I joined PPB (it's called a "Bureau" there, not a "department", hence the B instead of a D) in 1975. Until I left in 1993 officers purchased their own handguns and handcuffs, but the Bureau specified the makes and models. It had to be a .38 Special Colt or S&W with a 4" or 6" barrel. In the late 70's the rules were changed to allow .357's (but they could only be loaded with bureau-issued .38+P's) and Rugers. In 1985 S&W 645's and SIG P220's were authorized (as was the Astra A80, because the chief owned one! Buy me a beer and I'll tell you the whole story).

So towards the end of the revolver era you could find Colt OP's (which I was told were issued in the 30's), a few Police Positive Specials (which the first female chief, Penny Harrington, had) and a whole slew of K and N frames. My last patrol partner carried a 6" Python. There were a few Security Sixes. Plainclothes/detectives could and did carry mostly J-frame smiths with a few Detective Specials and Agents, though the prestige pistol was the 2 1/2" Model 66 and was carried by those savvy enough to appreciate them and tenacious enough to track one down, as they were quite difficult to come by there for a while.

In the late 70's I became an instructor, and then an armorer. At that time we purchased fair numbers of 4" M19's for resale to new officers for duty guns on an on-going basis. This was during the Bangor Punta era, followed by Lear Sigler. Though our standards were not particularly high, we rejected 20% of the guns as unfit for service out of the box. They would either push off, have below minimum trigger pull weight, DCU (what laypersons would call timing) and other issues, such as the occasional K-frame trigger stop rotating down and blocking trigger movement. We did not know that things would change and so perhaps failed to appreciate such things as forged lockwork, pinned barrels, recessed chambers, and the absence of an internal lock.

My last duty revolver was a 4" 686 which had the sweetest DA trigger pull out of the box of any post war gun I've ever handled. I have since given it to my son. When I left the Bureau I was carrying a 645 which never failed me; it would even feed empty cases (and I think the city council would prefer that we carried only empty cases...). It had a gorgeous set of Spegal grips on it. OK, I also carried an Ingram M10 in a shoulder holster, which was of course completely unauthorized, but I was working the gang unit at the time and it seemed prudent.

Dang, you guys have taken me back twenty years!

Craig Ward (Venom6 actual)