Florida Shooters Network

I live in manatee county and this evening while eating at the local hungry howies i noticed a gentlemen in plain clothes with a firearm strapped to his side and a badge of some sort in front of it. I noticed he was sitting in a corner booth with his family eating dinner. My question is this; since when did it become ok for a LEO to OC while not working? I will also say this too, since when did it become ok for a LEO to have a sit down family dinner while on duty ( if in fact he was on duty after all) BTW there were no pd cruisers either unmarked or marked for that matter anywhere in the area. I hope i am not out of line with this but it definately made me

I've met a LEO at a restaurant when they took a meal break(Still had his gun on). Why wouldn't they be able to wear it?

Was your friend still on duty ?


ETA the more i think about it, he had more of a "security officer" look rather than LEO

what's the difference in how a security officer looks and a cop?

poloboy821 wrote:Was your friend still on duty ?


ETA the more i think about it, he had more of a "security officer" look rather than LEO

I'm not sure weather or not he is "on duty" while eating. He was working before and after the meal though, in uniform.

How do you know he was off duty? Could have been a detective or agent of sorts which does not wear a uniform. The lack of patrol car probably confirms this. As for eating with friends or family, why not? Are you not allowed to associate with anyone on your lunch break?

Maybe it was a Concealed Carry badge? Did he have a neon vest on the seat next to him?

i am just meerly curious, are LEO's allowed to OC while off duty?

depends on their agency

My agency requires me to carry a firearm(that I've qualified with), whenever I can. It has to be concealed when not on duty and I must have an extra full mag.
As for dinner, If he was on duty he can take lunch but will call out subject to call. Most officers(If he gets called) will cover him till he goes 10-8 after eating.
We call out 10-10(out of service, subject to call).

bonjorno2 wrote:what's the difference in how a security officer looks and a cop?

security
.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

police officer
.

Rentprop1 wrote:security
.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Where can I find a uniform like that? I'd like to wear it when walking the dogs.

I forgot what quest looked like....

bonjorno2 wrote:I forgot what quest looked like....

Steve O has a pic of Quest tattooed on his back.


I wonder if Quest has Steve O on his back.

.....lol ...... Steve-O is one of my only friends on Facebook

When I worked at a coffee shop right outside MCO airport in Orlando, we had LEO's come in all day long. We interacted with ICE, OPD, OCS, SWAT and every so often U.S. Marshals and ATF. The marshals and ATF always had street clothes on with a fancy leather holster hanging off the hip with a glock or sig. The ICE and OPD guys always CC when in plain clothes, including their days they were working under cover, sometimes not very well though, printing was typically obvious. But our location was used to it and no one cared. It was funny when the Take Scissors Away people would ask about Police or Service memeber discounts, and our response would, "only for those in uniform." and "yours doesn't count"

poloboy821 wrote:i am just meerly curious, are LEO's allowed to OC while off duty?

They are never OFF duty...

From what I understand as long as they hold the FDLE LEO certification they can. Wisely they should be wearing their badge, but statute does not require it.

poloboy821 wrote:I will also say this too, since when did it become ok for a LEO to have a sit down family dinner while on duty ( if in fact he was on duty after all)

When I was a copper many, many years ago, I ate many meals in uniform, armed (of course) with my then girlfriend and later on, my wife.

Not a big deal. Nothing really out of the ordinary there.

40 years later I'm still armed. Still eating lunch with the wife, but now I have to hide my gun, unless we're having lunch at the fishing spot!

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M14man wrote:From what I understand as long as they hold the FDLE LEO certification they can. Wisely they should be wearing their badge, but statute does not require it.

I've shot with a couple of deputy sheriffs who carried concealed to the range as soon as they OCed on the range the put their badges on their belt by their holster, I don't know if it the law or just policy but if they are in civies ocing they wear their badge