Re: A scenario I had never considered.
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 5:11 pm
Hi folks, just an update to anyone interested: Today I went to the sheriff's department, with court order in hand, and (almost) without incident- had my firearm, magazine and AMMUNITION returned to me.
Initially I was expecting to have the same problems that I encountered the last time they returned this gun to me, but amazingly I did not. There were no issues or objections concerning the return of my ammunition, and there was no question as to just how exactly they were going to return the firearm to me either. If you do not know or remember, this is in direct contrast to the last time they returned my firearm. The last time they returned this gun to me they litterally had no clue as to how they were going to do it. They didn't want to return it to me inside the jail, as "ordinary" (for lack of a better term) citizens aren't legally allowed to be in possesion of firearms inside the jail- but also did not want to be seen giving me the firearm back outside of the jail. This time they were actually prepared and had a procedure, albeit a faulty one, that they followed this time around.
The last time they returned it they took 10 minutes just trying to "plan" the actual return of the gun, and settled on giving it to me and telling me to "hide it" on the way out. That's right- I was directed to conceal/hide the pistol on my person while leaving and had to exit the jail without so much as an escort to see me to the door. I don't know what was so unsettling to me about having to walk through yhe Lucas County Sheriff's department/Lucas County jail with a pistol concealed on me with no escort whatsoever... except maybe that it is ILLEGAL for me to do so, and a felony at that lol. I can laugh about it now, but I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't thinking of the possibility of being setup and busted on camera for carrying a gun while inside the jail with my only defense being to say "but they told me too".
This time they delivered it all in a sturdy, sealed plastic envelope and told me not to open it until I get home. Now this is at least a step in the right direction, since they actually appeared to know what to do this time around. But I think their procedure still needs some work, as I basically had to sign a paper saying the firearm, magazine, and ammunition had been returned to- before even recieving the bag... and even then I was still not allowed to verify the contents until leaving the jail (and according to them, going home).
While I find this unacceptable, I rolled the dice and signed it anyway because quite frankly, I feel like they WANT me to make an issue out of it, and I wasn't there to argue in any shape or form- and they were already not in the best of moods because I didn't "make an appointment". They told me to "come back Monday or Tuesday" (yes, they said "or Tuesday") to pick it up... but refused to say they were refusing to give it to me. They repeatedly said they "were not refusing to give it to me, and that they were going to return it" just not today- but when I pressed them to acknowledge that they were at least "refusing to return it today" they refused to acknowledge that it was indeed what they were doing, and finally decided to follow the court order. Apparently they leave at 3 and it was 2:45 and it was an inconvenience to them. I assured them that the situation was just as big of an inconvenience to me, as it was to them- which is a huge understatement, and finally, rather than admit and agree that they were refusing to give it to me today, they gave in and released it.
There was no mention of their "policy" on not returning ammunition under any circumstances, and it was included in the envelope. This is a good thing because to this day I still wonder about the bullets they kept, and being the paranoid kind of guy I am, still think of the possibility of them showing up at some kind of rime scene in an attempt to set me up. Go ahead and laugh, no cop(s) has/have ever framed anyone I'm sure. (puts tinfoil hat back on)
I thanked them for the return and told them next time (sadly, I don't think this will be the last time I will have to go retrieve my property from them) I will come earlier in the day, to which they replied "call first and make an appointment". I said okay, but after further consideration I have came to the conclusion that I most likely will not make an appointment- but rather come to pick it up as soon as the court orders them to release it. I mean, why should I have to wait to have returned to me what is rightfully mine and ordered to be released?
When they asked why I couldn't come back next week and get it, I only offered them the excuse that the answer was personnel, but truthfully, I was just eager to be reunited with my .40 and begin practicing with it over the weekend. I've been carrying the G43 this whole time and honestly, it just doesn't give me the same peace of mind that my G27 does.
While I wasn't completely satisfied with the process, I have to admit that it was a MUCH better process than the last time.
Now I am speculating here, but I believe this to be a direct result of my previous dealings with them, i.e. formally complaining about the unjust destruction of my property (my CLOSED beer lol) and the unlawful deprivation of my property (my ammo) and the fact I've let it slide for the last time, not to mention the ruckus I had with internal affairs over their refusal to release the 911 recordings to me, "for the safety of the victim" despite... or perhaps IN spite of the fact that I wanted them to prove my innocence. In any event while I may have lost the battle, I won the war... and will be much better prepared should anything like this happen again in the future.
I know there are some forum readers who loathe reading such a long post, so to those folks- I am sorry if you wasted your time reading this, I will need to remember to start off with a disclaimer next time: Warning, this post might be too long for you. If so, please disregard it and move on to something else, as this post is an update for those who want to know how this situation has ended for me.
