Weapons and Duty Equipment
Chicago Police Officers are required to buy their own duty equipment, including a sidearm, holster, handcuffs, uniform, etc. The officers may also be qualified to carry a Taser. Some officers choose to carry a backup weapon as well, which must meet the same qualifications as their sidearm.
The sidearm must meet the following requirements:
- Be manufactured by Beretta, Glock, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, or Springfield Armory.
- Be chambered in 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP.
- Be Double-Action Only, Hammer or Striker-Fired.
Officers who were in the department before 1996 may keep their old double-action/single-action or single-action only automatics, as well as their Smith and Wesson or Colt revolvers in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. Recruits choose Springfield Armory, Smith and Wesson, or Glock pistols. They must be chambered in 9mm until the recruit's 18-month probationary period is over. As of 2012, the SIG-Sauer "P-series" pistols are no longer approved for duty. However, officers who carried one previous to the change are "grandfathered in" and permitted to carry it.
CPD Patrol vehicles contain gun racks. Rarely are armed with shotguns – either the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 – in the event that additional firepower is needed. Officers must go through training to carry the AR-15 and have the option to purchase their own or use one issued by CPD.
Read more about this topic: Chicago Police Department
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