In 35 years in law enforcement, said the Takoma Park Police chief, he's never had this happen. He's never had a store tell him that he would have to leave his service weapon in the car or leave the store -- especially when he was in his police uniform. But that's what happened July 4 in the Ikea in College Park, where Takoma Park Police Chief Alan Goldberg had stopped in with his daughter. Goldberg was in uniform because he had worked that morning at the city's July 4 parade, and would be back on duty that night for fireworks. In between, he stopped at Ikea to shop for furniture for his daughter's new apartment. And that's when a loss-prevention officer at the store approached him. "He says we have a no firearms policy, and you're either going to have to leave or you can lock your gun in the car," Goldberg said. The store has signs posted on the front door that read "Weapons Free Environment." Neither of those options seemed a good one to the officer. "It isn't the most prudent thing to do to walk around the store in uniform with an empty holster," Goldberg said. "And I am not going to lock my gun in a commercial parking lot, with people watching me put it in there. That's just ludicrous."
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