Uncensored Truth about America’s Law Enforcement Heroes
Why you need LEOSA insurance
Just as you wouldn’t operate a motor vehicle without liability insurance, you don’t want to carry a firearm without insurance either
By Dan Phillips, P1 Contributor
We sometimes hear of civilians who are arrested (and often prosecuted) for what appears to be a legitimate claim of self-defense with a firearm. If you carry, and many retired cops do, having insurance is a must.
While most officers go through an entire career without having to fire their weapon outside the range, those who have been in an officer-involved shooting know the trauma of the aftermath. Interviews with IAD/FID, desk duty, or administrative leave, and the ensuing stress and depression, can cause you to second-guess your actions. Fortunately, legal defense and your guild or union are there to support you emotionally, administratively and financially. However, as a retiree, your actions are your own. There are no “policy” guidelines. The only thing you can fall back on is the defense of yourself or immediate defense of the lives of others rising from a disparity of force situation. You only have this as an affirmative defense of your actions. There is no one coming to your aid unless you have insurance.
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER FIRING YOUR WEAPON
If you were to find yourself in a situation in which you had to fire your weapon, you can expect to be detained and perhaps arrested pending investigation. Your immediate actions before help arrive are to make any reasonable lifesaving efforts. It’s generally OK to give general information to responding officers regarding the location of suspects and victims. Don’t talk facts until speaking with an attorney (well-meaning statements will be scrutinized). Call your attorney. Emphasize to investigators you want to cooperate but want to speak to an attorney before talking.
You’re no longer the representative of your department or agency. Prepare for legal action – maybe criminal, maybe civil, probably both. Unless you are independently wealthy, you’re going to need an attorney. Attorneys are not cheap.
If you aren’t prepared, your savings, your pension, your house, your LEOSA status and your freedom are all at risk of loss. Just as you wouldn’t operate a motor vehicle without liability insurance, you don’t want to carry a firearm without insurance either.
SAMPLE LEOSA COVERAGE POLICIES
Fortunately, there are organizations that provide inexpensive LEOSA/HR218 coverage. I’m not endorsing or advocating any particular group. Most have affordable policies with a varying range of coverage and limits. Some offer policies where you use an in-house or plan attorney, while others let you select out-of-network attorneys (sometimes at lessor coverage limits). Some reimburse you after the fact, and some provide immediate coverage and assistance. The choice is up to you, so be sure to shop around.
The information below was obtained from the provider websites and represents minimum coverage plans. This is not an all-inclusive list; other providers have plans explicitly for civilians for firearms liability and are not listed here. Contact the provider for more information and policy details.
FEDS Protection: $300-$400 per year depending on plan coverage, $25,000-$50,000 criminal/up to $250,000 civil-bodily injury and property damage.
FOP Retired Law Enforcement Concealed Carry Legal Defense Coverage (CCC): $75 per year for members. The FOP has expanded its plan to unlimited legal defense for civil and criminal claims. All reasonable and necessary legal defense costs are now covered in full when using a plan attorney.
CCW SAFE: $18 per month, unlimited criminal and civil coverage, $500K toward bail and $250 court time.
*USCCA: *$25-42 per month, $50,000 criminal/$250,000 civil occurrence/$300,00 total, includes bond and daily loss of earnings up to $250 (*discounted for LEOs only).
If you choose to find an attorney on your own, select someone you know, or find an attorney experienced in self-defense cases. While you’re at it, do you have insurance to cover the loss of your firearm if lost or stolen?
When you do get your policy, keep it current. Carry the policy card in your wallet with the attorney’s phone number and your credentials. Make sure your spouse/family has your insurance and attorney information, and know who to call if something happens.
While having insurance may not relieve all the stress associated with such an event, it may give you and your family the peace of mind that you will have legal resources at your disposal.
* Not available in WA state.
This article, which was posted 03/06/2019, has been updated with current information.
This was a set up. The Feds have been working with the left and their Globalist masters for years. American cities burned last year and these actions were called “protest” and few were held accountable.
Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released bodycam video that showed a SWAT officer being shot in the face by the suspect during an armed standoff (video below).
The incident began at approximately 12:15 p.m. on March 16 when the LAPD received a report about a man firing a rifle into the air in the backyard of a residence located in the 1000-block of West 21st Street, KABC reported.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the lot where the gunman was firing the weapon has two separate residences – one in the front of the property and one at the rear, KTLA reported.
The suspect – later identified as 37-year-old Jorge Cerda – was located in the back yard, the chief noted.
Investigators spoke with the occupants in the front residence and discovered they were related to the gunman, KTLA reported.
Chief Moore said Cerda’s family members gave police “varying accounts” regarding whether or not the suspect was using drugs, the condition of his mental health, and how many guns he had access to.
The gunman ended up barricading himself inside the back residence, resulting in a SWAT team being dispatched to the scene.
Other members of the suspect’s family were evacuated from the area, Chief Moore told reporters.
Police attempted to negotiate with Cerda to get him to put down his weapons and come outside, but he refused, KTLA reported.
“We don’t want to come in there,” an officer told Cerda on his sister’s phone in the bodycam video. “We don’t want you to die today.”
They even played recordings of his family members begging him to surrender peacefully, Chief Moore said.
When those attempts failed, the officers resorted to deploying tear gas into the home, KTLA reported.
“After the Crisis Negotiation Team declared an impasse, gas was deployed into the home. As this occurred, the suspect fired, striking one SWAT officer twice,” LAPD officials said in a press release posted on March 28.
The bodycam showed two SWAT officers armed with a variety of less-lethal weapons staged behind a building adjacent to the driveway.
Then the suspect suddenly fired a round and struck LAPD Officer Rodney Williams in his ballistic vest, the video showed.
Officer Williams told his partner that he was fine and didn’t need to change places, the video showed.
LAPD deployed more gas at the suspect a moment later and bodycam video showed Cerda responded by coming out of the house and opening fire on the officers situated outside, according to the chief.
Officer Williams was shot in the face, the bodycam showed.
He fell backwards onto the pavement and his head and face were bleeding.
Bodycam video showed the other officer grabbed Officer Williams and dragged him away from the gunfire to safety.
Meanwhile, another SWAT officer who had been stationed in an upstairs window of the home, above the driveway, opened fire on Cerda when he stepped far enough out of the house, the video showed.
Cerda was shot multiple times during the exchange of gunfire and died at the scene.
Bodycam video showed the when Cerda fell to the pavement after he was shot, he landed on top of a loaded shotgun.
Police said Cerda was also in possession of a loaded pistol that was an untraceable “ghost gun” made without a serial number, KTLA reported.
The shotgun was stolen, according to LAPD.
Officer Williams, a 17-year veteran of the force, was rushed to a local hospital for treatment and survived his wounds, KTLA reported.
He has since been released from the hospital and Chief Moore said he was “grateful to be alive.”
“I am thankful for the SWAT officers that risked their life in rescuing him and getting him immediate medical attention,” Chief Moore told reporters. “And I’m also grateful that there was no other further loss of life in this ordeal.”
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. WARNING – Graphic Content and Obscene Language:
American Police News 