Saps, blackjacks, night sticks, thumpers, etc.

[Mule Packer]

Probably fifty years or so ago, when I was about fourteen or fifteen, I remember an old local sheriff carrying an interesting piece of what he called "necessary equipment." He'd had the local shoe repair shop stitch up a small leather bag filled with number 6 lead shot. When used properly, he claimed it restored law and order fairly effectively without bloodshed or loss of life. He called it his "sap."

Nowadays, whether because of misuse, liberal uproar, or accusations of cruel and unusual punishment, the sap, blackjack, billy club, and nightstick have seemed to have gone the way of button shoes, carrier pigeons, and the dodo.

Over the years, however, I have been able to acquire some of these pieces of early Americana law enforcement. Is there anybody else who either remembers or has fondness for these great implements of persuasion?

 

[S. Hammer]

Carried a sap for my first few years in South Florida before Accreditation became all the rage and they banned them for duty carry. Now it's a collapsible baton only. And those hardly see any use now that the Taser has taken over. Someone getting struck with an impact weapon is pretty rare here now.

 

[jaykellogg]

You can kill or injure someone with a sap. Also it makes very little sound. They are illegal for non officers most places. As S. Hammer says, the taser is the go to weapon now. I was told it is fairly often more effective than pointing a gun at someone. I suppose that is because the perp assumes you will use the taser.

Everyone in our Sheriffs department who carries a taser must get zapped by one. I was told by the Sheriff himself he took his first like a man and later in a lapse of judgement agreed to have it done a second time. He vowed to never have it done a third time.

 

[Alnamvet68]

I remember that gear...some of my uncles carried that stuff; but unless you want to be accused of being a poor example of a LEO, and be told to dry up and blow away for being politically incorrect for having a "fondness for these instruments of persuasion", I would suggest you just become an angry, old, full of resentments, type of retiree, with absolutely no sense of levity, lest you be "cut out of someones's forum."

 

[ACP230]

The late police chief here told me once that one of his officers, also gone now, was, "an artist with the sap."

So, they were still on the job where I live about 15 years ago.

 

[JayCeeNC]

My dad's early Model 66 which he carried and retired with in 1975.
The "knuckles" are his.
The Convoy sap on the right is mine; I carried it 'til they made me stop.
Those are my S&W Aluminum Airweight 'cuffs, which I bought in 1974 and still have. They secured many a deserving bad guy and never broke, despite being light as a feather.

 

[pawncop]

I had one, a sap, back in the day from 1979 to 1984 when I was A reserve deputy sheriff.

When I transferred to the police department in March 1984 I continued to carry it until one night while working a street dance the police chief observed me carrying it and about had a stroke. Fortunately my Sgt. intervened and smoothed it over but I put it away that night and never carried it again.

 

[Alnamvet68]

I admit it...I'm a piss poor example of a LEO; I carried stuff that was not PC, and used said devices from time to time, especially when I was stationed in the PI or in Colombia. Hang me by my feet in the town square and schmear me with your Rottweiler broccolli sauce...I repent.

 

[duppie]

..in the islands it's referred to as a "bootoo" and is used to tame Barracudas just in the boat as well as the unruly rummies just out of the bar.

 

[Stephanie B]

Wasn't a LEO, but when I was a kid, the local motorcycle cops were rumored to be wearing something called "sap gloves".

 

[jimmyj]

My dad's early Model 66 which he carried and retired with in 1975.
The "knuckles" are his.
The Convoy sap on the right is mine; I carried it 'til they made me stop.
Those are my S&W Aluminum Airweight 'cuffs, which I bought in 1974 and still have. They secured many a deserving bad guy and never broke, despite being light as a feather.

WOW ! I thought that I was the only "Old Timer" that used and remembers "The Convoy" blackjack. Yes I have carried and used all the "Toys". I always came back to "The Convoy". Jordan River Border Patrol Gunbelts, half Wellington Boots. Stetson Hats, and "Officer Presences". The streets are safe !

