L.A. County Sheriff's Dept., concurrent
with LAPD, carried the Model 15.
Where officers purchased their own firearms
in the 1960s to mid 1980s, the basic
offerings of the day were Models 10, 15 and
19 along with the waning popularity of the
Colt Official Police or Colt. Trooper.
A lot had to do in purchase choice with what
the regulations were for caliber. Generally
big city administrators wanted
to limit carry to .38s, thus eliminating the
.357 as a choice.
In L.A. the powers that were got tired of
officers "secretly" carryng .357 ammo for
their 19s when the rules said only .38,
so the city made mandatory the Model 15.
If someone has S&W production numbers
for the 15 vs. 19 that might help
get a clearer picture of popularity.
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Ubi Est Mea
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