I'm glad to hear this, and I'm a huge fan of the 2nd AND 3rd generation S&W autos (I have a 645 I love). It's heavy, accurate and exceptionally reliable. I'm not sold on the .45 ACP round, but the 645 is incredibly intimidating and fun to shoot.

I'm curious about why your department's de-cocker school is offering the transition course. Does it stem from anyone's unhappiness with the striker-fire pistols?

From a reliability standpoint, the 2nd generation Smiths seem to be equal to the third generation. The third generation tends to be aimed at ergonomic improvements, but in many cases I prefer the second generation over the third.

The 659 is still my favorite 9mm pistol, though my 5906 is just as good and just as reliable. I'd love to have some beautiful wood grips for it. (With the 5906, it's almost impossible to find replacement grips because of how the grips are worked into the design of the gun. The 659 has regular grips that can be removed and replaced.