Watching Adam-12, and at end of shift ,they all hang their Duty Belts apparently with revolvers still holstered? ) in their lockers. Were they required to unload their revolvers before hanging them up?
Just curious?
Just curious?
? for older LEO
- Thread starter bk42261
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No. Unloading your gun for locker storage was never a requirement in any department I worked for.
sigp220.45
US Veteran
The whole concept of changing into and out of your uniform at the station house just seems odd to me.
Rpg
Member
Sticking a loaded gun in a locker isn't limited to revolvers.
I had a deputy sheriff consult with me about suing the city after he stuck his loaded Glock in a cabinet drawer (as was the practice) to enter a locked psych ward.
On the way out he reached into the drawer to retrieve his Glock, stuck his thumb in the trigger guard and shot himself in the liver through the drawer.
He was lucky because this happened in the hospital with the best emergency room in the state. He barely survived, but it was close.
I explained to him that his negligence was primarily responsible for his injuries and that suing the city would be a waste of time and money. I don't know if he found an attorney willing to try.
I had a deputy sheriff consult with me about suing the city after he stuck his loaded Glock in a cabinet drawer (as was the practice) to enter a locked psych ward.
On the way out he reached into the drawer to retrieve his Glock, stuck his thumb in the trigger guard and shot himself in the liver through the drawer.
He was lucky because this happened in the hospital with the best emergency room in the state. He barely survived, but it was close.
I explained to him that his negligence was primarily responsible for his injuries and that suing the city would be a waste of time and money. I don't know if he found an attorney willing to try.
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OP
That's what I thought, thanks.
I worked for a small Sheriff's Dept. and we changed at home. I would put on my uniform and duty belt and go to the office in my own vehicle. After the last shift came in you would get one of cars and go out into the county. The only time we put our duty weapon in a lock box was before going into the jail.
charlie sherrill
Member
At the department I started with we didn't have take home cruisers. We drove to work in our own vehicle, in uniform with all equipment. When we got to work we got a cruiser that was still warm from the previous shift. The only thing we kept in our lockers was rainwear, riot helmet, and notes and misdemeanor evidence. After retiring from that department and going to work at the local SO we had take home cruisers and kept most of our stuff on us or in the cruiser. I never left any firearm at the station. I suspect that those who had to do so were not trusted to ride home with a loaded gun.
My department had a car that worked 6PM to 2AM, that overlapped the evening and night shifts. One night I came into the locker room at one of the overlap car officers was getting off duty. I noticed him putting him sidearm in his locker. I asked why wasn't he carrying it home with him. He said that he never kept a gun at home because his wife had pulled a gun on him several times.
I'm afraid that if that had been MY wife, that marriage would ended soon after the first gun pointing event.
I'm afraid that if that had been MY wife, that marriage would ended soon after the first gun pointing event.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
When I worked for a large city PD I liked having a locker. I could come to work and go home in street clothes, run errands, pay the bills, stop off for a couple of beers, whatever. Having a shower available was handy at times, depending on what I had been dealing with for the past 8 or 10 hours. That was in the early 1970s when cops were not the most popular people around town. I learned to never mention that I was a cop at a nice party or social gathering so I could avoid all the arguments, accusations, and name-calling nonsense.
Later on I worked plain clothes assignments. Take home car, on-call for days or weeks at a time. Moved from a city PD to a state agency, picked up responsibility for a territory including over 20,000 square miles, on the road at least 3 nights per week and sometimes 2 or 3 weeks at a time when necessary.
Finally, ended up as a small town police chief for 6-1/2 years. Didn't make much difference what time of day, on duty or off duty, uniform or street clothes. Everybody knew who I was and where I lived. Nobody hesitated to knock on the door or yell at me across the street. Not everyone who waved at me used all 5 fingers.
If I had to do it all over again I would have stayed as a patrol officer, working nights and weekends (when the bosses were gone), and lived out of my locker.
To answer the original question, no, my weapons were never unloaded except when I was cleaning them.
95%
This was very common when I was in uniform and about 95% of my fellow officers changed into and out of uniforms at the station.
This was very common when I was in uniform and about 95% of my fellow officers changed into and out of uniforms at the station.
wrkerr
Member
At EOW I would unholster my K38 and place it on the top shelf in my locker. Never unloaded it. Hung the Sam Brown on the coat hook. Always changed in the locker room.
Always kept street clothes, undercover weapon and leather in the locker. Sometimes we were called off patrol and sent plainclothes if needed. I really miss those days…
Always kept street clothes, undercover weapon and leather in the locker. Sometimes we were called off patrol and sent plainclothes if needed. I really miss those days…
When I worked patrol back in the 70's everybody changed at the station. You hung your Sam Browne on the louver slits at the top of the locker door. Your duty weapon went on the top shelf. Your off duty gun was usually the 2" S&W that you carried as a backup. Nobody wore their uniform home especially if you were working night watch on Friday and Saturday. You got off at midnight and the bars didn't close until 2am. The dispatchers, clerks, the ER nurses and everybody working nightwatch all headed to the local bar that had a house band that played pretty good rock and roll music. Then AIDS came along and wrecked everything.
Where I worked, back in the '70s, there was no set way.
We rookies often didn't even get a locker until a year or two into the job, you had to lug all your equipment with you to and from.
The "old timers" had lockers and almost always changed to street clothes before leaving the station, many would carry their service revolver to and from, some didn't even own another gun.
