Dispatchers Stuck Between ‘Open Carry’ Policy

The legality of carrying an unconcealed handgun in public has become an issue for Madison (Wisc.) police officers, and for their dispatchers who take telephone calls from citizens. The state’s citizens have long had the right to carry a loaded handgun in a holster in a public place. But the law, and the police department’s policies, apparently aren’t universally known, acccording to the Examiner.com Web site, which offers locally-written news under the banner of a San Francisco newspaper. In a recent case, a citizen called on a non-emergency line to say someone was carrying a holstered handgun, and inquired if open-carry was legal. The dispatcher sent an officer to investigate the person, and the officer later wrote the person a disorderly conduct ticket. The ticket set off criticism and debate over the police department’s handling of the phone call. Read more here, and then ponder your states open-carry policy.