CLEO

[M1966]

Hate to sound stupid, but what exactly is the CLEO?
I know what the letters mean as far as Chief Law Enforcement Officer, but in reference to renewing a C&R, is it the CHIEF of police or would it refer to the officer who deals all the firearms related stuff (ie, licensing and such) that gets a copy...?

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Send it to the chief.

 

[Admin]

The Chief !

 

[ateamrob]

Chief of Police, Sherriff, District Attorney or even local Judge.

Chief is the best way to go.

 

[drgrant]

And when you send it to him, enclosing a letter with it is
useful- some of them don't know what the hell a C+R license
is, so a letter explaining that it's just a legal requirement to notify
and that "no action on his part is required" is useful, otherwise you
might get a "WTF?" call or letter in return.

-Mike

 

[Len-2A Training]

In MA, the answer is always "chief of police". In some states the Sheriff is the right answer.

DA or Judge is NEVER the right answer in MA (and probably true in most states).

 

[ateamrob]

correct...

DA or Judge are only applicable when the Sherriff or Cheif turns you down and you have no other options. When you send in paperwork to the ATF to register a Machine Gun you can use a Judge or a DA if your Cheif or Sherriff gives you trouble. Not always does it work though.

 

[rscalzo]

Some states have a Director of Public Safety which in some cases cou;d be the CLEO.

 

[the_doctor]

In MA, the answer is always "chief of police". In some states the Sheriff is the right answer.

DA or Judge is NEVER the right answer in MA (and probably true in most states).

Isn't the DA actually the CLEO for the county? He is the one responsible for enforcing the laws. He is the responsible for the police.

The Judge is really in charge of the court and he has very little to do with management of LEOs. In some places the Judge can replace the Sheriff, but I do not think that he is ever considered a LEO.

Bill

 

[Len-2A Training]

DA's in MA have NO authority over local or state police.

The DA is the Chief Prosecutor for the County. One could call him/her an "officer of the court" but by no means are they "law enforcement".

 

[rscalzo]

In NJ, the State's Attorney General was know as the "Chief Law Enforcement Officer" of the state although he was not a sworn law enforcement officer and lacked certain powers. The CLEO came from the fact that his directives and guidelines were mandatory for the police agencies to carry out and follow.

Comes down to semantics in a way.

 

[Jose]

DA's in MA have NO authority over local or state police.

The DA is the Chief Prosecutor for the County. One could call him/her an "officer of the court" but by no means are they "law enforcement".

+1 in Ohio.

If you want an FFL or NFA application approved and you do not have a trust or corporation formed, you send the application for concurrance to your CLEO. If you live in an incorporated city or village, you send the application to the city/village chief of police. If you live in a unincorporated township with a police department, you send it to the township police chief. If you live in an unincorporated township without a PD (like I do), it goes to the county Sheriff.

It never goes to the county DA, city prosecutor, Highway Patrol post commander, State AG, Commissioner of the Highway Patrol, or Chief of the Ohio Bureau of Investigation. Prosecuting attorneys are not sworn peace officers and the heads of the Highway Patrol and OHBoI have specialised and statutorily limited powers and duties.

 

[the_doctor]

DA's in MA have NO authority over local or state police.

The DA is the Chief Prosecutor for the County. One could call him/her an "officer of the court" but by no means are they "law enforcement".

Since when do they have no authority? They are not responsible for hiring or firing, but a great deal of the actual operations come under their sway. They are responsible for the conduct of investigations. They are responsible for setting standards. You go to the selectmen in an attempt to fire a police officer, but the DA tells the police chief which cases to pursue and how.

I think that you should ask a DA, and I will try to personally ask one in the future...they think that they are the CLEO!

I would think that you send your letter regarding the C&R to Police Chief only since they handle state licensing...it seems to fit in the scheme of Massachusetts.

Bill

 

[Len-2A Training]

Bill,

No idea where you are, but my DA is a good personal friend that I've known for 33 years. I've worked on numerous of his campaigns as State Rep and State Sen before his present position as DA.

I think that I can safely say that he would not consider himself as the CLEO for the county. He and I discussed his position and that of the AG a few years ago when he was giving consideration of running for AG.

 

[the_doctor]

Bill,

No idea where you are, but my DA is a good personal friend that I've known for 33 years. I've worked on numerous of his campaigns as State Rep and State Sen before his present position as DA.

I think that I can safely say that he would not consider himself as the CLEO for the county. He and I discussed his position and that of the AG a few years ago when he was giving consideration of running for AG.

Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol DAs of various parties have declared themselves as the CLEO in various times. I am not making this up. A whole score of individuals from the past have declared themselves such when running for other office or re-election.

Bill

 

[Len-2A Training]

Bill, and you believe what a politician tells you when they are running for office?

 

[drgrant]

Course, none of this stuff means anything WRT BATFE- if one
is wondering whether or not a certain individual qualifies as a CLEO
for BATFE purposes, it's best to ask them. They might tell you
one individual in one circumstance/state qualifies and another in a
different one does not. If BATFE says "Bozo the clown" is a CLEO,
and Bozo signs your NFA paperwork, and it comes back with a tax
stamp on it, then it doesn't really matter what Bozo's "legal" standing
is.

-Mike