What brand of gun do police use??

Question

Do most police use the Glock brand? Are they supplied for them, or do they buy their own gun?

Answer 1

Most cops in this area have the .40 cal. Smith and Wesson.

Answer 2

The Glock model 22 in .40 S&W caliber is the most popular handgun used in law enforcement today. Many depts.rovide guns, but some requires officers to buy their own. The Glock model 22 is today, what the Smith & Wesson Model 10 .38 special revolver was for the last 90 years, the standard police sidearm.

Answer 3

This question is impossible to answer as each agency has different firearms. The majority of departments issue a Glock in a 9mm or .40 caliber. However, it is true that some departments allow their officers to carry what they choose. The FBI is now carrying a .357 Sig Sauer. My department issues the .40 Glock but I wish they would allow me to carry my .357 Sig. I believe it to have superior stopping power and the gun is more comfortable for me. The advantage of a Glock or another polymenr gun for law enforcement is it allows high capacity magazines while maintaining a small grip on the gun. The Glock accomplishes this but I dont like the grip angle on their guns. I have a large hand and dont mind a larger grip frame. Im not sure but the only department that I know of in California carrying Smith and Wesson is the California Highway Patrol. They carry a S & W 4006 .40 caliber. But they too are in the process of switching guns....so I have heard.

Answer 4

The Glock 17 and 19 is the most commonly used weapon in Pennsylvania. However, it seems a lot of law enforcement have been switching over to Springfields and smith and Wesson. Most Departments supply the weapon, this is mainly for the reason of certification. in PA an officer must be certified in each individual weapon. Making sure all the officers carry the same gun insures compatibility in emergencies.

Answer 5

To answer your question properly, I must point out that different police departments have different requirements regarding firearms, and thus different departments will have different guns.

Each department (and sheriff departments, and other law enforcement agencies) will order their own brand based on their own assessment of their own needs.

For example, LAPD only use Colt 1911-type 45 cal pistols, probably from Springfield Armory or Kimber.

Some departments will allow individual officers to buy their own guns, but requirement to use the same ammo the department uses. Others would not allow individual gun choices at all, whereas even others will allow officer to choose their own gun and ammo, some may even reimburse the officer. It's all different.

Glock and Sig Sauer both have law enforcement "packages" for departments or individual officers. Pick up a copy of "Guns and Ammo for Law Enforcement" magazine to see what's available.

Answer 6

It's all up to your department. Just about every major department is already certified by an organization called CALEA. Part of the requirement to be certified is that your department must have standards and directives that govern just about everything for the department. One of the standards that are required for CALEA is a policy that mandates which weapons an officer is allowed to carry on or off duty (if the department allows off-duty carry).

Personally, I have SEEN the following types of weapons being carried by police officers someplace in the USA: Smith & Wesson, Glock, Sig Sauer, Walther, H&K, Kimber, Colt, Baretta, Springfield, Kahr... Just about EVERY major brand sold in the USA.

Smith & Wesson has a LONG history of being the #1 law enforcement weapon. They were the first to develop/sell a mass produced revolver and semi-automatic pistol designed specifically for law enforcement. In he 1980's they began to slack a little and other companies started to walk through the door which Smith & Wesson opened. Sig and Glock both walked through the door. Both are reliable and have their strengths and weaknesses.

If you talk to enough cops at enough mid-size and large departments, you'll come up with one common denominator.... they are all budget driven. The larger the department, the more budget driven they become. Glock had a very interesting market stragety. They set their MSRP at the same level as Sig's and S&W, even though their guns cost much less to produce. (injection molded plastic is MUCH LESS expensive to produce than CNC machines aluminum/stainless for the gun's body/grip), Glock then offered a very steep discount for LE sales, practically giving the guns away. Since the guns performed as well as Sig and S&W, and they cost up to 50% less, it became a financial no-brainer.

Something else to think about when it comes to performance... look at some very large departments like LAPD, NYPD or Dallas PD.... For the most part, these departments issue Glocks to their street/patrol officers (mostly for financial reasons), but when it comes to special units, like SWAT/HRT, most of these teams go with a .45 1911 style gun. (of which, I prefer Springfield over Kimber... even though LAPD likes Kimber)

In the end, there is no right answer to this question. It varies by department and by officer. Some departments require officers to purchase their own weapon and some issue the weapon (and ammo) to them.



Personally, I use a Walther P99. I have both 9mm and .40. I think the gun is more reliable and safer than a glock... but that's just my opinion... (I also own the following brands: Sig, S&W, Glock, H&K; and of all of them, I prefer the Walther as my duty weapon)

Answer 7

It depends on the department and the state. Some states only recognize certain makes as duty weapons.

Some departments provide the weapon for the officers and other departments require the officer to purchase their own.

I'm sure there is data out there pertaining to makes/models of duty weapons, but I would say probably the Glock is the most popular at this time.

Answer 8

The Glock has been use by many departments. Most in my area carry the .40 S&W, .40 or .45 Sig or even the .45 Taurus and Rugers.

Answer 9

Depends on the department. Most use either the Glock or Smith and Wesson 40 cal, some use 9mm

Answer 10

<>While the 9mm Glock was extremely popular among police agencies in the past, many are switching to .40 cal and even to .45 cal semi-automatics. The makes vary: S&W and Sig are also big names. While many agencies provide full or partial reimbursement to the officers, some still have to pay for their own weapons.

Answer 11

Many police have a Glock, but that is not the only brand that is used. Most police furnish their own weapons.