In April, 2004, a Drug Enforcement Agent was giving a "drug education presentation" to a group of Orlando, Florida youths and their parents. During the presentation, for one reason or another, he changed the subject from drugs to gun safety. Taking and holding up one of several guns he had brought along, he described it as a Glock .40 and stated, "You see, this is an UNLOADED gun." Following that, he told everyone, "I'm the only one in this room PROFESSIONAL enough, that I know of, to carry this Glock .40," Then he lowered the gun and - BANG - shot himself in the foot. (Some reports said he shot himself in the thigh.) Accordingly, he is well qualified to receive my MODERN KEYSTONE COP award.
This month, the agent filed a federal lawsuit against the United States of America, claiming that the DEA had defamed him by releasing a video tape of the incident over the internet. The complaint states that prior to becoming a DEA agent (in 1990), he "was a hghly repected football player for Florida State University and played professional football for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Bandits. (His mame) was subsequently a Corrections Officer at Polk Correctional Institution, a Florida State Prison, and a Deputy Sheriff with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Tampa, Florida." He complains that the realease of the video tape had made him a laughingstock and had crippled a promising career.
The video, which had been shot by an audience member, was given to the DEA, which used it as a training tool before someone released it over the internet. The agent received a five day suspension for the incident and was no longer allowed to work as an undercover officer. Many internet users think that the agent should have received the DUMB COP OF THE YEAR award. The incident has received wide coverage by the mainstream media since the filing of the lawsuit.
Whatever possessed this DEA agent to change the subject from drugs to gun safety? I think I know why. During my law enforcement career, I gave a number of school presentations on drug problems, most of them in high schools. Some were given in middle schools and a few in elementary schools. Even though the students seemed to pay close attention during the drug presentations, inevitably, the first question during the question and answer part would be, "Are you carrying a gun?" Then someone would say, "Let's see it." Other students would always ask, "Have you ever shot anyone?" or "How many people have you shot?" The same questions always popped up regardless of the age group being addressed or where the school was located. My response would always be that I was there to talk and answer questions about drugs, not about guns or shooting people. Did I ever even consider removing my weapon from its holster under those circumstances? Absolutely not!
I suspect that the DEA agent was confronted with the same questions and responded by switching the subject to guns, thus falling into the trap of displaying his weapon(s), something he should never have considered doing in front of a room full of children. He told his audience that the gun was "unloaded." While he may have removed the clip fom his Glock, he obviously did not clear the weapon to make sure there was no round in the chamber. Thus, BANG - OUCH, another idiot shot with an "empty" gun and humiliated by his own stupidity. Fortunately, no one in the audience got shot. Perhaps, anticipating there would be questions about guns, he brought several weapons, indicating it may have been his intention all along, to talk about guns. He should have known that the only time police firearms can be safely displayed to a group of school children is when they participate in an organized and supervised visit to a police facility.
The agent made a point that he had 21 years of law enforcement experience. Well, some people have 21 years of experience, while others have only one year of experience repeated 20 times. With respect to guns, this DEA agent would appear to fall within the latter category. I have seen the video and it is sort of hilarious to watch him make his "professional" statement, then to hear a loud bang and see him hopping around like a chicken. Amazingly, despite his wound, he continued on with his gun safety presentation until he was ushered out of the room by those in charge of the youth group because he apparently frightened the audience when he grabbed a military assault rifle and shouted above the resulting clamor, "Hey, its empty, its an empty weapon." In any event, his federal law suit seems to have little, if any merit because he brought all this humiliation and ridicule on himself and was personally responsible for damaging his own career.
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