And if anyone is wondering why I am replying under my wife's name, its because I still have issues logging in or even resetting my password with mine. And to those who provided their constructive feedback, I thank you.
Initially I was expecting to have the same problems that I encountered the last time they returned this gun to me, but amazingly I did not. There were no issues or objections concerning the return of my ammunition, and there was no question as to just how exactly they were going to return the firearm to me either. If you do not know or remember, this is in direct contrast to the last time they returned my firearm. The last time they returned this gun to me they litterally had no clue as to how they were going to do it. They didn't want to return it to me inside the jail, as "ordinary" (for lack of a better term) citizens aren't legally allowed to be in possesion of firearms inside the jail- but also did not want to be seen giving me the firearm back outside of the jail. This time they were actually prepared and had a procedure, albeit a faulty one, that they followed this time around.
The last time they returned it they took 10 minutes just trying to "plan" the actual return of the gun, and settled on giving it to me and telling me to "hide it" on the way out. That's right- I was directed to conceal/hide the pistol on my person while leaving and had to exit the jail without so much as an escort to see me to the door. I don't know what was so unsettling to me about having to walk through yhe Lucas County Sheriff's department/Lucas County jail with a pistol concealed on me with no escort whatsoever... except maybe that it is ILLEGAL for me to do so, and a felony at that lol. I can laugh about it now, but I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't thinking of the possibility of being setup and busted on camera for carrying a gun while inside the jail with my only defense being to say "but they told me too".
This time they delivered it all in a sturdy, sealed plastic envelope and told me not to open it until I get home. Now this is at least a step in the right direction, since they actually appeared to know what to do this time around. But I think their procedure still needs some work, as I basically had to sign a paper saying the firearm, magazine, and ammunition had been returned to- before even recieving the bag... and even then I was still not allowed to verify the contents until leaving the jail (and according to them, going home).
While I find this unacceptable, I rolled the dice and signed it anyway because quite frankly, I feel like they WANT me to make an issue out of it, and I wasn't there to argue in any shape or form- and they were already not in the best of moods because I didn't "make an appointment". They told me to "come back Monday or Tuesday" (yes, they said "or Tuesday") to pick it up... but refused to say they were refusing to give it to me. They repeatedly said they "were not refusing to give it to me, and that they were going to return it" just not today- but when I pressed them to acknowledge that they were at least "refusing to return it today" they refused to acknowledge that it was indeed what they were doing, and finally decided to follow the court order. Apparently they leave at 3 and it was 2:45 and it was an inconvenience to them. I assured them that the situation was just as big of an inconvenience to me, as it was to them- which is a huge understatement, and finally, rather than admit and agree that they were refusing to give it to me today, they gave in and released it.
There was no mention of their "policy" on not returning ammunition under any circumstances, and it was included in the envelope. This is a good thing because to this day I still wonder about the bullets they kept, and being the paranoid kind of guy I am, still think of the possibility of them showing up at some kind of rime scene in an attempt to set me up. Go ahead and laugh, no cop(s) has/have ever framed anyone I'm sure. (puts tinfoil hat back on)
I thanked them for the return and told them next time (sadly, I don't think this will be the last time I will have to go retrieve my property from them) I will come earlier in the day, to which they replied "call first and make an appointment". I said okay, but after further consideration I have came to the conclusion that I most likely will not make an appointment- but rather come to pick it up as soon as the court orders them to release it. I mean, why should I have to wait to have returned to me what is rightfully mine and ordered to be released?
When they asked why I couldn't come back next week and get it, I only offered them the excuse that the answer was personnel, but truthfully, I was just eager to be reunited with my .40 and begin practicing with it over the weekend. I've been carrying the G43 this whole time and honestly, it just doesn't give me the same peace of mind that my G27 does.
While I wasn't completely satisfied with the process, I have to admit that it was a MUCH better process than the last time.
Now I am speculating here, but I believe this to be a direct result of my previous dealings with them, i.e. formally complaining about the unjust destruction of my property (my CLOSED beer lol) and the unlawful deprivation of my property (my ammo) and the fact I've let it slide for the last time, not to mention the ruckus I had with internal affairs over their refusal to release the 911 recordings to me, "for the safety of the victim" despite... or perhaps IN spite of the fact that I wanted them to prove my innocence. In any event while I may have lost the battle, I won the war... and will be much better prepared should anything like this happen again in the future.
I know there are some forum readers who loathe reading such a long post, so to those folks- I am sorry if you wasted your time reading this, I will need to remember to start off with a disclaimer next time: Warning, this post might be too long for you. If so, please disregard it and move on to something else, as this post is an update for those who want to know how this situation has ended for me.
And if anyone is wondering why I am replying under my wife's name, its because I still have issues logging in or even resetting my password with mine. And to those who provided their constructive feedback, I thank you.