Off-Duty Carry,
A Survey And Analysis of Current LE Practices

By Chuck Klein. © June 30, 2023

For the value of a police officer, the law saved.
For the value of the law, justice was saved.
For the value of justice, freedom was saved.

For the value of freedom, the nation was saved.
For the value of the nation, humanity was saved.
For the value of the humanity, a police officer was saved.

PREFACE
Off-duty carry of a firearm is NOT about being able to protect oneself, per se., but being in position to protect those one has sworn to serve and protect. The oath each officer takes doesn’t say: while on-duty only. Thus, if a LEO doesn’t wish to protect him/herself while off-duty, that’s a personal decision, but when in public, the obligation to protect others is mandatory. For at least a hundred years the debate has raged and gun writers have written, ad nauseum, over the preferred defensive tool. The only point everyone can agree is: the BEST defensive weapon is a firearm, but it is totally useless unless accessible when defense is needed.

HISTORY
A few decades ago, some courts ruled that LEOs could not carry off-duty unless so ordered by their department as part of their official capacity. This led to Chiefs making it formal policy that all officers must carry while off-duty. Contracts, unions and the FOP interpreted that to mean officers should be paid for being on-call. Legislatures intervened and cops, for the most part, were “allowed” to carry off-duty. Policies, laws and practices change over time. (1)

When it comes to carrying off-duty firearms, there are three types of police officers: One that always carries a handgun and the one that never carries or one that sometimes carries. It’s a given that being an LEO involves far more danger than that of any other profession. As a cop, even when off-duty, running into a disgruntled past arrestee could generate a physical attack on you – or the family members you might be with at the time. The OIC at the Norwood, Ohio Police Academy, in response to a recruits question as to should cops carry off-duty brought this reply known as Umbaugh’s Law:

“One either never carries a firearm,
or one always carries,
but one never sometimes carries.”(2)

In other words, if your mindset is that you are carrying, then you won’t be transmitting unintentional vibes of fear. It naturally forces you to be in condition yellow at all times – aware of your surroundings. .....