Some of those who did carry an off duty gun (who were often the "swingers" of the day), would leave their duty revolver in the locker usually loaded. This was common practice, although there was actually a rule against it.
What I found ironic was the guys who switched the bullets from their duty gun to their off duty gun. They only had the 18 rounds they were issued after qualification. I could never understand why they didn't take them from their loop carriers.
Every once in a while someone would show up at roll call with and empty gun, these were some of the guys who switched their bullets.
We rookies often didn't even get a locker until a year or two into the job, you had to lug all your equipment with you to and from.
The "old timers" had lockers and almost always changed to street clothes before leaving the station, many would carry their service revolver to and from, some didn't even own another gun.
Some of those who did carry an off duty gun (who were often the "swingers" of the day), would leave their duty revolver in the locker usually loaded. This was common practice, although there was actually a rule against it.
What I found ironic was the guys who switched the bullets from their duty gun to their off duty gun. They only had the 18 rounds they were issued after qualification. I could never understand why they didn't take them from their loop carriers.
Every once in a while someone would show up at roll call with and empty gun, these were some of the guys who switched their bullets.
charlie sherrill
Member
We loaded our own .38 wad cutters and were required to qualify once a month. More than once I saw an officer carry an empty revolver from one qualification to the next only to find it was empty when loading for qualification. Finally, after this happening too many times, the OIC started checking revolvers at muster and still found a few empty. I always checked mine before I left for work. I got a little extra holster wear but I never showed up on empty.
CCantu357
Member
I always found fascinating how some departments have system where an officer arrives at the station in street clothes and then goes on patrol, and other departments have a system where an officer changes at home and goes to work in a take home car. I know some officers like the idea of take home car, and some do not like the idea of a police unit in their driveway. Some of it seems to be tied to the system of either a one officer or two officer car plan, which is another can of worms. Either way, it makes sense for an officer to be armed at all times.
We didn't have lockers . . .
VaTom
Member
Interesting thread that brings back memories. Started in 1976. Worked at a medium sized municipal department with about 200 sworn officers. About 150 were uniform. We each had a locker but rarely did anyone change in locker room. Most did what I did. Kept briefcase, nightstick, raingear, extreme cold weather coat, hat, riot helmet and long baton, filled up pocket notebooks. We didn't have take home cars so we got our gear out before line up and at shift change went down to the street where the line of about 15 district cars were idling from previous shift, got in and headed out.
Early in my career uniform pants had to be dry cleaner and shirts were cotton poly blend so trips to cleaners were a weekly thing, I wanted military creases pressed and starched in shirts so they went also. Later we went to all polyester uniforms that could be laundered at home. Military creases sewn in shirts.
Always checked my Model 10 when dressing at home to go to work even though I never unloaded after work. I always wore a clean uniform shirt every day.
Early in my career uniform pants had to be dry cleaner and shirts were cotton poly blend so trips to cleaners were a weekly thing, I wanted military creases pressed and starched in shirts so they went also. Later we went to all polyester uniforms that could be laundered at home. Military creases sewn in shirts.
Always checked my Model 10 when dressing at home to go to work even though I never unloaded after work. I always wore a clean uniform shirt every day.
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I wore my uniform to work with my model 60 in an ankle holster and a civilian jacket. My duty belt with my loaded model 64 in the holster was hung in my locker with the two metal belt hooks hung on the louvered vent. Sometimes some coworker would walk through the locker room and push the hooks dropping the belt and gun inside the locker.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
4506517
Member
When I worked in the "Deathstar" (the courthouse) I would routinely hang my gunboats in my locker with my duty weapon holstered. We issue a level 3 retention holster. Once I finished working out, I would shower, dress, and buckle it right back on.
In good weather Dad (Lt/Capt) would often walk home ( 1.5miles) in the 60s/early 70s. In "uniform" but with just his 2" colt Detective Special in a holster in his hip pocket.
I remember weekly Dry Cleaner runs....to drop off and pick up shirts and pants. This seemed to define where you changed cus you had to clean your own uniforms.... bought on an annual allowance.
I remember weekly Dry Cleaner runs....to drop off and pick up shirts and pants. This seemed to define where you changed cus you had to clean your own uniforms.... bought on an annual allowance.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
I like it!
in New Orleans Tulane and
Broad (where the courthouse was) was called The Temple of Doom.
Doug M.
Member
As Pat Rogers used to say: "Policing is regional". I can recall friends having NYPD officers visit and go on rides. The idea of being 30 minutes away from a call or backup driving fast was truly bizarre to them - most of them worked in precincts in which a request for assistance meant 10-20 cops in a minute or so. One reserve deputy for several hundred square miles? Brain melt.
handejector
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Maybe he found it exciting----"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result."
Winston Churchill
Where I worked in a city just outside of Los Angeles nobody ever took home a black and white unless you were a K9 unit. Almost all of the departments in the surrounding area were the same way. You went up to the front lot 5 minutes before shift change and when the prior shift pulled in with a B&W you just changed places with the driver, checked the lights, siren and shotgun and off you went. The cars ran 24 7 until something broke or they were pulled out for service. The senior guys always got first pick of the cars and the new guys got what was left over. In the 70's we had some really fast Chevy Nova's with 350 CID smallblocks but I only got to drive them a couple of times. If you were in the front lot checking out your car and a senior officer decided he wanted that car he just walked over and made a motion with his thumb and you got out. The Sgt. would be standing there watching but wouldn't do anything because that was the unwritten rule, senior officers get first pick of cars.
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