Responsibility to assist an officer???

[femurphy77]

So an LEO can order You to assist HIM but he is in no way obligated to assist you? Not cop bashing, we had one in the house socially last night, just noting the irony.

 

[Destro]

The town marshal can "call the power of the town to his aid"
IC 36-5-7-4

 

[KoopaKGB]

An officer would have to know you are armed to make such an order of assisting in a gunfight.

If I am unarmed and an officer tells me to assist in a gun fight, well you can guess what my answer would be to that

Tell him to throw you his backup weapon?

 

[freekforge]

I have assisted an officer once I don't have my ltch yet and no law says i had to help (until the 2nd officer arrived) but feel i have a moral and civic responsibility to help. All i did was ask if he needed help he said yes and i helped restrain a guy when another cop showed up he cuffed him and told me to hold on to him. It would have been a lot more exciting if it was a gunfight but it still made a good story to tell in criminal justice.

 

[Miketodd]

I have assisted an officer once I don't have my ltch yet and no law says i had to help (until the 2nd officer arrived) but feel i have a moral and civic responsibility to help. All i did was ask if he needed help he said yes and i helped restrain a guy when another cop showed up he cuffed him and told me to hold on to him. It would have been a lot more exciting if it was a gunfight but it still made a good story to tell in criminal justice.

Unless you got shot and killed or shot a bystander or innocent. Than lets see how cool that story is.

 

[Mac-1917]

Unless I could end the gunfight immediately and re-holster. There is no way I am jumping into a gunfight involving LEO that probably have backup OTW who may fire your ass up on arrival.

Regardless too many variables for this. In Thurston county, WA I knew every deputy that worked the area's I would be at. In Indianapolis not so much.

 

[Fedempl]

To assist a LEO or any third party could fall under IC 35-41-3-2.

 

[danmdevries]

Personally I'd rather not be the one holding a gun, with an officer on the ground, when backup arrives. YMMV

ETA: Not to say I wouldn't, in fact, I have assisted in the past with an arrest but the situation would require some rapid and careful evaluation before I'd get involved.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Nor does anyone want your help.

Pretty bold statement. I can think of a couple of instances off hand where LEOs were very grateful for help from an armed citizen. One the officer was on the ground with a boxer on top of him beating him into unconsciousness when a guy put iirc 4 or 5 rounds into the guy and stopped him. Or the recent case down in TX where the officer was partially pinned down behind his car by a guy with a rifle and a bystander put a few rounds into the shooter.

Or how about this one that was just mentioned in this thread, although I will admit there were no firearms involved on the side of the people helping. But can't tire irons be considered a deadly weapon?

The one I will always remember was attempting to get a meth head under control on the side of I-74 at 0300 hrs. Felony burg warrants, stolen truck ect. This guy was wired and a big boy. Tazer didn't connect, lost it and then it got kicked into the road. I was honestly getting ready to go to the gun. I heard tires locking up and next thing I had some truck drivers all around me with tire irons. They wore that boy out needless to say and even cuffed him up for me. I will admit I was out of juice and didn't have much left. It made me rethink a whole lot of things. I am forever grateful to those truck drivers.

 

[sig-guy]

There's certainly no legal responsibility.

Moral responsibility? I don't personally think so.

You both probably have a driver's license-- does he want you to get involved in car chases too?

I'm in!!!