Saw a video on tribal police that they use Glocks, but no mention of caliber. ??

What about NM and AZ state police?

I think the NMSP uses G31s in 357sig. At least they did.

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Thread Killer.

IIRC from their previous postings @biku324 was a Captain in the NM State Police and @sigp220.45 was an FBI agent on the reservation in NW NM. They can probably provide a definitive answer.

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Vegan by proxy.

Back in the early 70's, I was visiting down in the four corners area and saw some Navajo police from New Mexico. One of them was packing a beautiful Smith and Wesson nickel Model 19 with the most beautiful turquoise stocks. Great big chunks of turquoise inlaid in silver. Absolutely stunning!! He saw me staring at it, so he took it out of the holster and showed it to me. WOW!!

Ever since then, I've tried to find similar stocks, but so far, nothing even comes close.

I don't think you're ever gonna see Glocks with turquoise stocks. I guess that's the price we pay for progress.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

This 27-2 is not a state police gun from the states mentioned but it was carried by a LEO officer on a northern California reservation who then took it to Arizona where he used it on the San Carlos Apache Reservation for a while. Then he came back to CA. and I bought it. It came with rubber Hogues but now wears Diet Cokes.

You know what's weird about me? I always enter these threads will unrealistic expectations like that I'm going to learn about some unique guns I've never heard about before, thinking that for whatever reason that smaller police forces in more exotic locations would be carrying something equally obscure/exotic.

So now I'm all disappointed because shockingly, smaller police forces are using the exact same firearms as larger police forces. It's almost like law enforcement likes to stick with proven firearms or something.

I'll never learn.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Navajo is the correct spelling.
As having Indian genes, correct spelling is a must.

The NMSP did use the .357Sig. One wiki page says it was a Sig P229, another says it was a S&W M&P, I heard it was a Glock 31.

One of the wiki pages says that S&W M&P in 9mm is the current issue.

As a side note, about 12 years ago a local gun shop was selling a handful for former NMSP Sig P220s that were either nickle or chrome, I don't remember which. It was a little shop named Mountain State Sports that was on 11th and Mountain in ABQ. It has long since closed down.

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Thread Killer.

They all have to work with budgets . I'm sure it comes down to who gives them the best deal . If it's the same manufacturer they might take the old ones in on trade , or they sell them to someone that dumps them on the market . Think of the CHP 4006's some of us have .

Back in 1970 was in joint right down the road from White Sands. A Deputy came in and was wearing tan uniform and brown leather. His sidearm was a Colt SA, 38special. That was a little special to me.

Diné is the correct spelling.

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Only a cold warrior

Currently NMSP is using 9mm Smith M&Ps. They've used a couple of Sig models in 357 Sig after 4506s, which replaced most 5906s, which replaced a mix of 357s - Smith 19s, older 28s, and 686s.

In New Mexico, it has to do with purchase contracts. Once the state has issued a purchase contract, local governments can use it as well. If you have a small agency and would prefer not to suffer months of trouble in an RFP process you can just use the existing state contract.

I was in Chinle in the spring working at the hospital ( Covid Unit) only saw the police when I passed through the ER on the way to my vehicle to head back to the hotel. I don't know what handguns they carried but the country is beautiful. I did make a purchase of jewelry for my wife, they are craftsmen

AZ state police (Arizona Dept. of Public Safety) were carrying Sigs in 9mm or .40 (officers choice) in 2012 when I retired. They also dropped the 12 gauge pumps & replaced them w/ Colt AR15s. Last I knew AZ Deputy Sheriffs bought their own guns (w/ an allowance) but had to be on an approved list, usually made by current Sheriff. Here in Cochise County the Sheriff carries a Colt 1911 .45 w/ stag grips.

Can you get a check?

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I was not sure if New Mexico still had that procedure in effect. I did have some limited knowledge of that from the 80's when I lived there and was a volunteer Firefighter/EMT in the southern part of the state. We used to purchase tires for our fire trucks and ambulances through that.

Also some state assets like vehicles could be acquired after they were "aged out" by NMSP through direct sales. No idea how the firearms process worked though. I started to go through the process to become a municipal police officer but family issues made me rethink that decision.

I went to courthouse with an uncle when I was about 10. Unc was getting car title. On way out the sheriff hollered at my Unc. Had to go shoot the breeze with him. Talk turned to squirrel hunting and guns. Unc was saying he would like to have a good pistol. The Sheriff hooked bottom drawer of file cabinet and pulled it open. As 10yr old I never seen such a pile of pistols. Unc and sheriff dug through them, incredible nothing to my Unc liking. I was not consulted on this deal. We left with no pistol. Sheriff would have gave Unc whatever he wanted. They were confiscated weapons. About 25yrs later I sold the last revolvers, S&W 686s to that Dept.

Back in the late 70s when I looked at joining the NM state police, new recruits were issued a 4" 19 and an 870. After a probationary year you could carry a personal gun, within limits. I knew one old sargeant who carried a 4" 29.

I read Tony Hillerman's novels about the Navajo police but he evidently didn't care enough about guns to mention anything specific. Few writers really know guns, but he could have asked officers he knew.

I knew the Dine tribal name via his books.

I'm looking mainly for current pistols and whether they can carry personal arms.

IIRC, Bart Skelton wrote about carrying a M686 when he worked for the NMSP.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I had the privilege of meeting Tony Hillerman and having a good discussion with him. I mentioned that I loved his books, but noticed that he didn't seem to have a handle on firearms terminology or radio technology. His response? "Well, that certainly hasn't stopped me from selling books, has it?"

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Only a cold warrior

I think many authors have that attitude, alas. Some even push gun control. Many liberal elites associate guns with rednecks.
Thankfully, some do make a gun effort, at least naming brands.

I'd observe that at least some of the 'facts' about Diné 'truths' in his books were rather obviously acquired from guys in bars who thought they would humor the white guy so long as he bought beer.

'Corpse powder' my aching posterior...

Speaking of books about Navajo Policemen-
Aimee (RIP ) and David Thurlo have written several.
David was raised in Shiprock up in the Four Corners.
Knows a fair amount about the Navajos.
Aimee was from Cuba.
He did the local stuff, guns, cars, trading posts, etc.
She did the plots, interaction , etc.
They had their computers networked together, worked in the same book at the same time from opposite ends of their house.
Not the same part of the same book!
Back to Tony- the Navajos and other Native Americans have many things they do not talk about. If Tony or others gets something wrong, most Natives are reluctant to bring it up because they will probably disclose info they are trying to keep private explaining what Tony got wrong.

Aim'ee & David Thurlo

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

FWIW Navajo Tribal PD carried HK P7 squeeze cocking 9mms and we at USNPS issued 4" M19s in the late 80s and early 90s when I was stationed there. Apache Co. SO which had partial jurisdiction on the Arizona part of the reservation carried personal weapons.

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On the whistle draw and fire 6

When I left the Farmington NM Resident Agency in 2015 the Navajo Nation Police Department carried Glock 22s and the NMSP were carrying M&Ps in .357 Sig. Both may have changed by now, though.

The tribal police could not carry personal handguns. Many had personal rifles but I don’t know if it was approved or just tolerated.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

"So now I'm all disappointed because shockingly, smaller police forces are using the exact same firearms as larger police forces. It's almost like law enforcement likes to stick with proven firearms or something."

Often a larger agency will supply or funnel guns to smaller nearby agencies. I have a revolver that was 1 of 3 earmarked for a small sheriff's office but shipped to a large dealer 120 miles away in the capital city. The highway patrol issued the same gun so I think they were the purchasing agent.

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No life story has happy end.