While I believe preparedness is a virtue, there is such a thing as going overboard. The term overboard sometimes depends on the individual, but I'd usually easily identified. Case in point; I worked with an old dog police officer. He trained me and I use to watch him prepare for patrol everyday, since his locker was close to mine.

I would watch him load up, first the ankle holster (S&W snub in .38spl) then a Walther PPsomething in IWB cross draw rig, then his duty belt(we just transitioned to the Sig 226). Depending on the weather he would carry a Seecamp.32acp in the inside pocket of his leather coat or in a pocket sewn onto his vest carrier, and finally a small derringer on either his cover or rear pants pocket in a holster wallet. Finally a Buck 110 on his belt for cutting.

Then out to the car where he would extract an M1 carbine w/folding stock or a sawed of double barrel shotgun (depending on what current events and his mood dictated). Needless to say I was a little overawed by this guy, but since he was involved in at least two lethal force incidents and was a decorated Vietnam vet I trusted him and to this day think of him as I suit up and begin the last few years of my hopefully 32 year career.

Now to how I identify overboard: this same veteran had a taste for old war worn weapons. His off duty carry consisted of an old Colt officers auto in .380 I think, a .38 snub, and an older slather P-38 which he carried on the small of his back in the summer since he was always riding an old Indian motorcycle. Well one day after a 4 x 4 shift (you know what I mean ;-) he returned home and while getting undressed discovered that his prize P-38 was not in the holster.

Numerous phone calls and 20 miles of road search came up negative until the next morning when an officer in another dept. took a call for a found weapon on the side of a roadway. The damn thing looked like it was run over a dozen times, gouged and scraped up with cracked grip panels. Dang thing still fired.

Lesson: He never carried more than two weapons again, when off duty, and in quality leather in more traditional areas of his body. Not to mention he left the antique weapons in the safe and stuck to duty weapons that he wouldn't cry over damaging or losing .

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