How I find what the local pd uses?

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Virginia Beach, VA
I have been searching and searching the web and on this site and haven't been able to find what Virginia Beach PD carries both for ammo and actual firearms. I am pretty sure they carry Glock 22's as sidearms but wanted to figure out their long arms, too. No, I am not planning some war, I just want to maybe switch up my self defense selections this way to have a clear parity in the event I ever use these things and end up with a DA that hates guns.

Thank you everyone,

Damian
 
Mas Ayoob has recommended this in the past, including matching the carried load of the local PD. I am sure a call to a local precinct would yield the information; most LEO are very pro 2a. I think if you approached it by saying you are interested in a handgun for SD & would like to know what the department carries you would raise no cause for concern.

I probably would NOT bring up any legal concern you are hoping to avoid in the event of a use of force.
 
I don't know if your PD or sheriff's office handles CCW permits, but you could call them and ask since that application office would have fielded all kinds of questions like this over the years. In CO, the SD handles CCW permits, and that particular office in my county is a joy to deal with.

Or you could just speed around town, running stop signs until you get pulled over and then ask the cop.:p
 
Most LEO I have known personally are pro 2A.

Most LEO selected for news media sound bites talk like Sarah Brady.

The media bias against guns is so blatant one could wite a book. I swear, if it came out that the New York Times requires reporters and editorialists to vow allegiance to the Sullivan Act of 1911 to get a job at NYT, it would not surprise me.
 
I have seen Virginia Beach PD rollmarked on some Glock 22. I belive they carry the 870 for shotgun. My sister (Norfolk PD) carried the 92 with hydra shock and the 84 as back-up along with the remmijam
 
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Ask them what they carry. Most cops either 100% know or 100% don't.

Also, if you know somebody that went to the local citizen's police academy and they are gun savy they can probably tell you.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Carrying what the local PD uses is a very small part of an incident. Civilians are just as likely to be viewed as wannabe cops.

If you need to carry and plan on CCW, a issue holster carry gun may not meet your needs. For home defense, common and simple work well. It's when some people stray into large collections of military arms (that actually are the same as the police issue) that pictures pop up in the paper from PD's concerned about an arsenal. So, not choosing PD weapons makes as much sense.

A clearly thought out analysis of what firearm you chose would probably stand up in court, should that unlikely event occur. And the opposing counsel will do everything to cast your reasoning in the worst light anyway. So, choose for what you like and will use - especially if you hunt. Hunting firearms are hard to class as violent zombie killing assassin weapons.
 
Quote:
most LEO are very pro 2a

Not in a lot of places.

By pure percentages, I'd say more are pro 2a.

But most LEO mirror the area they work in. IOW, City of Atlanta is very anti-2a. 20 miles away, in Gwinnett County, they are pretty much 50/50. Another 20 miles and they'll be predominantly pro-2a.

To find out what they carry for duty, the easiest thing to do is just ask one. If that one turns out to be an anti-@$$hole, just find another one to ask.

Wyman

ETA-
It's when some people stray into large collections of military arms (that actually are the same as the police issue) that pictures pop up in the paper from PD's concerned about an arsenal.

Absolutely wrong. The mass media would plaster the pictures everywhere, even if the collection was just 5 Airsoft toys. They don't care if what they report is completely true, as long as it's remotely true.
 
Honestly, I don't see them very often other than in their vehicles so walking up to one isn't real easy, usually.

I am on the phone with them atm and am being passed around like a hot potato, should I be worried?? LoL

Damian
 
Are you going to travel out side your pd area?? I know my old county that the sheriffs patrol officers and other departments allow you pick between several different handguns in most common calibers. My old county sheiffs department can carry one of 3 differnt makes with choices inside thoses makes and calibers runs from 45 and 40 for partol to 357 sig,9mm and 38 with others there. Some will carry 380's also. all in one deptment. My little local sheriff's dept. now is only around 24 people and they carry mainly glocks in 357 sig and 40s&w but then again dic's and invest carry 9mm's. And ammo is speer GD with both. Not always to there likeing.
 
