| Tools of the Trade |
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| www.geocities.com/kansaslawdog31 |
| Last updated: 04.30.2008 |
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| All officers carry a sidearm with them while on-duty. The type of sidearm that an officer carries is usually the individual officer's personal preference, although some departments are stamdardized and their officers will carry the same type of sidearm. Pictured is the Glock 23 semi-automatic pistol, which fires the .40S&W round. |
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| Some officers carry a chemical spray that is used to incapacitate violent or non-complaint suspects so that such persons can be taken into custody without officers have to physically having to fight such suspect. |
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| All officers carry handcuffs to restrain subjects they may arrest or need to detain. Most officers will carry more than one set. |
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| All officers carry a two-way radio for communicating with each other and with dispatch. This is probably the most underestimated piece of equipment that an officer carries with them. |
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| The duty belt contains all the equipment that a police officer carries upon their person while they are on duty. The list below describes the equipment normally found on an officer's duty belt. |
| In addition to the the ammunition in their sidearm, officers will generally carry additional magazines containing extra ammunition for their sidearm. |
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| A good flashlight is also a must for an officer. The type that an officer carries is usually of the personal preference of the officer. |
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| Officers may also be equipped with an assault rifle while on duty so that they will be prepared to deal with violents crimes that may occur. Two of the most common rifles used by police are the Ruger Mini 14 and the M4 rifle used by the US military. Both rifles are semi-automatic and use the .223 round. |
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| Many officers also carry an expandable baton, which is used to defend the officer from an assault when using a firearm is not appropriate or warranted. |
| Another tool used by officers is the Taser. The Taser is a electronic stun device that stuns a suspect to incapacitate dangerous, combative, or high-risk subjects that may be impervious to other means, regardless of pain tolerance, drug use, or body size, so that the suspect can be taken into custody with less chance of injury to either the suspect or officers. |
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| Some officers, particularly those in SWAT or SRT units, are also trained to use specialized weapons such as sniper rifles, submachine guns and diversion devices. These officers will use the weapons and tactics they have been taught to contain and stop certin types of incidents such as barricaded subjects, hostage incidents and active shooter incidents. The use of such weapons by police is always as a last result and to save lives. |
| Pictured here is a Remington 710 rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag. |
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| Pictured here are a 9mm MP5A3 and .45 UMP submachineguns, the preferred entry weapons for many SWAT/SRT teams. These are accurate firearms available in 9mm, .40 and .45 caliber. |
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| Flashbang grenades are used to disorient a suspect so that SWAT/SRT officers can apprehend the suspect without using deadly force if possible. |
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