Holsters, Pistols, and Sundry
FBI and IRS-CI are currently issuing Glock 22 or 23 depending on the agent's preference. HHS IG was getting the Glock 23. Secret Service, the Sig 229 in .357 Sig. Customs (now ICE) used to issue the S&W DA/SA pistols, then went to the Glock 9mm. The last time I was on a task force with an ICE agent he told me they were switching to the H&K USP, he wasn't certain of the caliber. The last time I asked a rookie Bureau agent, they were getting Fobus holsters with their issue kit but many agents were buying their own. IRS guys were getting Galco FLETCH holsters and Blackhawk SERPA CQB holsters. The Blackhawks are far and above the most popular holster with the tax cops. The HHS guy had no clue what piece-of-garbage brand holster his agency bought but had bought a personal Galco for carry.
The last time I was at the FLETC in Artesia, NM, Border Patrol was looking at buying H&K USPs for their guys but I don't know if they followed through on it.
As far as holsters go, agencies typically buy us crap. They ususally have a committee of firearms instructors make a recommendation for several holsters. Then some dip-dunk in purchasing will look at our recomendation and peruse catalogs from several manufacturers. Very often, the purchasing agent will find something that looks similar but is far cheaper (read "crap") and buy that. The end result is that most agents serious about living until retirement put their issue holster in a desk drawer and user their personal funds to buy what suits them. I see a LOT of personally purchased SERPA holsters in the field.
Don't place too much stock in what the government buys us, whether pistol or holster. The government buys what is affordable and justifiable. The muckity-mucks in the upper echelons of my agency would much rather have a dead agent on their hands than have to explain to Congress why they spent beaucoup bucks on an expensive imported pistol like a Walther or H&K. Same with the crappy holsters they buy us. Who cares if I get my gun snatched from a crummy issue holster? If I get shot and live, Labor pays off my disability and my agency is off the hook. If I die, another agency pays off survivor benefits. Either way, my agency saves a bunch of money!
DAO or similar triggers are becoming standard in federal agencies for one reason: they reduce the initial learning curve. When my agency switched from the Sig P228 to the Glock 23, we observed two trends. New agents shot qualifying scores at the academy 2 weeks earlier with the Glock than with the Sig. The best experienced agents in the field experienced a 3% drop in their scores. In other words, we could teach neophytes to shoot well sooner with a Glock but the guys shooting 99s and 100s saw a drop in their scores from switching to the "Safe-Action" trigger system.
Don't ever base personal tactical decisions on what the feds do!
Now, speaking personally, if I were in charge of issuing weapons and holsters to my agency, I would choose the H&K USP Compact in .40 with Variant 1 trigger configuration and a Blackhawk SERPA holster or a FIST Model 19 IWB holster for those who value concealment.