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The best way to find out is to ask. You can find yourself in a lot of interesting conversations that way, if you go about asking properly. I asked once and found out that my local Sheriff's Department requires that each Deputy supply their own firearms. The one I learned this from was carrying a 9mm Baby Eagle, which is what prompted me to ask about it.

As far as LEO viewing firearms as making their jobs more dangerous, I recently had an LEO encounter on my grandmother's farm. She told a buddy of mine that we could go out and shoot in her field, so we did. After a while a Sheriff's Department cruiser pulled in and asked us if we had permission to there, etc. It turns out that a neighbor had gotten concerned about the gunfire (since my grandmother is about 70) and caled the cops to make sure nothing was up. They ran our licenses just in case, and while they were waiting for that to come back, one of them asked if we minded if they handled my buddy's WASR-10 and my Marlin 1895. Everything came back clean, they told the dispatcher that we had plenty of backstop, not shooting onto anyone else's property, etc and told us to carry on as they pulled out. Not exactly sounding like an anti response to me.
 
I don't agree with "most LEO".......I have found that the majority believe by allowing the lowly citizen to have weapons makes their job harder and more dangerous.

I think it depends on area. Inner city street cops? Probably not so up on the RKBA. Around my rural South Carolina county? I know at least 2 deputies that teach CCW classes in their spare time and all that I've spoken with are very supportive of an armed populace.

That's the depressing thing about Federal level government though. If it was just up to my own state I wouldn't have a thing to fear regarding RKBA. SC is generally very pro-gun. Yet California and Massachusetts, areas that are very different culturally from us, can lobby to get more laws that affect us.
 
Ask one. [strike]If he doesn't give a satisfactory answer, follow him around and then snatch it out of his holster when he's not looking. After all, you helped pay for the thing, so you have a right to know.[/strike]

Example
You: Hi. I'm wondering what make and model is your duty pistol?
Cop: It's an H&K USP.

STOP HERE. Do not follow-up with:

You: What level of body armor is needed to defend against that?
Cop: Come down to the station so we can discuss this.

:)
 
chuckusaret said:
I don't agree with "most LEO".......I have found that the majority believe by allowing the lowly citizen to have weapons makes their job harder and more dangerous.

I disagree with this, and I am a LEO. Most of the guys I work with are pro-gun, though there are always exceptions. I think the reason that a lot of citizens believe the police are against guns is because a lot of police chiefs seem to get time in the media to speak out against guns. Don't confuse the views of a chief (a politician) for the views of police officers (workers).

More to the OP's question, I suggest you just do as some of the others have said:

Tell them you are looking for a self-defense gun, and was wondering what they carry! I occasionally get this question, and it naturally evolves into a long cheerful discussion about guns :)
 
Call and ask. If they ask why, tell them you want to have the possibility of "battlefield repairs" from their "downed weapons".

Do this from a payphone :)



In all seriousness, I don't understand why most shooters don't know their local sheriff. Our local sheriff is a great guy and we shoot the bull usually at least once a year before huntin' season. Call you local Sheriff and ask for an appointment. I mean, hes an elected offical, they love to get brownie points :)



I wouldn't mention the "Z" word your first time in, YMMV.
 
I carry the same weapon as the local PD, not because they do, buy because i tried several different handguns and shot the best with it. S&W M&P .40. I don't carry the same load, they use 180gr gold dot's, I use 180gr HST's.
 
Walk up to a cop and swing a baseball bat at his face.:D

You'll find out a lot about the local PD's weapons, and procedures. Maybe even terminal ballistics.
 
I agree, just ask a street cop. Or if you want to have some fun, file a FOIA request for the information.

Don't get too snippy with em - call and just ask first. As someone who has been on the providing end of many FOIA's (I work in IT and manage all the databases for my county which includes the Sherrif's department, Planning and Zoning, Tax Billing, etc), I can tell you that when you go letter of the law, they do the same, and any many cases they're allowed to bill you for the materials and labor hours required to provide you with your FOIA request. Generally we don't if it's a simple concerned citizen, but you can bet anybody that calls up with an attitude gets that bill.
 
Im confused here, is the OP wanting to know so he can equip himself identically to local PD or similarly? My brain keeps saying it would be better to be similar but noticeably different (so you know what is yours) but the thread seems to be indicating it would better to get the same equipment.
 
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