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New Hampshire Cops Dress as Firefighters to Make Arrest
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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 Bull on
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unbelievable, that fire chief should be thrown out of office for letting this happen.
just imagine what would happen if one of us impersonated a cop,,how much trouble we would be in.
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Permalink Reply by Padre Pete on
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It worked for them then it backfired on both of us. It was bad idea. Our hard earned public trust may indeed be compromised. Now that we know about it, we will not let it happen again. Maybe we can stop driving nails. Via con dios.
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Permalink Reply by UtilityCow on
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In the state of Florida
Imersonating a Firefighter: "felony of the third degree" (FSS 633.151 )
False alarm of fire: "misdemeanor of the first degree" (FSS 806.101)
Absolutely ridiculous. Inexcuseable. Did Chief agree to this?
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Permalink Reply by Randy N. Davis on
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No good,this makes our job harder,to help those in need quickly.And to protect our safety while doing it. This should be against the law.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Janke on
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Finally someone making sense on this page. I'd say Jeremy Talbott has the true credentials to respond to this article. Everyone else educate yourself before you speak, otherwise you just sound foolish. Don't make it a cop vs. firefighter issue (that's retarded.) Both jobs are entirely different, but we all have one goal and that is to serve our community and go home safely.
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Permalink Reply by Michael R. McCall on
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Need to get bullet proof vest! Also may need to carry a firearm?
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Permalink Reply by Matthew J Strausbaugh on
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OH NO NO NO... This was just wrong from the words "Hey, I've got an idea!" Didn't the police break the law by pulling the fire alarm? Wouldn't that be inducing panic? If they would have announced "This is a drill." first... I pitty the guys in the big city already having to worry about crack heads, dealers, crazies, idiots taking pot shots at them already, now you got stuff like this going on... These guys don't need another reason for someone to put them in the cross hairs..
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Permalink Reply by Bob Madsen on
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I have to agree with everyone on this. This gives the impression to criminals that even a firefighter could be a policeman and to not trust us. This now puts all of us at risk. The decision by this Fire Chief to go along with this tactic was well intended but not a good decision in the long run for line personnel.
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Permalink Reply by Jacob Fouts on
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This is going to destroy the firefighters standing within the community. The first firefighter that dies because some criminal thinks it's really a cop is going to cause a huge rift within the entire public safety realm. It's going to ruin an already fragile relationship between firefighters and police.
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Permalink Reply by kevin elsass on
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I understand that police have it bad when it comes to criminals, and how one might react when an arrest attempt is made, but using the Fire Dept's image to gain trust and entry is wrong. I would not even condone using a fire alarm or even banging on his door screaming 'FIRE' to get him to come out. Police have plenty other tactics to gain safe control of potentially bad situations. They should stick to them and using Fire as a masquerade for the police should be made ILLEGAL ASAP in every country, province, town, township, county, village, city, basically EVERYWHERE. In my opinion as well, the law enforcement department that did this, as well as the fire cheif who ok'd it needs to appologize to all fire rescue personell all over the world for the oversite of endangering us by using this tactic.
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Thanks for screwing us all over. I know that fire and police have to work togeather but you have to draw a line some where.
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Well i'm glad that the child got out of the situation unharmed but I have to agree with alot of the others in saying that the community trusts us...they will lose trust in us if they don't know if it really is firefighters on the truck to help them or police officers dressed as us to make an arrest. Don't get me wrong I have alot of respect for law enforcement, but after this incident people might not trust us making our job harder and that tactic will probably fail if attempted again. I just hope that this doesn't effect our relationship with the communities and no firefighter will be shot because someone read about this thinking that we are police officers going to make an arrest. Not to mention the people who might think we're law enforcement making an arrest and ignore a potentionally dangerous situation that might cost them their life.
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