Mass LEO Background Check During Home Response

[tele_mark]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, if not, mods feel free to move it.

Just a curiosity type question, nothing of any importance. Whenever I hop in the shower, I habitually hit the home alarm Instant On setting. Today, I made the mistake of locking a cat in the basement before I hit the shower. She set of the motion detector while I was showering, and I got out too late to cancel the alarm. The monitoring company called and I cancelled then, but the Leominster PD showed up withing 10 minuted of the alarm call. To my comment about him showing up despite me cancelling the alarm, he stated it's been policy since 19xx (I forgot the date) to check all alarms in person even if there was a cancellation. I told him cool, now I know I can depend on the PD showing up if it were real and bid him good day.

Question is, on his way over, did he receive notification that I was an LTC-A holder? When I realized the alarm was beyond cancel, I hastily got things in order, knowing I was going to get a visit.....

 

[Len-2A Training]

Likely if their town has their stuff together. It's all on the PD (local) computer if they issued the permit, assuming that they use their computers as a database.

Hell, my PD still has record of my calling in a barking dog complaint at 0230hrs one very early morning >10 years ago! It was funny when my chief mentioned it during my interview for LTC renewal!

So, yes the dispatcher should tell the responding units that there are likely guns in the home and an LTC holder.

 

[drgrant]

Question is, on his way over, did he receive notification that I was an LTC-A holder? When I realized the alarm was beyond cancel, I hastily got things in order, knowing I was going to get a visit.....

Maybe. I know from listening to the scanner (a long time ago)
that Fitchburg or Leominster has "Firearms Flag" or "Dog Flag" in their
databases... it's very possible that they maintain the info themselves
based on local data sources. (Also to include an officer's data from prior
visits to the same location... eg for domestic disturbance etc.... )

I guess what I'm getting at, is it's definitely possible... there is nothing
preventing them from building their own database(s).

Whats weird about your alarm call is I guess it depends on the company
that runs the alarm... a lot of them will ring your phone if nobody answers
then they pass it on to the local PD.

-Mike

 

[Hawgleg44]

I know of no towns out here in W. Mass that keep a list of LTC holders to check their call locations against. I've been to several domestic disturbances to people's homes (some neighbors in fact) where I know they are LTC holders with firearms in the home. Dispatch doesn't do any check for firearms or license holders.

In my area, I'd have to say about a third of the homes here have firearms in them. It's a farming area, six gun clubs within a 30 minute drive, ample areas to hunt and a Chief who has absolutely no problem issuing licenses to anyone and everyone able to legally qualify for one. It's pretty much expected that there's going to be at least a shotgun in the home.

 

[Skeeterhunter71]

I know my town has it listed that I am LTC holder, After calling the police a few weeks ago for threats against my son from other students, I called the PD. First thing the officer asked, "Do you have a firearm on your person" Our records show that you are a LTC holder. My response was yes I do on my right side. After that all was good he took my sons statment and away he went.

 

[RKG]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, if not, mods feel free to move it.

Just a curiosity type question, nothing of any importance. Whenever I hop in the shower, I habitually hit the home alarm Instant On setting. Today, I made the mistake of locking a cat in the basement before I hit the shower. She set of the motion detector while I was showering, and I got out too late to cancel the alarm. The monitoring company called and I cancelled then, but the Leominster PD showed up withing 10 minuted of the alarm call. To my comment about him showing up despite me cancelling the alarm, he stated it's been policy since 19xx (I forgot the date) to check all alarms in person even if there was a cancellation. I told him cool, now I know I can depend on the PD showing up if it were real and bid him good day.

Question is, on his way over, did he receive notification that I was an LTC-A holder? When I realized the alarm was beyond cancel, I hastily got things in order, knowing I was going to get a visit.....

In every town with whose procedure I'm familiar with (which doesn't include yours), the answer would be: "Yes."

 

[drgrant]

I know my town has it listed that I am LTC holder, After calling the police a few weeks ago for threats against my son from other students, I called the PD. First thing the officer asked, "Do you have a firearm on your person" Our records show that you are a LTC holder. My response was yes I do on my right side. After that all was good he took my sons statment and away he went.

FWIW, A friend of mine had been a witness to a home
robbery down the street from him (he saw the
perps leaving the house) and the officer from
Fitchburg PD asked him the same thing, with basically
the same outcome- they just asked him where it was
on his person and that was that. Maybe it's just SOP to
ask, regardless of whether or not anything needs to be
done.

-Mike

 

[tele_mark]

Well, the LEO didn't ask me if I was armed. But, I did see him walking up the driveway and opened the door before he could come up the steps and knock, so I could've changed the direction of his procedure.

I did get a call from the alarm company, but I was just stepping out of the shower when the called, and I didn't get to the phone in time. So, they then called my cell phone, and then the people listed as backup contacts. The first person on that list is my father, who of course forgot that I told him that he was a backup and had no idea what the alarm company was talking about. I ended up calling the monitoring station directly and cancelling the call. They called the PD and cancelled then but the PD was still "obligated" to check things out. I guess that's why the LEO didn't challenge me as to my identity, I hope. I'd hate to think of a real alarm, and the LEO showing up as the perp walks out of the house saying he owns the place.

 

[Mass-diver]

Time to rid of that alarm system.

That's why God made guns and dogs.

 

[Scrivener]

Time to rid of that alarm system.

That's why God made guns and dogs.

The former is completely useless if you aren't home and the latter does not call the police.

An alarm is a good part of a defense system.

 

[Mass-diver]

The former is completely useless if you aren't home and the latter does not call the police.

An alarm is a good part of a defense system.

That your view.....unless it's a mansion or something and you are being targeted by professional burglers, most people won't break into a house with a barking dog. Furthermore, for break-ins when no one is home, that's also what insurance is for.

 

[tuna]

But the alarm helps lower the cost of your insurance - most also are set for fire/smoke. After the initial set up is done, the monitoring part is relativley cheap each month. I just went through getting an alarm system, and so far am pretty happy about it.
The thing I like best is when I hear a bump in the night, now I can tell if it is the cat (no beeping or siren) or an intruder. Before the alarm, every time the cat knocked something over, I had no way of knowing just what made the noise.

 

[tele_mark]

My alarm also has monitored smokes. The one time I hit the Fire panic button by accident, I had 1/2 (literally) the Leominster FD outside my house in about 6 minutes. Embarressing but comforting.