2017; Any Police still carrying Revolvers?

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shurshot

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Just curious if any Departments are still authorizing officers to carry revolvers on duty? I know revolvers are carried by many off duty, I prefer them myself, but my question is directed towards issued or authorised duty weapons, training, etc.
 
I was at a LEO funeral and met a guy from Spokane PD who was still carrying a revolver. He said he was the last he knew of who still could because of a grandfather clause in their SOP. He'd started out with a revolver and intended to keep it until he retired.
 
None of which I am aware. However, I've never reviewed any departmental policies to determine what all is actually authorized. I only know what I see in holsters.
 
Honestly, I don't concern myself with this. No more than I worry about what holster design, ammo. consideration or car model they drive. All of those decisions are largely driven by department economics in any case. I carry what works for me.
 
I haven't seen a revolver in the holster of a person in uniform in many years. I live on the east coast of Florida, and get around a little bit to towns large and small.
 
I haven't seen any as primary weapons, but I know there's a lot of them being carried on duty as BUGs. Usually 38 snubs.
 
I used to see a guy from a local IRS office with a revolver in his duty belt (maybe two/three years back)... have seen someone recently in the same uniform with a semi-auto. Just didn’t see the guy enough to tell if it was the same guy or someone else. But did notice it, as it isn’t common.

Agencies that used to issue revolvers, and some officers kept them through the transition (NYPD, for example), have got to the point that people who were still carrying them are retired. It is a semi-auto world, now.

As a backup... no problem with my 9mm 642-1. But primary, I wouldn’t want a 686. Maybe a 629, but that would get old to carry fast. Just rather have the extra firepower, considering what criminals can have today. A 686 verses an AK... even a semi-auto rifle... isn’t a fun day. Kind of like that TV movie of the North Hollywood shootout, where they had an actor playing the one officer say, “these guys were slinging AK's and I was carrying a 9mm Beretta. I was in the wrong place with the wrong gun.”
 
When I made my proposal for the department to purchase sufficient pistols to transition to semi auto and standardize with the G22 and23, approval meant the revolver as a duty weapon was done. Off duty use included several revolvers on the approved list for carry, of course that was twenty five years ago today I have no idea what is authorized.
 
I am aware of a handful of small municipal departments in rural areas of Texas and Arkansas that have reserve officers armed with revolvers, but other than that, like Screwball said, it's a semi-auto world.
 
Our local city and county PD mandate Glocks. The city carries G17's, the county G22's. The sheriff's dept. mandates G22's for deputies on the street. But those who work security at the courthouse are allowed to carry personal revolvers from an approved list if they can qualify with it. Many of those guys are retired working part time or older deputies near retirement who want to stay with revolvers. Even then I don't think there are more than 1 or 2 carrying revolvers. I do know it has to be a 38. No 357 magnums or other calibers are allowed.
 
I was in Los Alamos, NM a while ago, and the Sheriff's deputies carried revolvers in western style holsters. Like hdwhit said, it is far more common in small western towns than anywhere else. Give it another decade, and I'll bet the vast majority will be carrying semiautos even in the small towns.
 
I still see a few Sheriff's deputies or officers in the smaller towns in western Montana carrying some revolvers ...in a lot of those depts, officers provide their own guns ...and S&W model 28's or 19's ....are still being carried ( in .357 Mag ) by some officers ( and if I had to guess, they were guns from retired family members...)...
 
The last two duty revolvers I saw were on a private security guard and on someone working for an armored car company. Both were within the last year or two and I don't recall either of the men looking particularly old. I know that's not "police" but it's gotten rare enough that it was a memorable surprise. Practicality be darned. The nostalgia makes me smile every time.
 
Lately, I have seen only private security guards armed with revolvers, Even saw one as I was walking out of a football game armed with a single action Ruger Blackhawk....I wanted to ask him what caliber but the throng was pushing me along.

The Pa State Troopers were issued 4" stainless Ruger Security Six .357s before the Beretta 92...I often wonder what happened to those Rugers after the switch to autos.
 
Have not seen revolvers as duty side arms since the late 80's, early 90's in Michigan. You do see them as back up/ off duty guns (J-frames), but even that is declining and heading towards semi-autos. Academy recruits typically don't know anything about revolvers and are only trained on semi-auto pistols, carbines (AR-15), and shotguns.
 
I highly doubt you will find more than one or two departments in all of our nation that would actually still issue a revolver. There may well be none. I'm sure there are small departments that do not issue weapons but require officers to bring there own that may still allow revolvers.

I'm issued a Sig P227 for duty carry, however I'm currently in a plain clothes assignment. I was issued a P290 for U/C carry but had to turn it back in because we are selling them. I now carry personal firearms for duty. I could get away with carrying a revolver if I so desired. I am the exception, not the rule. I CCW even on duty.
 
I know several in admin positions that don't carry a duty weapon regularly but do carry a BUG revolver. This makes their BUG their defacto duty gun.
 
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