The tickle of curiosity. The gasp of discovery. Fingers running across the keyboard.

The World of Iniquus - Action Adventure Romance

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Every Day Carry for Police: Information for Writers




We're going to take a quick look at the typical tools available to officers as they confront their days.


Politiekoppel met VLNR: Portofoon, transportbo...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Duty Belt

Disadvantages

  • Weight - upward of 30 lbs. (think one-year-old baby) many of the belts are made of leather, though modern uniforms often use nylon to be lighter and washable (think body fluids). 
  • Gravity - with all of that weight, the belt wants to slip down. "Belt keepers" circle the duty belt sometimes referred to as a Sam Browne, to hold it snugly to the officer's dress belt. These are snapped into place. See an example of what it looks like HERE.


Advantage - 

  • Having equipment at the handy.



Typical EDC (every day carry)

  • Pepper Spray - TW blog article
  • Semi-automatic pistol in a security holster - TW blog article
  • Magazines (clips) - TW blog article
  • Phone - TW related article
  • Flashlight
  • Mini-flashlight (typical preparedness saying "One is none and Two is one.")
  • Asp -  TW blog article
  • Portable radio
  • Taser - TW blog article
  • Handcuffs TW blog article
  • Handcuff keys
  • Zip ties - TW blog article
  • Glove pouch (latex)
  • Bullet resistant vest (required by some jurisdictions adds about 5 lbs to the already 10-15 lb duty belt)
  • By individual discretion - back up gun (police personal gun often in an ankle holster)
  • By individual discretion knife/utility tool such as a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman.
  • By individual discretion a kubotan - TW blog article


The Patrol Vehicle

  • Mode of transportation
  • Mobile office
  • Equipment storage




Modifications might include:
  • Push bumpers TW related blog article
  • Rifle mounts
  • Prisoner partitions
  • Specialized locking systems
  • Wiring systems which support the add ons
  • Hidden lighting systems
  • Bar lights
  • Weapons lockboxes
  • Camera equipment
  • Sirens
  • Radio equipment
  • Computer terminals (called MDT for Mobile Data Terminal)
  • For officer safety, the light that usually comes on when opening the door is often disconnected.

In the Trunk of the Patrol Vehicle:
  • Fire extinguishers
  • First Aid Kit
  • Shotgun TW blog article
  • Gas mask/protective suit
  • AEDs or Automatic External Defibrillator (at around 1200$ these are slow to getting in each vehicle)TW blog article
  • Traffic cones
  • Flares
  • Floatation devices
  • Rechargeable flashlight
  • Snow chains

Other Equipment might include:
  • Radar 
  • Alco-Sensor (for initial analysis of blood alcohol levels)
  • Tint meter
  • Ballistic shield
  • Pepperball gun - this shoots round pellets (like paintball pellets) filled with a powder form of pepper spray. Shot at the feet the powder will spray up to disperse a crowd; hit in the chest of an aggressor or suicidal person it gives the officers time to take non-lethal action.

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. Cheers,When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.



1 comment:

  1. You always provide such good information, Fiona! Seeing my son carry all this equipment around makes me long for the days we snuggled in the rocking chair after breakfast to watch "Captain Kangaroo". If more mothers had to bump up against a hard bulletproof vest when they hugged their sons in uniform, I think there would be a new appreciation for these public servants.

    ReplyDelete