I still have my "slapjack"!
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I still have the flat sided in medium size.
I still have my "slapjack"!
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Most of the younger bucks here, real LEO or not, are not impressed with "the good old days"... but then, not having seen them, how can they know the difference?
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Which is exactly why its not done here. Too many administrators are worried more about perception than getting the job done or officer safety, etc. An exception to this is when National Guard troops are deployed, such as they were in the airports for a long time after 9/11, or during disasters, etc. Most of them had/have their rifles. That is more due to the brass not trusting the rank and file with pistols more than anything else.
The Europeans have a generally more practical outlook about such things... up to a point. But, through the ages, Euro cops haven't had to use their weapons nearly as often as we do here, and as a result look at their iron as more of a badge of office than a life-saving tool.
Its a real dichotomy of values, in one regard. For instance, you don't see "regular" Euro cops with shotguns; ever. In Europe, shotguns are considered a purely sporting weapon, and their employment in an anti-personnel mode is viewed as barbaric. Go figure.
As to employing a shoulder gun in everyday patrol ops... try riding around in your car with one strapped up (doesn't matter what sort of sling you choose), getting in and out of the vehicle, writing tickets, working wrecks, answering non-violent calls for assistance... that long gun would get real old, in a real hurry.
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Incorrect sir,
they were issued colt 6933s 11.5" barrel
That's kinda what I was getting at. In Europe (2nd hand info, haven't been myself) its not uncommon to see cops carrying smg's (airports, etc. not so much patrolling). If an AR is a better weapon why aren't more cops carrying them. 3 point sling is no different than a holster. They'd be safer. The public would be better off if a shoot happened- more accurate and less overpenetration. And LEO's would project a more intimidating image. I'm thinking more of the downtown NOPD street cop than you rural guys, btw....
I still have the flat sided in medium size.
I'm a huge fan of Saps and 'jacks. Nothing says stop that violent criminal behavior immediately like a whack on the old Mandibular Angle from the edge of a Sap. As Jelly Bryce said"....It brings the ones that won't."
It's been 12 years, but when I was in France, the Police I saw(Paris City Police) carried Walther PPs and P5s in thumb-break holsters. The DeGaulle Metro station was patrolled by soldiers with FAMAS bullpups.
Why do LEOs need to project an "intimidating image" on a daily basis? They have a lot of duties that don't involve shooting or being shot at. Sure, there are special occasions where it's necessary, but for day-to-day work among the general public, that would just seem very "Soviet".
Why not make it safer for the officers?