 

[loc n load]

Tools of the trade

Having began my career in the "steel gun and wooden club" era (1973) I am quite familiar with those tools of the trade.....and my how times have changed......when I was a motor cop for a large DPS, my trousers that were bloused into knee high heavy motor boots had sewn into the seam on the outside of the right leg a "sap pocket"..I have a convoy blackjack as pictured in post #11 that rode a lot of miles with me as did the flat sap that I carried in my sap pocket....I have a display board in my shop that has an assortment of "tools" dating back 50 years and I have young leo's who frequent my shop and look in wonder at that display and are in awe that we used to be allowed to carry and use such implements.....times change. I was a use of force instructor for the vast majority of my career and saw a huge change in how we conduct business. By the time I retired in 08 we had pretty well moved completely away from the impact weapons other than the "ASP" and emphasized the taser which I wish we had 30 years prior.

 

[old bear]

I carried a "convoy" style blackjack my entire L/E career, I'm happy to note I only had to use it twice. Both times I don't know who was more wound up, me or the B/G on the receiving end. Just the sight of a sap or blackjack was often enough to get someone to stop and think about their actions and what could be coming next.

Sadly, for many reasons they are not carried much anymore.

 

[MaximumLawman]

That's quite a collection you have there. I lost my sap a long time ago and instead picked up an 18" length of copper service cable from a line crew one dark and stormy night. You think 00 buck is bad, try 0000 copper! I called it my "Copper Clapper" and "Cu later" took on an ominous meaning.....

 

[foxeye]

I have an old "Billy Club" that was given to me by the Chief of Police when I was about 9 or 10 years of age and he retired that day, and one of the last things he did was drop off his billy club for me. I used to like to get him to twirl it around like you see in the old movies, and he knew I liked it. It had many a dent in it too! Most likely from hitting tables or chairs and car fenders though.

 

[Gray Rider]

I also carried the "Convoy" type jack, never used it as a overhand striking weapon as I was afraid of the possibility of actually killing someone, instead I used it as a force multiplier; punching with it usually took the fight out of the bad guy.

My neighbor, a retired NYC patrol officer gave me a 2X2 blank of lignum vitae, a wood so dense it doesn't float. After using the hickory stick I had been issued on a mental case without the desired result I had a fellow officer with a lathe turn it into a nightstick for me. If I struck someone with it they knew they had been hit and gave up.

Never worked with a taser but it would have been a great tool to use, especially on those who you truly didn't want to hurt like mental cases.

 

[smokey04]

I still have a short "beaver tail"[8&1/4"] and a long "beaver tail"[10"] and a "spring sap". I never used the springer 'cause I was afraid I would really hurt someone. You really can't tell the force you're using with the spring! The short beaver was for plain clothes where you couldn't carry a nightstick. The longer beaver was a little much.[I think what you all are calling a "convoy" is the same as a beaver tail.] Nick

 

[WuzzFuzz]

In my neck of the woods, we used the "Stick"...When we had to. We put the "Wood" to them....Those fiber glass batons that came out later were worthless..IMO...They'd warp if left on the dash and in the sun.

Size wise, or "Sticks", they were supposed to be able to fit into our belt ring...For inspection purposes....However.....Most everyone got larger belt rings....Sometimes, I think the Walking Tall movie, and his "Stick" may have been patterned after us.

One thing about those "Sicks" though...In the area I worked, they were more afraid of our "Sticks", than they were about being shot.....They did not want to be beaten down like a dog....

Yes I had a sap too for a while in my back pocket...But gave it up when ordered to.

WuzzFuzz

 

[Nedroe]

My Examples

I have these + I'm sure that there is a Kubotan nite stick & a collapsible around here somewhere

a length of 500 mcm copper wire, a Brauer Brother's flat sap, unknown older sap, full & half finger versions of sap gloves
You know the story. None of 'em are made of chocolate, so I don't carry 'em. I do wear the gloves once in a while.
Ned

 

[Sprefix]

I've been called a SAP......... Very nice Nedroe!!