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What do your Cops carry
- Thread starter Weerd Beard
- Start date
When outfitting 30-40,000 cops, it could turn into a logistical nightmare if everyone had something different, I agree with you there. But it doesn't have to be that hard; instead of a dept. buying duty gear, they could accomplish something similar with a voucher program or uniform allowance, and the same thing for range ammo come qualification day. The department would essentially be spending the same money, but the cops would do the shopping. I think the good thing about a policy like this is it involves the officer in the process a lot more.
Down here in Florida there's a ton of agencies (pretty big ones too) who require the individual to purchase their own gun. Usually it's from an approved list of firearms (some say "Choose from these 8 makes and models," others say "anything chambered in X caliber"), but some don't restrict it at all. Some also issue a standard pistol, but let you choose your own if you want to carry that instead. I've heard of a few guys that prefer the latter method because when their gun is taken in a shooting, they still have carry options.
Glock, 1911, Springfield, H&K, S&W and others all make great guns, but everyone doesn't always like them the same.
Almost every single police shooting is more of a one on one type deal, and I've never once heard of one where people were throwing mags to their friends who ran low. Even at North Hollywood, the Ceres shootout, and similar incidents where a lot of cops were on scene firing a lot of rounds, this scenario doesn't come up.
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
I'm not saying I agree with the policies or the rationale behind any of them. To me, a "gun guy," it makes sense for someone to choose the gun they want to depend on. Glocks don't fit everyone's hand/grip, no gun does. I think the officer should be able to choose what works best for him/her.
Everything I've posted is what has been told to me since day one of starting. It's the way it is in the departments I've worked for - I think part of it is just archaic policies that no one has taken the time to revamp, part of it is a lack of knowledge with relation to firearms, and part of it is "Well this looks good on paper, so we'll stick with it." Whether or not the reasons are true, or have been used in the "real world" is irrelevant. In my experience, ultimately, the Chief says "you'll carry this, and shoot these out of it," and that's that. If I could choose my own duty firearm, I most certainly would. Even if I had to use my own funds to buy it. It sounds like some of the Departments in Florida have the right idea.
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Don't worry, I was thinking aloud, not jumping on you.
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
I know of departments where the department armorer, who makes the training/gun/ammo purchase decisions, is just one of the regular officers who works a couple of extra hours a week for a little extra money. This can be great because it's a real guy/gal who's boots are on the ground beside everyone else's, so s/he has a better chance of making an informed decision about what's needed on the street. The downside is that you might get stuck with the guy who just wants to pay down his mortgage faster and doesn't know or care about guns in the least.
I also recently learned that some agency insurance policies include requirements that the gun have an actual safety (lever or incorporated into the grip), or that forbid single action, which affects which guns they can and can't issue.
Speaking of non-gun police brass, does anyone here remember the video of the police chief who changed his department from Glocks after shooting off his middle finger with one? I did some extensive searching and couldn't find it.
rockland Glcok 23
