Secret Service told off-duty cops not to bring guns to game
By: Bill Myers
Examiner Staff Writer
April 3, 2009
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| AP photo (AP) |
The Secret Service ordered off-duty city cops to check their weapons or stay home from a pro basketball game President Barack Obama was attending, an internal memo obtained by The Examiner shows.
The president saw the Washington Wizards pound his beloved Bulls on Feb. 27. Before the game, a circular went out to D.C. police officers, telling them that they weren’t welcome if they were bringing their weapons.
“They [the Secret Service] have informed the Metropolitan Police Department and neighboring police agencies that off-duty members attending the game will NOT be allowed to carry firearms into the arena,” the memo states. “As such, members attending the game in an off-duty capacity and armed will be denied entry.”
It’s not clear how many officers were affected by the order. But is has stirred up tensions between the local police and the Secret Service. The two agencies have often clashed over local motorcades, which eat up thousands of hours of police overtime without federal reimbursement.
The order is an insult to rank-and-file officers, police union chairman Kris Baumann told The Examiner.
“If the Secret Service, despite their less-than-sterling reputation, believe we’re not professional enough, OK. But we spend thousands of dollars to support the Secret Service. The Secret Service has neither the resources or the skill level to do the job,” Baumann said.
Officers are required to carry their guns, badges and identification at all times, with exceptions for religious events, participating in an athletic event or for some social occasions. Stripping their weapons leaves them vulnerable to violent criminals, Baumann said.
According to the National Law Enforcement Museum, at least seven off-duty D.C. police officers have been killed in the department’s history. Only New York (18) and Cleveland (nine) have had more off-duty officers slain.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the request was routine and that the agency made similar such requests whenever the president went to a public venue.
“The issue for us is, off-duty officers don’t know what our security plan is,” he said. “We don’t want a lot of people pulling guns who aren’t identifiable as police officers.”
Police departments sometimes have secure lockers brought into public venues when their off-duty cops are asked to check their weapons, Donovan said. According to the February police memo, “there will be no facilities to secure weapons during the game.”
