LEO Off-Duty and Retired Carry %

[sigp220.45]

Retired almost three years ago after 25 years as a Feebie and 8 years as an Air Force cop.

I always carried off duty, though it wasn't required. Had to carry one of my approved work guns. I'd say less than half of my fellow feebs carried off duty, mostly because they didn't want to carry their issued big gun and were too cheap or lazy to buy a smaller gun, get it approved, and qualify with it.

I knew a lot of sad old agents who would come by the office after they retired and it was usually pretty awkward and didn't last long. I decided to be gone and not come back once I was shown the door. I worked until the last day I could, five years after being eligible, but once it was over it was time to move on. Because of that I can't say how many of my fellow Bureau retirees carry, but I suspect it ain't many. Haven't seen one at my LEOSA quals yet.

Now I almost always carry something. I bought a lot of guns on the premise of "I can carry this when I retire", so I do. But if I forget I don't turn around and go back. There's one in the truck somewhere.

 

[oink]

I have no idea how many of my retired co-workers carry now or earlier while OD. OD carry was, at least at one time technically required, but I never heard of it actually being mentioned. Not all did. It's my opinion that most of those for which LE work was just another job and usually did the minimum when on the job, well those probably didn't carry OD and likely don't now. When around fellow retires, with a few exceptions, the topic doesn't come up so I wouldn't know. At the fairly well attended retiree luncheons I rarely go to, I don't think the attendees would appreciate being polled on the matter. I'm guessing maybe 40% carry but that is just a wild guess. I do carry pretty near all of the time.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Not an LEO, but after decades of packing I feel undressed if I start the day without it.

 

[Piwo]

I always carried off duty. I am retired now and always carry wherever and whenever I am legally allowed.
Years ago I was a firearms instructor for our large department. I qualified officers on their departmentally authorized, personally owned weapons. At the time, there were only approximately 170 out of 1900 officers that requested permission to carry personally owned off duty weapons. That doesn't mean that many people carried off duty. Many carried unauthorized weapons and some only carried issued weapons. A few years later a range officer conducted an informal poll of officers during their annual requalification. He asked how many officers routinely carried while off duty and I believe it was something like 30% give or take. Granted, it was informal.
When I qualify for LEOSA annually through my department in May there are usually 15 to 20 guys there. That's not a lot of people considering the qualifications are not held every month.

 

[Well Armed]

I think the consensus is going to be skewed big time by asking on a gun forum. Retired LEOs and the like who either don't EDC and aren't big firearms people aren't likely to camp out on gun forums...

 

[Steve912]

Not trying to drive this in a political direction, but as a non-LEO, one thing I've noticed is the impact the mayor has on the police department. At least here, when we've had Democrat mayors, they've tended to bring in a police chief from outside the department that used to be a cop, but now has some sort of academic background in policing. When we've had Republican mayors, they've tended to pick police chiefs that are current cops in the dept and came up through the ranks in the department.

Interesting observation. All else (suitability of "on hand" candidates
vs "out of towners", etc) aside, appointing from
the department would likely give a candidate with some
degree of loyalty to his/her department.

Picking someone from out of town, would likely result in
a candidate with less loyalty to the department, and more
loyalty to the mayor.

Regarding carry; retired, carry when out of house, pretty
much everywhere (except VA med facilities--boy are they
touchy!). Changed coasts awhile back, and haven't discussed
carry with (now) retired colleagues, but would guess the
more active hard chargers will be carrying, and the "ROAD"
officers, probably not.

I suspect the majority of non-carrying retired LEOs won't
be active in a gun forum.

 

[Goldstar225]

I carried off-duty 100% of the time while I was on the job.

Now retired I still carry 100% of the time.

I've no idea what the off-duty carry percentage was of the officers I worked with. Of the few retirees that I associate with about half will have a gun in their vehicle. So far as I know I'm the only one who carries on the body.

 

[Packgoat]

I retired 1 January, 2019 after 34 years of service. I always carried off duty and still always carry now.

 

[SuperMan]

When I was with my small city department a new chief came in... He eliminated our privately owned backup guns and said if we were carrying a badge OD then the only gun we could carry was the city issue which we qualified with.

I had only carried my 1911 Commander OD and had done so for 11 years at that point and was not going to carry a 5906 OD IWB... The solution was simple. I applied for a NH CC License, left my badge, ID and gun in my locker and only carried my own gun OD...

 

[Beachcomber]

I worked for a Department with 225 (+/-) officers. While I was working I carried a Glock 22 on duty and a Glock 23 (with reload) when I was off duty. My department didn't require its officers to carry off duty and only a small portion of them did. Those that chose to carry off-duty were usually "gun people" and shot on a regular basis.

Now that I'm retired, I still carry daily, but I opted to carry a smaller firearm (S&W 640 with one reload). Being five years into retirement I'm finding it easier to remember that I am no longer and LEO... and concentrate more on becoming a good witness (and hope that I never find the need for greater firepower).

In regard to officers that I know who carry in retirement... I would have to say the percentages are small, with the most of the "gun people" being the ones who still carry in retirement.

 

[bub075]

At my small PD (6 full time including the Chief and 10 part time), I am the only one that carries off duty all the time. If I am awake, I have a gun on me, period, unless I'm going somewhere with metal detectors. I started in LE in 1991 and have carried 24/7 since right after I started (when I got my first death threat), even when former Chiefs forbade us from carrying off duty.

