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Excerpts:

An off-duty NYPD cop was busted Sunday for waving a gun at a bouncer who refused to let him into a Queens club, police and witnesses said.

...

The cop showed up at the club wearing a red cap, sneakers and shorts, a violation of the joint's dress code, a manager said.

"He was very intoxicated with slurred speech," said the manager, 30, ...

A bouncer turned him away, prompting Harpaul to display his NYPD identification and mouth off some more.

...

The cop went back to his car and came back holding an unlicensed handgun with a defaced serial number, an illegal weapon that would be difficult to trace if it were used in a crime, sources said.

Two uniformed cops arrived, ordered Harpaul to the ground and handcuffed him. The officers found Harpaul's service weapon and marijuana in his car.

...

But only cops are responsible enough to have guns!!

How stupid was that? Drunk? Grass in the car? The gun's serial number obliterated?.....probably a throw down gun?

I'd think his LEO days are over.

"He was very intoxicated with slurred speech," ...
The cop went back to his car and came back holding an unlicensed handgun with a defaced serial number, ...marijuana...

Wow! Mayor Bloomberg's police have a really world-class pre-employment screening process.

- Jim

Would that be one of New York's finest?

I think I'll stay in Texas

mikeintexas wrote:Would that be one of New York's finest?

I think I'll stay in Texas

Ab So Lutely, Mike!

seamusTX wrote:
Wow! Mayor Bloomberg's police have a really world-class pre-employment screening process.

- Jim

That reminds me -- one of the Heller briefs had a brief history of the D.C. police and their hiring practices. At one point they cut way back on their standards in order to hire more officers, with predictable results, and they compounded the problem by not doing very good background checks. If I can remember which one it is, I'll post it. Makes horrific reading

joe817 wrote:How stupid was that? Drunk? Grass in the car? The gun's serial number obliterated?.....probably a throw down gun?

I'd think his LEO days are over.

I always just kind of assumed that the "throw down gun" was a tv myth....guess I've been proved wrong. Wouldn't you love to have to fight that charge in court? "I swear your honor, the cop put that gun in my car.."

74novaman wrote:
I always just kind of assumed that the "throw down gun" was a tv myth....guess I've been proved wrong. Wouldn't you love to have to fight that charge in court? "I swear your honor, the cop put that gun in my car.."

It just got a bit easier to argue that, at least in NYC. This clown had been on the force for four years. Frankly, every case he ever touched should be reevaluated, "throw down gun" or not, but I'll bet only a few are by a few energetic defense lawyers...

74novaman,

In the middle 1970s I got into the "drop gun" discussion with the proprietor at my favorite gun shop (in Waukegan, Illinois, north of Chicago).

He told me, "Imagine you are a cop chasing a suspect in a dark alley, and he turns on you. You can't see much but you know that if he has a gun you are dead. So you shoot him... and he turns out to be just a punk with a knife, no gun. Don't you think it's reasonable to have a "hot" gun to drop by him and get yourself off the hook?"

I replied that I understood his position, and that of the hypothetical officer, but that no, it would not be reasonable, it would be evidence-tampering. He told me I was a naive punk and better wise up.

Over time, I found another "favorite gun shop" but never forgot that conversation.
No real idea if he knew what he was talking about, or how prevalent it was for police to plant guns at the scene of an officer-involved shooting. And - at the time, he was right; I was indeed a naive punk.

ELB wrote:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crim ... olice.html

Excerpts:

An off-duty NYPD cop was busted Sunday for waving a gun at a bouncer who refused to let him into a Queens club, police and witnesses said.

...

The cop showed up at the club wearing a red cap, sneakers and shorts, a violation of the joint's dress code, a manager said.

"He was very intoxicated with slurred speech," said the manager, 30, ...

A bouncer turned him away, prompting Harpaul to display his NYPD identification and mouth off some more.

...

The cop went back to his car and came back holding an unlicensed handgun with a defaced serial number, an illegal weapon that would be difficult to trace if it were used in a crime, sources said.

Two uniformed cops arrived, ordered Harpaul to the ground and handcuffed him. The officers found Harpaul's service weapon and marijuana in his car.

...

Does that mean service marijuana?

BobCat wrote:74novaman,

No real idea if he knew what he was talking about, or how prevalent it was for police to plant guns at the scene of an officer-involved shooting. ...

I generally support peace officers, and am not open to general cop-bashing. However, I don't think the idea of a "drop'' or "throw down" gun appeared out of thin air... Planted evidence of all kinds has been a problem to some degree for as long as there have been cops, I suspect.

elb

I am too lazy to look it up, but I believe that possession of a firearm with an altered/missing serial number is a crime.

WildBill wrote:I am too lazy to look it up, but I believe that possession of a firearm with an altered/missing serial number is a crime.

I've heard the same W.B.

It is a federal felony to possess a firearm with an altered or defaced serial number (18 USC 922 (k)) if the firearm is supposed to have a serial number. Serial numbers requirements were phased in during the 20th century. All firearms manufactured after 1968 are required to have a serial number.

Knowing New York, it is probably also several kinds of state felony.

- Jim