Seriously? LineX of Knoxville…

[Jamie Jackson]

Good grief. “See something, say something” from the Obama administration struck home the other day.

 

Several of my buds and I followed the thread on body armor closely. As we have been discussing this topic recently, we decided it was time to get serious about obtaining some decent kit.

Link: http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/77771-body-armor/

 

We are all involved in the shooting and training communities and take safety seriously. One member of our group is an ER Physician and was looking into Tactical Medicine as well.

Tac Teams historically look to Paramedics and ER Physicians as a “best option” for their Team Medics…makes sense to me…

 

We found a good deal on unlined plates and Condor carriers. We figured, after much discussion and research that we would have the plates coated front and back with LineX, to mitigate the effects of splatter and spalling.

 

 

Our bud (the ER Physician…let’s call him “Doc”) and another member of our group went down to Linex to discuss having the plates lined. The price sounded reasonable to us… The timetable for coating front, back and side plates plus thickness, etc were also discussed. No mentions of any restrictions or concerns occurred during the conversation.

 

 

The next day “Doc” took the plates into LineX of Knoxville. “Doc” was alone this time.

“Doc” said the guys at LineX appeared anxious…”jumpy” were his words…and then told him they would have to contact “corporate” to see if they could actually do, what had been previously discussed, for a private citizen…

“Doc” left the plates with the understanding that they would be coated.

 

A couple of hours later “Doc” received a phone call from Homeland Security. It seems the good folks at LineX Knoxville were concerned enough about the LineX application process being used in nefarious ways that they felt the need to follow the “see something, say something” like good little subjects…err… citizens….

 

You see, my friend’s skin color isn’t as light as mine… never mind he was born and raised here…has busted his ass getting through medical school and serves his community…he apparently looked suspicious enough to the good old boys at LineX to warrant a “checking out” by Home Land Security…

 

 

 

Well, after a talk with the good man at Homeland security, (and even being offered a reference by said agent to a local Law Enforcement agency to serve as a role in Tactical Medicine with their Tac Team), LineX offered to do the job ASAP.

 

 

Really?  Seriously?

 

This really chapped my rear end…

LineX of Knoxville can be “good citizens/subjects” all day long…but they won’t get a penny of our hard earned money.

 

We here at TGO joke about “being on a list” sometimes…Well LineX of Knoxville can make that a reality for you.

I just thought folks should know.

 

Btw…Corporate was in fact contacted; smoke was blown…

 

Thanks but no thanks LineX of Knoxville…

 

 

 

edited because of my inability to spell correctly.

Edited May 21, 2014 by prag

[wk05]

I contemplated calling in for a quote and asking what the additional charge was to be reported to the DHS, but Id rather not waste my time!

[Mike.357]

that is f'd up

[wileecoyote]

I can see at least 2 sides to the story, maybe more. Unless the folks there are blatantly racist and have demonstrated this to other people in other ways, I would suspect the more likely scenario was that upon the first visit the clerks didn't know what to think since they've never heard of any such request or application before. Then after they had time to think it over and talk about it after you left, someone perhaps a little conspiracy minded or liberal got to talking about how unusual the request was, and visions of the numerous media reports of shootouts involving armor came to mind, so they just decided to be cautious. While I (or most pro-gun) people wouldn't have thought anything odd about the request, the average citizen who knows nothing of guns let alone armor would definitely see that as unusual, and it is actually smart of them to make the call from a liability perspective. If it were me I wouldn't have ever told them what the plates were, just said they are part of some machinery or samples to be used in testing. Discretion is often best in such scenarios, to avoid unwanted attention.

[hipower]

All this fuss because a darker skinned fellow who had been in before actually came back to have some work done? How sad.

[wileecoyote]

Similar story: military and black-ops friends of mine had pitched in to buy a huge quantity of ammo, like 1/4 million rounds. Ordered, paid, and had it shipped legally. On the day of the delivery, 4 black SUVs followed the truck to the destination and proceeded to cause quite a scene with felony search and interrogation, before ultimately realizing (after much heated discussion and legal maneuvering) that this was a legal transaction and being forced to depart. While it irritates me to see the government playing big brother, and they clearly handled this incident poorly, I don't really blame them in checking it out. Not too many times that private orders are placed for so much ammo.

[BrasilNuts]

This is a service that LineX offers and promotes, check their site, so this shouldn't have been unheard of to have a request for it.

If the clerk had said up front that they were going to have Doc checked out and explained why, I doubt there would have been an issue.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Tis tough decision. What if a fine upstanding military man such as Dr. Nidal Malik Hassan had availed himself of the services of the company and it was later discovered they didn't report it?

