are there any Police or Sheriff Deptartments that still use revolvers?

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Doug.38PR

Moderator
I'm not in law enforcement or anything, and I know all the arguments pro and con in revolvers vs. autos but I'd just like to know something. Does anyone know of any police or sheriff departments that still use revolvers as their primary sidearm?
Most of them have either gone to automatics or allow the individual policeman or deputy to buy whatever gun he wants (and they usually choose automatics). Of course there are those that carry a Ladysmith or some other snub nose .38 in their boot as a backup, but I'm talking about the primary gun in the holster on your side.
Around the Harris County, Texas area you occasionally see HPD and Sheriff/Constable deputies that are in their 50's and up carrying revolvers but are there any younger guys 20s+ in here that are in law enforcement that choose revolver? And if so I'd be curious to know why you go against the trend of the younger generation?
 
I know some departments let their officers carry a revolver as thair backup or off duty weapon, I am not sure about on duty. None here in Arizona.
 
I became a Police Chief of a 30 man department in 1983 and I set policy for the Department. It was at the end of the revolver age in LE. I allowed my officers to carry any pistol of quality construction and make that they could qualify with, we'd issue them a pistol, but they could buy their own if they desired. I had three older officers that requested and were allowed to continue to carry their revolvers when we began to transition our officers to Semi Auto Pistols. Several officers carried Dick Specials and J frame Smiths as BUGs and Semi Auto Pistols as primary sidearms.

The only folks I ever see carrying revolvers now are older officers who have used one their entire career and Armed Security Guards whos owners do not trust them with anything else.

When I was chief, I also allowed my officers to carry their own rifle, ARs in the police unit along with the dept. issued 870. They had to go thru a Patrol Rifle school prior to carrying the rifle and qualify with it at each dept qualification.

Intresting side note:
My officers had to shoot a 25 yard standard qualification with their BUGs and Off Duty guns. Most carried their primary off duty. Our primary gun qualification included six rounds at 50 years. Some officers complained at that, but I spent my first ten years in LE qulaifiying on a B-27 which included 18 rounds at 50 yards. You need to know what your gun is going to do at longer ranges.

I had eleven officers out of thirty who were NRA Police Firearms Instructors.
Most of the officers in my department were shooters who never had to shoot in the line of duty cause I made sure the public knew my officers could and would protect them.

Jungle Work
 
Good policies, Jungle Work. Don't see enough of that - especially the last - very much anymore...

In my neck of the woods there are still a couple departments that allow officers the choice. See only a couple officers with revolvers statewide.

I started with one and don't feel underarmed at all with a few speed loaders. Not anymore, different dept, different policy. But I'd carry a semi-auto now anyway, just in case I need even MORE ammo. :eek:
 
At the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia last December, I noticed many of the Philadelphia Police officers were carrying S&W, Ruger and Colt revolvers. I suspect most of these were detectives and supervisors who had been placed in uniform that day, due to President Bush's attendance. Nevertheless, at least 25 percent carried wheelguns.
 
The Berrien County Sheriffs Department issues two handguns, H&K P7M13 and the S&W M-66 4in. The Officers get to choose between the two.
 
Manatee County Sheriff's Office still issues .38 revolvers, but nobody really carries them anymore. They let you carry what you want as long as it conforms to their policy. I sure wouldn't mind the free gun though.
 
All the departments around here allow their guys to carry just about anything as long as they can qualify with it. I think most issue Glocks, but I've only seen 2 actually carrying them. I'd say half the guys I see carry autos, usually a Sig 220, a very few carry 1911s. BUT a lot of guys are carrying wheelguns. The local police qualify at the indoor range I sometimes go to, and the week before last, they had two wet behind the ears rookies qualifying with 6" 686s. The young guys carry wheelguns as often as the older guys do, and it was great seeing these new guys that couldn't have been many days past their 21st birthday that had enough motivation to buy a gun like the 686 as their duty weapon (you have to buy your own if you don't take the issue weapon).
 
I would consider carrying a 686, or at least taking it as an issued weapon, IF, it was a 4 in model, and a 7 shot, NIB

6in just takes too long on the draw
 
It's not the draw time, it's the holster not fitting in the car seat. And with a six inch you'd have your weapon and baton in the same holster, freeing up space for ;) other crap we now need.
 
When in uniform I carry the issued Sig 220. However, in plain cloths (either investigation or undercover) I have carried a Taurus 617 Total Ti 7 shot .357 Magnum. It has a 2” barrel that conceals very well. Also when undercover most bad guys don't associate a wheelgun with the police. My back up is a Taurus Ultra Lite .38 special. During Tatical raids I carry my Sig 220 in a thigh holster, my Taurus 617 in a pocket in my raid vest and have my back up on my leg. Primary weapon is either a shotgun or rifle. ;)
 
Im tall and lanky, and I wouldnt want to have to draw 6 inches of barrel through a holster, when I can draw less than 3 inches of barrel with my USP 45f
 
The only LEOs in Colorado I see carrying wheel guns are older ones grandfathered in. The rest carry autos. (I believe the POST requirements demand it these days.)

That's primary carry, of course. Lots of snubbies as backup.
 
Hey guys, I just said what I saw. I didn't say a 6" was a preferred length, that's just what they had. Although I have seen some old timers with 6" tubes, so I figure they must have a reason.
 
Really?

I also live in houston, texas and just the other day i saw a cop in his mid 20's carrying a Smith and Wesson 686.
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Really? In his 20s? :confused: Was he Sheriff's Dept or one of the outlying towns around Houston (Bellaire, Alief, Jersey City, South Houston, West University, Pasadena, Woodlands, etc.). Because as I understand it, Houston Police can only carry .40 caliber autos past a certain graduating class. The only ones that can carry anything else are the older men who are grandfathered out over time.

Sheriff's Dept. I understand can still carry anything they want and have to buy their own guns.
 
not sure- i was in a metropolitan area so it probably wasnt a sheriff. He had on a beige shirt, black pants, and sunglasses. looked around 26 years old if i had to guess.
then again it could be a sheriff b/c there was no HPD insignia on his shirt.
 
Hmm

not sure- i was in a metropolitan area so it probably wasnt a sheriff. He had on a beige shirt, black pants, and sunglasses. looked around 26 years old if i had to guess. then again it could be a sheriff b/c there was no HPD insignia on his shirt.
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If he had a beige shirt then I think that is Sheriff dept. HPD have light blue shirts. Sheriff deputies have (I think) beige and Constables that patrol our neighborhoods have navy blue. It would make sense if he was Sheriff.

That is interesting.
 
Last I heard, Houston PD does not issue guns, officers supply their own. Don't know about revolver use, though.

My security company is allowed semi-autos, revolvers, and shotguns. For the most part, the security industry has gone the way of semi-autos. I still carry a revolver, because I was raised with one, which is ironic since I have a Glock 19 and 22 sitting in the safe untouched for 3yrs. Go figure. One thing I have noticed is that the departments here that give the officer the choice seem to have a large number of revolver carriers.
 
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