Armament
-
- .40 caliber S&W Taurus PT 100 AF pistol
- CT .40 carbine
- 12 caliber semiautomatic shotgun
- Para-Fal 7,62mm rifle
- Colt M16A-2 5,56mm rifle
The Federal Highway Police was a pioneer among Brazilian law enforcement agencies in the use of .40 caliber S&W.
This important step in the permission of a caliber with excellent stopping power came about due to the large amount of PRF officers participating in marksmanship for sport, where the caliber was already used among the most experienced shooters.
The PRF presented sufficient argument to the Brazilian Army for that caliber to be allowed for PRF use. Formerly using .380 ACP and 38 for revolvers, the Brazilian Army did not offer any resistance to the improvement of the service conditions of that law enforcement class, as 38 caliber and .380 ACP presented a small stopping power compared to .40 caliber S&W.
As the amount of police personnel on federal highways is small, when PRF officers are involved in armed confrontations they will typically require a caliber that would really make a difference in the confrontation.
What could be considered a privilege, at the time, for federal highway police officers, the only police officers authorized to use .40 caliber S&W, eventually was extended slowly and gradually to other military and civilian police agencies all over the country.
The 38 caliber, lacking in stopping power, was retired by the Federal Highway Police and the .40 S&W arrived on the scene, with a stopping power of 92. This means that for every 100 people hit by this caliber, 92 will become unable to continue fighting with only one shot of the firearm.
Read more about this topic: Federal Highway Police