Proper handling of guns for police?

I read about a recent case where a police officer put her gun in her purse and was disciplined after her purse was snatched. Makes sense–guns are meant to be carried in a holster. What do police officers do at home, though, and they take their holsters off? Where are they meant to put their guns?

Many police officers and deputies don’t bring their service firearms home.

My father was a police officer and deputy sheriff for over thirty years and he always left his gun locked up at work.

I have a few family members who are former police officers who brought their service weapons home. They are supposed to secure their guns when not wearing them, which could mean a safe I supposed.

My dad put his on top of the dresser where I couldn’t reach, which seems to be not secure to me now but was effective when I was a little kid.

They’re expected to do the same thing that civilians are supposed to do with theirs, honestly. In a lot of places, that means a gun safe or locker.

My friend’s neighbor was a Secret Service Agent. He had a sand filled trash can in his garage. He’d get home, close the garage door, pull his weapon, remove the magazine, clear the action, test fire into the trash can, put the pistol back in the holster, and when he got inside, put the holstered pistol, the loose round, and the magazine in his safe.

Once he showed us what he kept in the trunk of his “company” car. I was impressed!

In 1976 I had a job at a self-service gas station. A PA state cop was in the bathroom when he was alerted to a robbery in progress. He jumped in his car and drove off, leaving his weapon sitting on the toilet tank.

When he came back the gun was gone. I was the only one working, and I was watching the pumps the entire time.

A local police officer had a rather troubled teenager. This teenager was caught on surveillance video doing donuts with his car on the astro turfed football field. he was suspended. He went home ad got his dad’s duty weapon, went back to school. He shot and killed the vice principal who had suspended him and wounded two others. He then left the campus, drove to a parking lot not far away and then shot himself.
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Shooting_At_Millard_South_High_School_112952214.html

One would think departmental policy would require safe storage for weapons by police officers. I do remember reading at the time that there was a gun safe in the house, but that particular weapon had been left unsecured on a closet shelf.

Define “many”. I don’t know any that don’t.

It all has to do with an agencies written policies that dictate what an officer does off duty with department issued equipment.

I was lucky enough that both the agency I retired from and the one I work for now allow for on duty carry of personal guns, as long as we qualified with it. What that means is, if it’s lost, stolen, or damaged we wouldn’t get written up as it isn’t department property.

I carry my own so I can do what I want with it. I got in big trouble once for putting after market grips on a revolver I was issued (yeah I’m old. We used to be given revolvers).

Cops are governed by their agencies written policies. For those that take the issued weapon where I work now (a Sig) there is no policy here on how to carry off duty. I carry my own pistol on/off duty* so I can also carry it any way I want off duty, holster or not. As long as I’m not breaking any laws it’s not their business what I’m doing with it off the clock.

*Not really. I’ve been carrying a Ruger .45 and that sucker is too big & heavy to carry concealed, especially in the summer. For OC it’s alright. Off duty I’ve been carrying a Glock 36.

There have been a couple of incidents recently where a gun was left behind on the toilet paper dispenser in a restroom of the US Capitol. Apparently, the Capitol Police officers were wearing their guns in waist holsters and did not want the gun to droop to the floor, but then they forgot to pick them back up.

Just to clarify why he would do this, the FBI and Secret Service (and probably most other federal law enforcement agencies) require a chambered round to be expended after an administrative unload in order to prevent recycling of the round and the potential for pushing the bullet back past the recommended setback during repeated loading, thus increasing peak pressure and potentially rupturing the case and damaging the weapon and injuring the shooter. (This was not a problem with revolvers and not as much of a problem with older low pressure SAAMI spec rounds like the 9mmP and .45 ACP, but can be a significant problem with +P ammunition and modern high pressure rounds such as the .40 S&W or 10mm Auto.) Although it is not strictly necessary to fire the round, this is the easiest way to make sure the round is not reused and has the advantage of verifying that the weapon is in good function. It also alleviates the supposed problem of an accidental discharge while performing an administrative unload, though I have never heard of a case where a modern service-grade firearm has ever discharged due to following the correct unloading procedure e.g. removing the magazine and cycling the action with fingers outside of the trigger guard; every AD I’ve ever heard of was or could only reasonably be explained by the shooter having their finger on the trigger.

As far as police carrying firearms off-duty, most major law enforcement agencies strongly recommend this when appropriate and legal (e.g. they permit concealed or open carry except in federal facilities, some National Parks and Monuments, venues serving alcohol, et cetera) due to the possibly heightened threat to a peace officer versus an ordinary citizen. In some cases at least agencies have requirements for carry (e.g. must only be an issued or approved personal weapon, must be carried with agency-supplied ammunition, much be carried on-body at all times, et cetera) but on home storage they provide only recommendations.

With the vast array of gun safes available including small and inexpensive one or two pistol safes with rapid access (adequate to prevent children or the mentally indigent from easily accessing the weapon although not robust against a determined destructive attack) there is really no reason that a weapon stored at home shouldn’t be secured. As for off-body carry, while not recommended it is sometimes unavoidable, especially for women or smaller men who may not be able to carry a concealed pistol under normal clothing in warm conditions or in formal or dress attire were wearing a stiff 1.5 or 2 inch wide belt (necessary to secure a belt-carried pistol) isn’t feasible, and particularly if their carry weapon is a full sized duty pistol. Despite what you see in movies and TV, concealing even a small pistol from public view can be quite challenging or uncomfortable, or both, not to mention extra magazines, flashlight, or anything else an off-duty officer may need to carry, and really compact firearms have either very limited accuracy, potency, or ammunition capacity…in many cases all three.

Stranger

A baseball bat is better than an unloaded weapon IMO.

Beside my keyboard, bed, under my pillow, in my hand as I answer the door, etc., is much more useful to me than in any kind of box in the bedroom, hall closet, etc…

YMMV

YMMV

Interesting, thanks for the answers, guys.

Bases loaded and two men out, when the batter starts swinging the unloaded weapon the odds are he’s gonna bunt.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/police-patrol-rifle-stolen-in-northwest-calgary-car-prowling

Here’s a Canadian example of something similar happening recently. According to the press release, our rules/recomendations for officers taking their guns home are different than many parts of the US. Of course, this officer was pretty irresponsible with where and how he stored his rifle. They’ve since found the gun, but I’m not sure if they caught the actual thief.

If you can carry concealed legally and you wear suits or sports jackets, you might want to consider a visit to your tailor. S/He might be able to help your concealed appearance.

Why would anyone go through such an expense? Using a paddle or pancake holster with a suit/sport coat over it works just fine.

It will still print unless the jacket is cut and weighted to clear the firearm cleanly, or is really volumous to begin with. The only really effective method of on-body concealed carry is a deep inside the waistband (IWB) holster, or for a small handgun, the small of back (SOB) holster, and those who have carried with either method can attest to what a pain in the ass (figuratively and literally) this can be.

Stranger

↑ ↑ ↑ For the thread win !!! :smiley:

I call Bunk. Using the right holster you can carry any handgun you want with a suit and not print. I’ve done it a zillion times. A cheap pancake holster fits tight against the body doesn’t show through material.

Sometimes I’ll carry my Glock in the inside pocket of a suit coat using Clipdraw to hold it securely. Even that doesn’t print.

It may not print when you are standing straight up with arms at your sides, but when you bend over or twist the grip prints like crazy. That may not be such a concern these days when people tend to carry all manner of appliances on their belts, but I can tell a firearm from a cell phone easily from fifty meters. The only really effective concealment I’ve found is an IWB holster, and that becomes such a nuisance that it just isn’t worth it for most people.

Stranger