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| (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.
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