LEO's armed on airplanes?

[piav8r]

my .02 worth...

As someone who has recently completed LEO training and is now going back to the flight deck, I think I have a little bit of a perspective of this...

First and foremost what happened in WI is a huge tragecy and a black eye for all law enforcement officers. That being said some people do slip through the cracks and get into positions that they shouldn't... I'm sure we've all flown with or heard stories about such people.

That being said, I think that with appropriate training, armed law officers on board could be valuable if it was done correctly. For example I think that any LEO or FFDO that wants to carry on a flight should be allowed to do so with the proper training. Now by proper training I mean a one time intensive course that deals with the mechanics of shooting, close quarters shooting, hand to hand combat, etc. On top of that I think that at a minimum LEO's and FFDO's that carry should go through a quarterly requalification in basic shooting and marksmanship.

At that point that LEO or FFDO should be authorized to carry at any time at any point in the airport.

Just my .02 worth.

 

[msw]

In a legacy of Sept. 11, officers of the California Highway Patrol will be trained to thwart airline hijackings and will carry loaded weapons aboard flights within the state when they travel on official business.
Under the program, initiated by Gov. Gray Davis and approved this week by the Federal Aviation Administration, the special training is to be given to all the Highway Patrol's 8,500 officers.
''We're growing wings,'' said Tom Marshall, a spokesman for the agency.

I'm not a Chippie (though I am a Calif local cop who often "flies armed" on official business), but my guess is that all that means is that the CHP now gives all its Officers the FAA/TSA (and California POST-approved) 2 hour long "Flying Armed" course. If you have that course, AND you have an "LEO flying armed on official business" letter from your supervisor, THEN you can fly armed..... and that holds true either inside California or outside of it; and it holds true for any local (City, County or State) LEO.