Police Revolvers Still Being Used?

[Jim Watson]

I think the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police property mark is just neat.
There are frequent posts on the S&W board by police gun collectors.

There are a lot of inquiries as to what department a cryptic stamp is for.

 

[Speedo66]

The Palisades Parkway that they policed was in NJ when you crossed the George Washington Bridge from NYC, then further along entered upstate NY. The Parkway police had jurisdiction in both states.

Many NYPD members lived in upstate NY and took the GW Bridge from NY to the Parkway after work. NJ did not allow off duty NY police to carry there, and at times there were incidents when NYPD officers were stopped for a traffic violation and were carrying on the Jersey portion of the Parkway.

Eventually, the Parkway police were disbanded, and each state patrols the portion in their state.

The advent of HR218/ LEOSA did away with the problem of off duty police traveling into other states while armed.

The only remaining local agency with jurisdiction in both states are the Port Authority of NY & NJ Police, who patrol the airports (Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark) the interstate bridges and tunnels (GW Bridge, Lincoln and Holland Tunnels), the World Trade Center, and the interstate commuter bus terminal in Manhattan. They have the state seals of both NY and NJ on their shields, and are crossed trained as fire fighters at the airports.

 

[Thomasss]

I know of a town in northern Wisconsin, where police were given the option after on a call, they were dispatching a family of rapid skunks and one officer's semi smoke stacked on him, putting him in a very dangerous and smelly situation.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

Outside of a few bank/security guards, only cop *I* know of was a older local gent who, like an earlier poster; had some form of injury that prohibited him from operating an automatic properly and safely. He packed a 4" Mdl 10 for 6 months- the same one he packed as a rookie officer. He's still packing it a year later. I think he might have the onset of some nerve sickness.

 

[Rexster]

A sergeant in Houston PD’s motorcycle unit recently posted that three of his officers are still carrying duty revolvers. (Houston, Texas.)

Edited to add: These officers would have had to “grandfather” these duty revolvers before September, 1997.

 

[Masaca1]

Two of the issues that probably influence doing away with revolvers in Law Enforcement: the agency/department needs to possess/issue the revolver and ammunition for the weapon. The agency/department needs to also run a separate course of qualification fire only for officers that have a revolver and this demands time/resources. You also have to consider whether they want revolvers on the books... its easier for accountability/inventory if the department/agency only has one type of automatic pistol being issued. But I also, understand that there are always certain specialized teams that might get issued different weapons.

 

[Homerboy]

As of 8/31/2018, all members of the NYPD still carrying a service revolver were ordered to carry one of the approved 9MM pistols. There were maybe 400 members still carrying a duty revolver, and the youngest one would have 26 years on the job. Off duty revolvers were still authorized, but the last one would have been an option for cops hired before 1996.

They should have let them keep them. Virtually all of them were no longer on patrol. Cops are superstitious about their guns. We used to have to pay for our own weapons, and we got to hold each of the models on the first day in the academy and choose one. They weren’t just passed out.

Since 2018, any cop who would have been still carrying a duty revolver would have had at least 29 years on the job. Virtually all of them would have been retired by now. For whatever reason, they chose not to take three days off patrol and go to the range to qualify for a free gun and get extended meals and early dismissal. They chose to stay on patrol and answer radio runs in the ghetto. That says something.

The department still has to have .38 ammo for the off duty guns. They could have let them retire with them.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

As of 8/31/2018, all members of the NYPD still carrying a service revolver were ordered to carry one of the approved 9MM pistols. There were maybe 400 members still carrying a duty revolver, and the youngest one would have 26 years on the job. Off duty revolvers were still authorized, but the last one would have been an option for cops hired before 1996.

They should have let them keep them. Virtually all of them were no longer on patrol. Cops are superstitious about their guns. We used to have to pay for our own weapons, and we got to hold each of the models on the first day in the academy and choose one. They weren’t just passed out.

Since 2018, any cop who would have been still carrying a duty revolver would have had at least 29 years on the job. Virtually all of them would have been retired by now. For whatever reason, they chose not to take three days off patrol and go to the range to qualify for a free gun and get extended meals and early dismissal. They chose to stay on patrol and answer radio runs in the ghetto. That says something.

The department still has to have .38 ammo for the off duty guns. They could have let them retire with them.

Honestly I'm quite surprised that with all the political correctness, NYPD and others haven't switched back to revolvers simply for public image..

 

[Homerboy]

Honestly I'm quite surprised that with all the political correctness, NYPD and others haven't switched back to revolvers simply for public image..

Nah. That ship sailed. It took a long time to even get semi autos. When we first got them it was 115 grain fmj ammo. The type you buy at Walmart to go to the range (or used to before the shortage). The mayor said only 10 round magazines. 4 months later new mayor comes in and says 15 rounds. Transit and Housing police had hollow points, because they worked in “concrete rich environments”, as if the rest of NYC wasn’t concrete and steel. After the Amadou Diallo shooting in 1997, when the FMJ rounds went through Diallo and ricocheted back at the cops firing them, making them think Diallo was returning fire, we got hollow points.

The job always waited for a tragedy to make changes. We weren’t allowed speed loaders until Scott Gadell got killed in 86 while trying to reload under fire in a shootout. Then the job authorized them.

 

[Meeks36]

Saw a bailiff carrying a s&w model 10 in NC back in 2007.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Saw a bailiff carrying a s&w model 10 in NC back in 2007.

Thanks but that was 14 years ago?

 

[Mr. Mosin]

Thanks but that was 14 years ago?

You see my earlier post regarding a local officer ?

 

[Meeks36]

Thanks but that was 14 years ago?

Yes it is a small town haven’t been back since. Not sure what they carry now. Probably the same thing. Things moved slow in those parts.

 

[JFrame]

Japanese police have bought "tens of thousands" of S&W Model 360J, a version of the Chiefs Special set up to their liking. Long article at
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gun-review-smith-wesson-360j-japanese-service-revolver/

All shooting is single action. Even the Sig P230 they used alongside the 1960 New Nambu revolver was set up to force thumb cocking of a DA/SA design.

Qualification is 50 shots in the black of a 25 meter bullseye at the full 25 meters.
And you get 50 rounds a year to stay in practice.

Thanks for that article!

It's rather lengthy, and I haven't read it in detail yet -- but I'm always on the lookout for offbeat firearm reporting from around the world.