Beloit, WI Police Chief Norm Jacobs has asked members of his community to volunteer to have their homes searched by police for guns, because he hopes the program will encourage people to think about gun violence as an infectious disease like Ebola, and a home inspection like a vaccine to help build up the city’s immune system. You might want to start working on that hoplophobia outbreak, Chief.

The chief went on to say that he hopes the volunteer searches will yield weapons that are linked to crimes, but he is not offering any immunity to prosecution. Chief Norm also hopes to find toys that do not have the right colored tips. Toys? Really?

Or is he even looking for guns?

I am not making this up.

The only circumstance I can think of where I might consent to a police search would be if I came home to a burglarized house and I or my alarm company called the cops. Then I might ask them to clear the house before I went in. Chief Norm can then be point man.

Not surprisingly, the proposal almost immediately turned into a political hot potato, and as a result, the offer was quickly rescinded in an announcement from the office of City Manager Larry N. Arft. His three-paragraph statement noted that, “While the program was strictly voluntary and required a signed release before police could enter a residence, numerous individuals have expressed concerns about the fact that people’s homes would be inspected or searched as part of the process.”

The press release went on to say the chief’s proposal was not submitted to the city legal office for review before it went public, but now it would be, and it probably will not be resurrected.

Arft also noted that there is already a mechanism for people to report guns to police to have them removed from private property. Or you can just call me.