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New Hampshire Cops Dress as Firefighters to Make Arrest
FirefighterNation.com News
A decision this week by Newport, New Hampshire police to use a fire truck and pose as firefighters to make an arrest of a suspected violent suspect is getting quite a lot of buzz around the country.
"Police officers dressed as firefighters and using a fire truck entered the building and activated the fire alarm to evacuate residents in a safe manner so as not to bring attention to the pending arrest of Miller," Newport Police Chief David Hoyt said in a news release included in the Union Leader story.
On Thursday, the union representing local firefighters responded with grave concern about the incident, saying firefighters and paramedics depend on the public trusting that when they show up, it's to save lives.
"The use of the firefighter and paramedic image in this way is inappropriate, should not be condoned and is not negotiable," David Lang, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire said during a press conference, according to the Union Leader.
A press release from the union posted on Statter911.com stated "Allowing police officers to impersonate fire fighters potentially makes the difficult job of fire fighters even more dangerous because it casts doubt in the publlic's mind of who's responding to a fire or medical emergency."
Long is asking the Commission of Safety and the state's Attorney General to demand that such actions never take place again.
The Union Leader reported that police officers saw the suspect in his apartment window with a small child in his arms as other building residents evacuated in the fake fire alarm. The suspect opened the door for the 'firefighters' (police) who then took him into custody without further incident. Numerous weapons and related materials were found in a subsequent search of the apartment.
Related
Post your thoughts on this incident.
A decision this week by Newport, New Hampshire police to use a fire truck and pose as firefighters to make an arrest of a suspected violent suspect is getting quite a lot of buzz around the country.
"Police officers dressed as firefighters and using a fire truck entered the building and activated the fire alarm to evacuate residents in a safe manner so as not to bring attention to the pending arrest of Miller," Newport Police Chief David Hoyt said in a news release included in the Union Leader story.
On Thursday, the union representing local firefighters responded with grave concern about the incident, saying firefighters and paramedics depend on the public trusting that when they show up, it's to save lives.
"The use of the firefighter and paramedic image in this way is inappropriate, should not be condoned and is not negotiable," David Lang, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire said during a press conference, according to the Union Leader.
A press release from the union posted on Statter911.com stated "Allowing police officers to impersonate fire fighters potentially makes the difficult job of fire fighters even more dangerous because it casts doubt in the publlic's mind of who's responding to a fire or medical emergency."
Long is asking the Commission of Safety and the state's Attorney General to demand that such actions never take place again.
The Union Leader reported that police officers saw the suspect in his apartment window with a small child in his arms as other building residents evacuated in the fake fire alarm. The suspect opened the door for the 'firefighters' (police) who then took him into custody without further incident. Numerous weapons and related materials were found in a subsequent search of the apartment.
Related
- Union Leader: Firefighters hot over police ploy
- Union Leader: Police use firefighter fake out to arrest man
- STATter911.com: Union Press Release (PDF)
- WMUR: Fire Officials Criticize Police For Impersonating Firefighters (w/Video)
- WCAX: Firefighters "Hot" About Disguised Officers
Post your thoughts on this incident.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by wm on -
Leclaire of Portsmouth NH FD and Lang of Hampton NH FD are an embarrassment to the profession. Who the heck is Lang to state terms, "this is not negotiable." The man is a loud mouth and has a personal agenda. You can't find an issue in NH that even remotely impacts NH fire departments that he doesn't weigh in on with the media.
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Permalink Reply by louie 425 on -
If they can't do there job find someone who can dont bring os in to it .
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Permalink Reply by Jason Koontz on -
cant wait to get shot at cause some ding head thinks I'm a cop. I'm rural, and going on burn complaints is already bad enough. Whats next? they gonna start responding on our rigs next, because they're bigger and they can run suspects off the road easier, or its easier to sneak into a third story window to take a bad guy down?
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Permalink Reply by Shane Clark on
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thats not a good thing at all if a firefighter or emt impersonated a police officer we'd be arrested right there for it. and there wouldnt be any acceptable excuses for us doing so either. therefor the officers involved should be charged as well they should be no higher in the law than what we are.
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Permalink Reply by Bruce M Chapman on -
I have one more thing to say and that is as follows My Fire Gear is Heavy Enough Now add the weight of a bullet proof vest... Thanks Guys...
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Permalink Reply by SHONDA on -
I agree, this gives criminals on a potentially dangerous scene to consider us as targets...
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Permalink Reply by alan on -
this is very, very wrong. police and firefighters, while both being emergency services, are two different people.if i wear a cop uniform and play a police officer, i goto jail for "impersonating an officer of the law." cant firefighters fight this in the same way?
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Permalink Reply by turk182 on -
I do not agree with this they should not be posing as fire fighters because this is going to get one of us hurt or killed.
Thats all we need is for us to climb up a ladder to find bubba standing there with a gun waiting for us.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Sullivan on -
I have been thinking of this a lot since i read the article, and reading the posts. Yes it was a bad decision, mistakes happen, we learn and go on. Mabe something will happen down the road, but this is something to learn about. We all have our own thought and ideas, but the past is the past.
Most of every law enforcments are our friends, if there are any problems between agencies when the call goes out leave it all at the door and do the job. We watch their backs, and they watch ours, daily whether or not we realize it. Expecially on big scenes with us all worken together. But again the future will come and go and we will just have to see what happens.
One of the best methods we can go by is "PLAN FOR THE WORST, and HOPE FOR THE BEST" in any type of situation. And when everybody goes home at the end of the day its a good day for all of us. So we will go out on the next call, but with using more precaution, and saftey.
Good luck and everybody be safe...
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Permalink Reply by Steve on -
Hey did anyone read Firehouse .com today. Check out http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=63015&s... one of us getting attacked. This is what will happen more often now that These cops did this!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Brown on -
Wrong wrong wrong now they got to watch there backs on a real fire call
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