to go through that ordeal.
Hawkman2000
Members
Absolutely ridiculous. I have a bachelors in criminal justice administration, and while in college, I wrote many papers on the effects of gun control and public safety, and I found no evidence supporting strict gun regulation prevents any type of crime. Actually, I found in my research that the more strict gun regulation is in an area, the higher the crime. We need a balance of course, but DC, NY and even maryland are ridiculous.
The way you were treated is inexcusable. The sad thing is, the only reason your not going to rot in prison for the rest of your life is because your a veteran("what, he's a decorated veteran...OOOOPS"). How many people have been locked up in DC for the exact same thing, without actually doing anything wrong.
Most of my friends are either still in law enforcement or have moved up. Even my mother was a deputy. And I can tell you this, you are actually lucky and unlucky at the same time. If it had been an upset neighbor or someone else that had reported you to the police, and you were not a vet, your life would be destroyed. It actually happens more than people know.
Thank you for your service, and I hope you are planning to sue their !@#$es off.
The way you were treated is inexcusable. The sad thing is, the only reason your not going to rot in prison for the rest of your life is because your a veteran("what, he's a decorated veteran...OOOOPS"). How many people have been locked up in DC for the exact same thing, without actually doing anything wrong.
Most of my friends are either still in law enforcement or have moved up. Even my mother was a deputy. And I can tell you this, you are actually lucky and unlucky at the same time. If it had been an upset neighbor or someone else that had reported you to the police, and you were not a vet, your life would be destroyed. It actually happens more than people know.
Thank you for your service, and I hope you are planning to sue their !@#$es off.
Prince
The ONE who is The ONE
Alright folks I think I have seen enough and judging by the story and the pending litigation I think this article will be it for this story for a while. While I am not a MPD Police Officer I have been a Police Officer in this region for 12 years.
I am pretty sure MPD got the call for service a s suicide in progress involving a combat trained and experienced Military vet arm with three firearms one of which was a long gun that conventional body armor worn by regular patrol Officer like my self are helpless against. The M1A rifle is chambered for a .308 which is a big bullet. Either the SGT or the night watch commander for that district elected to involve SWAT and a negotiator rather than take the chance and risk the lives of regular patrol officers. That is why MPD SWAT team responded. They treated it like a barricaded person and set up a perimeter. He did the right thing in surrendering the way he did.
As to the handcuffing complaint:
In high speed situations such as this one the goal is to get the person restrained. The comfort of the handcuffs falls in a very distant second place. Zip ties and flex cuffs are temporary restrains anyway. The arrestee is usually transitioned to tradition handcuffs later. Does it suck being in tight handcuffs? Hell yes.
Regardless of how you feel about DC firearm registration laws, IT IS THE LAW! Up until they changed their firearm laws it was illegal for me to carry my firearm in Washington DC. I almost got jacked up during NBA Allstar weekend while attending an event at the Verizon Center. I was saved by a veteran who understood the unwritten agreement between MPD and other Maryland law enforcement agencies. Most MPD Officer who live in Maryland don’t have conceal and carry permits so If one wanted to be an *** you could arrest them if you found them armed. If you didn’t like DC’s registration process you should have stored your firearms in Maryland or Virginia. Your Veteran status probably would not have saved you in Maryland either.
The person you should be the angriest with is the suicide prevention hotline counselor. That person with their lack of attention to detail based on what was stated in the article started this train wreck of a call for service.
I am pretty sure MPD got the call for service a s suicide in progress involving a combat trained and experienced Military vet arm with three firearms one of which was a long gun that conventional body armor worn by regular patrol Officer like my self are helpless against. The M1A rifle is chambered for a .308 which is a big bullet. Either the SGT or the night watch commander for that district elected to involve SWAT and a negotiator rather than take the chance and risk the lives of regular patrol officers. That is why MPD SWAT team responded. They treated it like a barricaded person and set up a perimeter. He did the right thing in surrendering the way he did.
As to the handcuffing complaint:
In high speed situations such as this one the goal is to get the person restrained. The comfort of the handcuffs falls in a very distant second place. Zip ties and flex cuffs are temporary restrains anyway. The arrestee is usually transitioned to tradition handcuffs later. Does it suck being in tight handcuffs? Hell yes.
Regardless of how you feel about DC firearm registration laws, IT IS THE LAW! Up until they changed their firearm laws it was illegal for me to carry my firearm in Washington DC. I almost got jacked up during NBA Allstar weekend while attending an event at the Verizon Center. I was saved by a veteran who understood the unwritten agreement between MPD and other Maryland law enforcement agencies. Most MPD Officer who live in Maryland don’t have conceal and carry permits so If one wanted to be an *** you could arrest them if you found them armed. If you didn’t like DC’s registration process you should have stored your firearms in Maryland or Virginia. Your Veteran status probably would not have saved you in Maryland either.
The person you should be the angriest with is the suicide prevention hotline counselor. That person with their lack of attention to detail based on what was stated in the article started this train wreck of a call for service.
Andrewtfw
Global Moderators
Well written Prince. An unfortunate event that surely could have been prevented.
Sent from my DROIDX
Sent from my DROIDX
dogofwar
CCA Members
Yes - a service that was supposed to help...did just the opposite.
This all comes back to the training of the hotline operator (or lack thereof). The police, I'm sure, were just responding to what they likely believed was a much more dangerous situation than it was in actuality.
Of course the police (and I'm not a law enforcement expert) could have sought to de-escalate the situation when the reality of the situation became apparent. Sort of like whether it's a good idea to conduct a high speed chase through a neighborhood...
There is tremendous pressure on the VA to ramp up services. And - really sadly - the number of veterans returning from service who require such services far outstrips supply.
Kind of makes one a little less enthusiastic about going to war in the first place...
Thanks for your service STATMATT!
