csankey said:
Tritium, are you suggesting that any complaint/question/query must be investigated? A freak calls about alien abduction and an officer must investigate?
I don't blame the cleaner from notifying their manager, and don't blame the manager from notifying the police. But why would they conduct an investigation? Because firearms were involved. This kind of stuff makes me worried:
- if someone looks through the windows of my truck and sees boxes of cartridges when I'm going to the range.
- the recycling guy sees cardboard boxes in the paper bin
- an offficer checks my license plates and the system immediately shows I'm a gun owner, a click on the computer shows the guns I own.
- if someone were to call the police when I load up long guns into my vehicle from my house (the cases sort of give it away)
- the big box store employee wonders why I would possibly want 500, count 'em, 500 rounds of .22 long rifle...
The biggest concern here for Omen might be if his name is now on some type of file.
I think the Kingston official match hotel was well aware of the IPSC presence, and empty cartons would likely not have caused a fuss there.
Hey Kent,
I think that Omen's friend stated it best but, let me fill ya in on the details of such an investigation (and, yes, you should be worried

):
If someone sees ammunition boxes etc in your truck and the polcie are called...yup, you're going to get a visit...even if they were being transported lawfully...it's one of those measures that is supposedly going to curtail gun violence.. police administrators feed it to their troops almost daily and, especially in Ontario, coroner's inquests based on domestic violence relatied murders have forced police to investigate ALL FIREARMS RELATED CALLS.
Cardboard boxes in a recycling bin shouldn't have elicited such a call but very infrequently they do (in 15 years of police work I've never had one like that but I was once dispatched to assist at a residence where they called in a broken toilet... the comcentre Sergeant and I had a set to over it...he took an early retirement, I earned a fire side chat with the Regional superintendent for insuboridination).
As for CPIC or "the 'system" automatically flagging you as a firearms owner...it doesn't unless you have an entry on CPIC for "Firearms Interest Police" which can only get there due to refusal of a PAL, domestic violence, threatening or any other violent crime. To determine if you are a firearms owner a separate check must be done with the CFC...are you ready for this one...they aren't open 24 hours but most violent crime occurs between 9pm and 2am????
So, the bottom line is that when guns are involved, most police services have a policy that an officer receiving the complaint MUST investigate...even if it's a stupid call...remember the post on here a last year about the photos of guns developed at the Walmart in Barrie? Dumb call...cop had to investigate.
Oh, and as for the alien abduction...yup, a cop would most likely get sent to investigate the mental well-being of the individual involved.
PMT... no, I'm not suggesting that there was a need to protect the public from lethal cardboard boxes... I think I may have mis-stated what I was attempting to convey... I was attempting to convey that in our very ANTI-Gun society, the cardboard boxes may have been considered as reasonable grounds for the the cop to enter into an investigation to determine the intent of the indiviudal who is in possession of a firearm in order to prevent a
supposed gun crime that MAY be taking place.. that is a
HUGE stretch though but it is how it most likely would have been articulated in a subsequent police report or internal comalpiant based investigation.
I'm surprised that every cop in town wasn't aware that there was a major shooting match going on though.. that would just be good community policing-related intelligence to step up patrols in the area so that the gun owners cars don't get broken into in the hotel parking lot..not to check out the gun owners but to protect their property. It would be like stepping up patrols because there is major RV show, fishing show, dog show or the carnies are in town (ever notice how B&E stats go up when the Carnies are in town

).
I think Omen is writing a letter to the hotel and, given his above explanation he should... I would... htere was no need for them to call police, unfortuately, as I have stated numerous times, the officer has no choice but to investigate based upon policy alone (please don't quote the Nuremburg trials, I hear that everyday)
I was just filling you guys in on WHY the investigation ensued (other than my final comment to Omen who opened my eyes in the end).