 

Not defending the company actions but it doesn't appear entirely cut n dried what would be the proper response.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Lester Weevils

[wileecoyote]

This is a service that LineX offers and promotes, check their site, so this shouldn't have been unheard of to have a request for it.

They do promote the use of Line-X for coating armor plates (learn something new every day!) but it is clearly marketed for military and government applications:
http://www.linex.com/pages/2010/military/applications.php

Also, the average Line-X dealer probably never does any work on armor plates since the government contracts are likely handled by commercial account teams or a few locations near major military bases. So even if the Knoxville location was familiar with this application for military customers, which is doubtful, I can still see why they might be curious or concerned when unknown civilians come in with a large request.

Not defending Line-X since I wasn't involved, and perhaps this specific location had an employee which let race factor into their judgment which would be a shame, but I wouldn't tarnish the whole company or even the entire location because of the actions of one employee, especially when there are reasonable circumstances for them to be careful.

[Jamie Jackson]

You know wilee...maybe I'm too close to the situation. "Doc" is my friend...like family to me...so, maybe I'm biased about the profoundly unprofessional manner with which this was dealt.

 

As Brasil mentioned above...this is a service they offer...and that particular location, to the best of my knowledge..has done these applications before.

 

 

Concerns could quite easily have been voiced by LineX, in person, initially. No big deal. It's simply not the way it went down.

 

Just remember, the finger could be pointed at any of us, at any time...none of us are immune to the current political climate.

 

Opinions vary...I get that...we could "what if" this until the cows come home...

 

I just thought I'd get the word out on what transpired with us. If the information is beneficial, I'm glad.

 

 

Thank you for the interest and input folks.

[wileecoyote]

I totally understand Prag. It is entirely possible that these guys overreacted, let race play a factor, or treated you in a less-than-stellar manner. When that happens to me I share the news as well, to help advise others of what might happen to them.

Just wanted to comment that there could have been a different thought process behind their actions which had nothing to do with you or your friend. At least I hope so, as this world really doesn't have room for racism in modern society.

[JohnC]

I might of missed it, but why not buy the stuff already coated?

 

http://www.ar500armor.com/

[Jamie Jackson]

JohnC...

 

We wish we had now...you can believe that my friend.

[Randall53]

It's gonna get worse before it gets better I'm afraid.

[BJB]

I'm kinda walking the fence on this one, and you all know that I don't post a lot. BUT in the day and time we are living in I Do Not think you can be to careful. You buy body armor for safety. They notified home land security( granted that's a little over the top) for safety. I wish I could take every one I know on a tour of our jail. I can show you people that have committed crimes that would blow your mind. I'm talking little ole grandmas and grandpas that are stealing and killing just to get another fix. I say be safe ALWAYS....Home Land checked you out, everything cleared, you got your plates and, every one is happy. OK so maybe I'm not on the fence

[chances R]

I can see both sides....maybe due diligence by Line-X thwarting a possible terrorist in one scenario.  Possibly a racist motive in another.  Could have all been handled a little better with a common sense approach and 5 minutes of getting to know you type conversation while doing business.

Edited May 22, 2014 by chances R

[McGarrett]

 I had trouble getting them to do the bed of our service truck a few years ago. They quoted me a price on it but when I took it to them to get it done they got all weird about it being for commercial use and so on and then proceed with a drastic increase in price. The area is a lot smaller than a p/u bed since it was only about a 6x4 flat area of the floor, no coating up the sides,and I told them I understood if they could not warranty it since it was commercial use but they still wanted to charge me almost double what they originally quoted. The knew it was for commercial use when they looked at it for the quote but totally changed their tune when it came time to do the work.

 

Needless to say I did not think much of them after that experience. I just bought the diy kit and did both service trucks myself. Two thumbs down for Line-X of Knoxville.

[Spiffy]

 I had trouble getting them to do the bed of our service truck a few years ago. They quoted me a price on it but when I took it to them to get it done they got all weird about it being for commercial use and so on and then proceed with a drastic increase in price. The area is a lot smaller than a p/u bed since it was only about a 6x4 flat area of the floor, no coating up the sides,and I told them I understood if they could not warranty it since it was commercial use but they still wanted to charge me almost double what they originally quoted. The knew it was for commercial use when they looked at it for the quote but totally changed their tune when it came time to do the work.

 

Needless to say I did not think much of them after that experience. I just bought the diy kit and did both service trucks myself. Two thumbs down for Line-X of Knoxville.

 

Sounds like a hookers upsale!