Matt
This all comes back to the training of the hotline operator (or lack thereof). The police, I'm sure, were just responding to what they likely believed was a much more dangerous situation than it was in actuality.
Of course the police (and I'm not a law enforcement expert) could have sought to de-escalate the situation when the reality of the situation became apparent. Sort of like whether it's a good idea to conduct a high speed chase through a neighborhood...
There is tremendous pressure on the VA to ramp up services. And - really sadly - the number of veterans returning from service who require such services far outstrips supply.
Kind of makes one a little less enthusiastic about going to war in the first place...
Thanks for your service STATMATT!
Matt
Prince
The ONE who is The ONE
Your right. Some one in MPD should have attempted to contact him by phone first before calling out all those resources and they may have since we don't have the full story. We just have a 1/4 of the story that was written in a way to draw sympathy and in flame. The author is a pro 2nd amendment blogger. I expect that from her. I wished the article had more substance and less prose but in reality this an on going criminal trial where STATMAN could lose a lot. Anything other than a glossed over version could hamper his defense.
semperfires
Members
I work for the emergency operations center for harford county (as well as a vol. firefighter/emt ) so I can reply as to how we would have and have handled these types of situations. I am a police dispatcher as well as a 911 call taker from time to time.
We do on a regular basis receive calls from crisis intervention hotlines and similar organizations. Our job is to record as much information as possible for the initial call for service that's provided by the social worker. Then we disconnect with the hotline and call the complainant directly. We are trained to handle these situations and have a direct line with the responding deputies so its more vital for us to be talking to them directly.
I personally have had some calls that they were just looking for help and didn't know where to turn and the deputies were able to take them somewhere to start the process. Ive also had a few that the person was very decided they were going to take their own life and did. I have had a few from the loved ones of the victim that found them after taking their own life. I have been on scene and had to cut someone down after hanging themselves, or quarantine a room for biological hazard from blood spatter. Yes that does take its toll to some degree on you as a person but its my job to help those I can when I can.
Again I can only comment on how we would have handled this type of situation. It does seem silly that if they thought you were that much of a threat why it took 4 hours for anyone to make contact with you. I also understand that one article certainly wont show both sides of the story and there is always more than whats on the surface.
Matt, as a former Marine, I too appreciate your service. I also commend you on calling for help when you felt your options were limited regardless on how you feel now after all that had taken place.
Hawkman2000
Members
Two good points -
That so called HELP line should not have reported it the way they did
MPD should have attempted some form of confirmation.
That so called HELP line should not have reported it the way they did
MPD should have attempted some form of confirmation.
T
tug
Guest
Prince, the voice of reason. Me, I am inclined to rant when I should know better. :blush:
There will be those of us that suggest Matt sue and those who will pickup on his story for their own cause (pro 2nd amendment bloggers). Matt has done enough fighting for one lifetime without being involved in a lawsuit (if it's avoidable) - move on.
I'm not sure why, but this reminds me of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/invisible-man/book-summary.html
Warm wishes to you all.
Let us enjoy this Memorial day weekend and think of Matt and remember all those serving in our nations military.
There will be those of us that suggest Matt sue and those who will pickup on his story for their own cause (pro 2nd amendment bloggers). Matt has done enough fighting for one lifetime without being involved in a lawsuit (if it's avoidable) - move on.
I'm not sure why, but this reminds me of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/invisible-man/book-summary.html
Warm wishes to you all.
Let us enjoy this Memorial day weekend and think of Matt and remember all those serving in our nations military.
STATMATT
Members
Part II came out today.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog...-swat-rampage-destroys-iraq-vets-home-over-g/
I know that some people are pro 2nd amendment and others are against 2nd amendment. But the reality here is this isn't really about guns. This is about them asking me for my key to enter my house and me refusing to give them access. They didn't get a Warrant! The most simple legal thing they could have done. As you'll see later, they fabricated things to make their case look plausible. But when we pushed them in Discovery for the items or notes they ended up dropping the fabrications.
One thing that comes up is why did it take so long. Once I hung up on the hotline, since she still assumed I had a gun in one hand and a phone in the other, and I had told her multiple times I did not have a gun. I turned off my phone and took my perscribed medications (tranquilizers) and was basically knocked out for four hours. The police probably did knock. But I'll never know how it went from a knock and talk to a full scale neighborhood shutdown. As soon as I knew they were outside and looking for me. I went out, locking my door with my dog inside behind me.
To have an officer of the law tell you that "we don't have time to play this Constitutional B***S***" That statement from an officer alone has had me incensed this whole time. I have fought for the constitution and to have an officer blatantly tell me that is BS. WOW!
I expect better from our LEOs
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog...-swat-rampage-destroys-iraq-vets-home-over-g/
I know that some people are pro 2nd amendment and others are against 2nd amendment. But the reality here is this isn't really about guns. This is about them asking me for my key to enter my house and me refusing to give them access. They didn't get a Warrant! The most simple legal thing they could have done. As you'll see later, they fabricated things to make their case look plausible. But when we pushed them in Discovery for the items or notes they ended up dropping the fabrications.
One thing that comes up is why did it take so long. Once I hung up on the hotline, since she still assumed I had a gun in one hand and a phone in the other, and I had told her multiple times I did not have a gun. I turned off my phone and took my perscribed medications (tranquilizers) and was basically knocked out for four hours. The police probably did knock. But I'll never know how it went from a knock and talk to a full scale neighborhood shutdown. As soon as I knew they were outside and looking for me. I went out, locking my door with my dog inside behind me.
To have an officer of the law tell you that "we don't have time to play this Constitutional B***S***" That statement from an officer alone has had me incensed this whole time. I have fought for the constitution and to have an officer blatantly tell me that is BS. WOW!
I expect better from our LEOs
