...and I just leave my waitress a tip...

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Getting drunk and playing with guns (and embarrassing the dept etc) should definitely be a firing offense.

Yup.

[Marnoot]

... As long as they were polite, sober and not acting rudely...  So what? 

They weren't sober. That's the problem, IMO. Handling weapons while drunk is no good.

[seeker_two]

If I took pictures of strange women, scantily clad, in my "workplace", I'd certainly get fired!

No kidding....you even get mean looks when you take pictures of them in tiny little matador suits.... 

[Perd Hapley]

So taking photos of a pretty lady with a duty weapon is termination offense, for being unprofessional.  But being overly enthusiastic about say, asset seizure is not?  Some folks have odd priorities.

I'm just curious who said that?  Did somebody say that cops should be fired for naughty photo-shoots, but not be fired for civil rights violations, or did you (and other holier-than-thou guardians of our civil rights) just pull that out of thin air? 

I concur that this would have gone nowhere if the photos hadn't gone public.

So if you act unprofessionally, with an assault rifle no less, and it goes public, you will be in more trouble than if you had been more discrete.  I'm not sure why some people feel the need to point that out.  Seems pretty obvious. 

[MicroBalrog]

What's an "assault weapon"?

[RevDisk]

They weren't sober. That's the problem, IMO. Handling weapons while drunk is no good.

Whoopsy, missed that part.  Yea.  Drunken fun with an AR ain't a good idea.  If they were on duty, then yep, toss the book.   

I'm just curious who said that?  Did somebody say that cops should be fired for naughty photo-shoots, but not be fired for civil rights violations, or did you (and other holier-than-thou guardians of our civil rights) just pull that out of thin air? 

No one here said it.  I've just read it in the local, regional and national papers often enough.  Admittedly, I missed the part in the article that said the officers were drunk, but I've seen plenty of cops get a pass on civil right violations (unless the tape couldn't be conveniently erased) but get hammered like a friggin nail for quasi 'morality' stuff.  Neither is right.

What's an "assault weapon"?

Anything 'evil' looking.  An $80 SKS is an assault rifle if the stock is 1) black, 2) tactical, 3) modded to take an AK mag or 4) a gun control law is going through Congress.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

If I took pictures of strange women, scantily clad, in my "workplace", I'd certainly get fired!

nope   bobbitized

[Monkeyleg]

X-ray tech?

DD

No, advertising photographer. Amongst other things, I shot the girlie posters for Snap-On. The girls held wrenches, though, not AR's.

[Perd Hapley]

What's an "assault weapon"?

[Steve Martin]Well ex-CU-U-U-U-USE ME! [/Steve Martin]

You know what I meant. 

[MicroBalrog]

Oh, I do. I just think the use of the term was disingenuous. Giving a person a duty AR to hold in a picture is not in any way worse than giving them a duty revolver.

I am not, as you know, a great fan of police officers, but in this case I will have to side with them. They should have gotten... oh, I don't know, a verbal reprimand.

[Perd Hapley]

Giving a person a duty AR to hold in a picture is not in any way worse than giving them a duty revolver.

Your obtuseness in refusing to accept the fact of public perception is most annoying.  You can educate the stupid out of people; but until you do, it is a fact to be dealt with. 

Folks are touchier about military weaponry than about pistols. 

That being said, even if she'd been holding a side-arm, it would still be a problem. 

[Scout26]

If I took pictures of strange women, scantily clad, in my "workplace", I'd certainly get fired!

I'd bet that you'd hope to only get fired by Sugar Momma.

Nominated for quote of the year is the statement made by Representative Dick Armey, who when asked if he were in the President's place (after the Monica Lewinsky scandal), would he resign, responded:

"If I were in the President's place I would not get a chance to resign. I would be lying in a pool of my own blood hearing Mrs. Armey, standing over me, saying, 'How do I reload this dang thing?'

 

[Scout26]

Anyone heard from Lawdog recently ??

 

[jackdanson]

Any officer handing his firearm to another person in a non-professional manner should be canned.  It's not like he was teaching her how to shoot at a range.  This was on par with what should happen at a bachelor party, not uniformed officers on a government vehicle.

[MechAg94]

Anyone heard from Lawdog recently ??

 

Wouldn't he have posted the pics on his blog? 

[MicroBalrog]

Your obtuseness in refusing to accept the fact of public perception is most annoying.  You can educate the stupid out of people; but until you do, it is a fact to be dealt with.

Au contraire, mon cher souffre-douleur.

It is my whole argument that they were fired to appeal to public perception, though their offense was actually minor in nature.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Au contraire, mon cher souffre-douleur.

It is my whole argument that they were fired to appeal to public perception, though their offense was actually minor in nature.

For one thing, their offense wasn't minor.  For another, public perception is an important part of police work.  It doesn't do to have the general public (including both the law-abiding and the criminal elements) perceive the police as incompetent and ineffective buffoons.

[White Horseradish]

This would not have been a problem had they invited the girl out to a range and taken the pics there.

I am also reasonably sure that were I to invite a random girl to work and sit her in front of my company-issued computer I would be fired.

[Jamisjockey]

Au contraire, mon cher souffre-douleur.

It is my whole argument that they were fired to appeal to public perception, though their offense was actually minor in nature.

The deputies admitted of having about three to five beers each that night.

Drinking and handing duty weapons to civilians isn't really considered to be minor in nature.  But thank you for playing.

[Balog]

But but but.... there was sex involved, it must just be those damn American prudes over reacting!

[MicroBalrog]

Drinking and handing duty weapons to civilians isn't really considered to be minor in nature.  But thank you for playing.

If you think drinking and handing duty weapons (not GIVING them away permanently, that'd be prison time-worthy) to 'civilians' is 'major' enough to fire people, I disagree.

[Jamisjockey]

If you think drinking and handing duty weapons (not GIVING them away permanently, that'd be prison time-worthy) to 'civilians' is 'major' enough to fire people, I disagree.

Conduct unbecoming.  Acting unprofessional for a little piece of tail.  I'd have probably lopped some heads off, too.

[MicroBalrog]

But but but.... there was sex involved, it must just be those damn American prudes over reacting!

There was ALCOHOL! And GUNS! And OH GOD A WOMAN!

I'd that many people overreact when these things are involved. 

[AmbulanceDriver]

Alright.  I'm gonna wade into this one now....  If the officers were on duty at the time the photo was taken (and presumably while they were drinking) then absolutely.  Fired.  Heck, the company I work for, we're not allowed to drink within 8 hours of the start of our shift.  One of those silly little things where if we're dealing with people's lives, we're not supposed to be impaired by alcohol or mind altering substances.  I would expect the same standard for police officers.   

If they were off-duty at the time, they did show a little bit lot of poor judgement (alcohol, duty weapons, scantily clad waitress, etc), but unless the dept has specific rules regarding off-duty behavior, then in my opinion they shouldn't have been fired.

[MillCreek]

I note from the original picture that the AR still had a magazine in it.  I cannot tell from the picture if the magazine is loaded and/or if there was a round in the chamber.  I am reasonably certain I would not hand my duty weapon over to a stranger with a loaded magazine or a round in the chamber. 

PS edited to add:  if I look real hard at the original photo, I think I can convince myself that the selector switch is on 'safe'.  Good.