For the rest, a couple carry most of the time. The rest only carry occasionally or never. I harp and harp and harp but they just won't do it. Keep in mind, most cops aren't gun guys. They carry a gun on duty because they have to, not because they want to. They can't be bothered to be burdened when off duty. When you see the condition of some of their duty guns, you'd think that they weren't carrying a functional gun on duty, anyway.

None of the retirees I talk to on a regular basis carry, either, They weren't gun guys, either, and were perfectly happy to hang up their gun belt when they retired and not carry at all anymore.

 

[SuperMan]

As I said in my opening post, when I worked for Probation/Parole only myself, one other PPO and the PPO who was the chief firearms instructor carried. I was in a unit at the time that was state wide and delt with nothing but the worst of the worst...no office time just all home visits and field supervision...

One of the guys in the unit was having lunch one day at a McDonald's not far from where he lives. While in the Mens Room he is accosted and assaulted by an ex-parolee he had who was part of the Irish Mafia. The ex-parolee manages to escape and after a car chase with local police he is arrested...with a gun in the car.

My co-worker, who had never carried OD before, tells me, "You know I eat in there quite often with my family and I could have had a major problem if he had pulled a gun when I didn't have one". He then started carrying OD. Didn't see him for a while but at qualification the next year I asked if he was still carrying OD...he broke eye contact, looked down and sheepishly said..."No..."

Nice guy, wonderful friend...but you can't cure complacency...

If you guys haven't seen this before...the OD LEO who captures the shooter is a California HP officer...who is unarmed...

Shots Fired: Palm Desert, California 03•30•1996 - Patrol - POLICE Magazine


Learn from the mistakes of others...it is cheaper in the long run....

Bob

 

[KSDeputy]

I always carry a CS 45 when off of my property, I have carried it over 20 years. On the farm I carry a .380 Ruger pocket pistol. After seeing the worst side of humanity on the job, I cannot imagine going unarmed.

 

[moosedog]

Being retired I carry 100%. My other LE friends both retired and off duty about the same.

 

[IAhunter]

Before I retired from law enforcement last year, I carried nearly all the time off-duty. I carry about the same now, >95%. Exceptions are doctor appointments, going into the post office (PO Box), and other places where it isn't legal. With all the use of force training and shooting practice I have had over a 27 year career, it would be hard to live with being an unarmed witness to a violent crime such as an active shooter incident.

I live in a pretty safe community. I see former colleagues regularly in town. I believe that much less than half of them are carrying when I see them. I don't get it.

 

[PawDawg]

...and what about those you worked with or other retirees you know...

Bob

Prior to retirement, most all I know of carried at least 80% of the time. Of the retirees I'm still in contact with, all carry "off duty" 100% of the time. A couple took unarmed security jobs at a local hosptial, and can't carry on duty.

Three are now employed as armed security at a petrochemical plant refinery, and another two are employed as armed US Marshal contract security officers at the local federal courthouse. One started a firearms training business, CHL and advanced firearms, and another runs a hunting guide service in west Texas. Off duty, they are always armed as far as I know.

 

[Gundalow]

Began LE career in 1968 with local department; transitioned to Federal Agency in 1970, retired in 1998. Since 1968 I normally carried a Model 60 all of the time- on and off duty. When on the streets of NYC my primary weapon was a Model 59 or a SigSauer P226, with the Model 60 as a backup. If traveling to Canada I don't carry. Under LEOSA authority I should be able to carry firearms/ ammo that were authorized by agency in all 50 states; however some states prohibit hollow point ammo and limit magazine capacity contrary to federal law and policies. Thus, despite meeting LEOSA requirements, I am subject to arrest in several states for violating local laws. Regrettably our politicians will not address this problem of individual states undermining the LEOSA and exposing retired LE officers to arrest. Very sad.

We had a saying when I worked on a task force in NYC- there are 2 types of people in NYC, predator and prey. As a senior citizen, I am now prey, but I'll be damned if I don't go down fighting or stop to assist a citizen or cop who needs help, and in order to do that, a handgun is man's best friend.

 

[Palermo]

Active; 15 years on so far. I always carry off duty since day 1 on the job. My agency relaxed its off duty weapon policy about 2 years ago, so now we can carry anything we want above a .380 caliber/no Q course needed. Which shocked a lot of us considering the over abundance of caution being exercised by departments these days. I carry a Model 36 square butt which I bought from a NYC Det. Even when I do yard work in the heat of the summer I carry a Beretta 950 .25 auto.

Exceptions: Traveling to DC off duty and armed is not advisable. I couldn't even enter a parking garage at the Reagan building- and entering any museum required me to sign into a log book. Not worth it. Beyond this, I always carry.

 

[SuperMan]

Thanks all for the replies....

...really sad that more don't carry...

On another forum one retired officer said he has never carried a gun since the day he retired nor had any of his many retired friends...they kinda looked at it as a joke....

 

[18DAI]

I would wager that he wouldn't think it too funny if he runs into a violent felon he had previous dealings with on the job.

That happens. More than you think. Especially if you live inside the jurisdiction you police.

They can be amused. I will be well armed. Regards 18DAI