WHY does a police officer have to save SOLDIERS on a military base?

[Roadquest]

"WHY does a police officer have to save SOLDIERS on a military base?"

"Who is the moronic bureaucrat that came up with the idea that our own military must be disarmed on military installations?"

I got the above from another site that i belong to. And thought it was a question that needed an answer. Does anyone know?

Clayton

 

[Libralabsoldier]

Can you be more specific? I have lived on several military bases, and typically none of them have concealed carry.

 

[Roadquest]

Yes, you are right. None of them have concealed carry. That I know of. The question is,
Why does our military bases need a police officer to save its Soldiers?

And. "Who is the moronic bureaucrat that came up with the idea that our own military must be disarmed on military installations?"

That's about as specific as I can be.

Something just does not seem right, when a police officer, has to protect our soldiers on a military
base.
And, yes the police officer is a brave person. And I am thankful that she was there.

 

[homefires]

All of the SP's MP's are over in the sand box.

Renta Cops are cheaper.

Your not even allowed to have firearms in your on base quarters any more.

Ahhhhhh The good ol days.

 

[Montana Jim]

This is truthfully not a difficult question - thats' why nobody is talking about it.

Military bases in the continental US fall under various types of jurisdictions. Not all bases, and very few US Army bases operate under "exclusive" jurisdiction - where civilian law and response is held outside the base perimeter fence line. Land ownership, military land lease, and civilian access is different at each and every base, no matter the service and no matter the location.

"Jurisdiction" under the UCMJ means the military owns military offenders at any time and any place.

"Jurisdiction" as it applies to land, space, response support, ect... means a completely different thing.

Short of typing all day, see this site for addition and clarifying information specifically about "exclusive, concurrent, and proprietary" jurisdiction: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/19-10/Ch5.htm

Military soldiers who are in garrison on an open base are generally not armed and are in training status, not conducting missions (generally) and therefore, unlike in the movies, soldiers are not running around with weapons all the time. You'll probably find that MPs were on duty guarding equipment and providing some law enforcement missions, but the "911" call would have went through civilian "city" or "county" channels so it's not abnormal for a direct response from civilians before communication channels got the word to MPs.

Thank God civilians assisted, and in this case, got there fast!




The other question... President Carter wrote some laws about being armed in garrison. He also tried to disarm the CIA and Secret Service that protected he and his family... He's the guy you're looking for.


PS - You ARE allowed to have weapons in base quarters, just not in the dorms/barracks.

 

[Shortstack]

Montana Jim is correct and I will add a little more info.

Military bases are small towns and as such have civil requirements similar to anyother city and town in this country. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines carry weapons only when their immediate duties require it. The base security and law enforcement personnel carry weapons daily as part of their immediate job requirements. The rest of the people get issued weapons into their hands only when they have to go to the firing ranges for qualifications or into training situations such as anti terrorists training "towns" for live fire exercises, etc.

Even the military folks who are at the tip of the spear in the Combat Branches, do not carry weapons everyday. Civilians would probably be surprised at the OTHER duties required of the military members. When I was still on active duty as an aircrew member, everyone had other duties to perform everyday that had nothing to do with being on an airplane zipping through the air. For every combat person, there are dozens of military members in support positions from cooks and clerks to truckdrivers, to supply people. Every position is necessary and important to put "rounds on target".

There is one great difference between the local civilian town and the military town. At anytime, day or night, the occupants of that military town, wearing the uniform, can be called on to board an aircraft or form a convoy with an hours' notice, and leave for anyplace in the world and get shot at by people who are intent on killing them. And all the while getting paid less than the poverty level of income.

The men and women in uniform, and their families, are very special people. But, none would ever SAY that. They don't live their lives for special praise; a simple "Thank You" is enough.

 

[Libralabsoldier]

It varies a bit from base to base, too, as well as from command to command. When I as at Fort Polk, nobody really cared. At Fort Carson, the MP unit I was with wanted ALL civilian arms to be stored in the arms room. I stored mine off post.

 

[Roadquest]

Montana Jim, Thanks for a very informative reply.

you also wrote: "The other question... President Carter wrote some laws about being armed in garrison. He also tried to disarm the CIA and Secret Service that protected he and his family... He's the guy you're looking for."

I didn't know that, If Mr Carter wanted to disarm the CIA and Secret Service that protected him, and his family. It would not be supprising that he would want to disarm military bases.

I think many people, myself included, maybe being naive, had assumed that all our military bases
would be prepared for a "surprise" attack. And have an appropriate immediate lethal responce.

Never for a moment think I am being down on our military. Ours is the best in the world.
But, if an action happens, that's show a change in certain procedures. May be helpful in the
safety of our soldiers. Then I believe it should be look into.

Clayton

 

[Libralabsoldier]

However, before some of you start calling for all of us in the military to be fully armed, all the time (as we are in Iraq and Afghanistan) you have to realize what a huge issue that would become, just from a safety and logistical standpoint.

It does not make it into the news, but accidental discharge of weapons are an occupational hazard in a combat theater (probably had about one every few weeks on my base in Iraq) and that could lead to some potentially serious problems if implemented on every base stateside. Also, you are not allowed to carry your assigned weapon in a privately owned vehicle, and there would have to be weapons guards in every building, barracks....it would be a massive logistical headache.

 

[Roadquest]

Sgt. Mark Todd is the police officer that shot Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood.

This brave officer did what had to be done.

 

[Lasivian]

Sgt. Mark Todd is the police officer that shot Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood.

This brave officer did what had to be done.

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...g-reports-about-who-shot-hasan-at-fort-hood/1

 

[Roadquest]

Thanks for the link Lasivian

 

[rginn]

I saw that in the news Lasivian. All the officers that responded were brave. They probably didn't feel very brave at the time, but I'm glad they showed up.

 

[Monty]

When I was in the Air Force just after the Wright brothers invented birds, I talked to an air policeman who was guarding prisoners with a BAR. I asked him about it and he said he wasn't allowed to carry ammo for it. I asked how he was supposed to guard prisoners with an unloaded gun. He said they, the prisoners didn't know it was not loaded. He also had a loaded S&W 38 revolver that was loaded. Monty

 

[Shortstack]

Monty, when I was going through training at Ft. Leonard Wood in MO. in 1965, I had guard duty, one night, at an ammo bunker 3 miles out in the boonies. I had ammo there for my weapon and the guard at the base commissary warehouse and the open storage for the golf carts at the golf course also had ammo for their weapons. That was an interesting set of requirements.