Welcome back, warriors. If you’re confused about the title, we are going over some common gear you as a law enforcement officer might use. There are infinite combinations you can choose for your loadout, but for now, we will be talking about what I believe every patrolman should carry.
Let’s talk about communication. We are starting with this because, in my professional opinion, this is one of the most important pieces of gear you can carry. So what can you use for communication? Well, that depends on your department. Hopefully, you can carry encrypted radios with a shoulder mikes. The main thing about this is you need to have and maintain comms where ever you may be working at. This is important you as an officer will receive calls for assistance, or perhaps you may need to call for assistance. When this is the case it would be extremely inconvenient for you or someone else not to have comms.
Next, Let’s go over handcuffs. Calm down we are not talking about love cuffs. There are two types of cuffs you can use. The hinged cuff, and the chain cuff. They both work as intended but it is my belief that the chain cuffs are where it’s at. Let me explain what I’m talking about. Its pretty simple when applying cuffs to a suspect the chain cuff gives you better control simply by allowing to grab the chain in between the cuffs. I would spend about 6 hours every three months just practicing handcuffing techniques with my fellow officers. And everything we practiced would be impossible to do with the hinged handcuffs.
I find a good flashlight is a must-have as well. Also, make sure it is bright and the batteries are staying charged. It doesn’t do you any good if it won’t turn on.
Now let’s talk less than lethal force. What does that mean for your average patrolman? It usually means O.C. spray, taser, and an expandable baton.
So starting off we have O.C. spray (aka) mace. This is highly effective, and it makes a suspect easier to handle. Now things to think about when selecting your OC spray. If you had to deploy it where would you be? If you’re at a hospital or any other place where you don’t want to adversely affect bystanders. I would suggest using a foam-based spray vs. an oil-based spray.
I’m not going to touch on tasers, for the sole reason I never carried one. But they are effective if deployed right, so yeah if you have the opportunity to carry a taser go for it. I would of if I could.
Now the expandable baton. This would probably be used right before deadly force. Meaning used only when other means mentioned above were unavailable or not effective. And just something to think about. If working with a K-9 be aware of how you choose to expand your baton. Perhaps think of swinging it up to prevent hitting your partner.
So that being said I’m going to send you to this link I found on YouTube. It will give you a general guide on how to wear the gear I mentioned above.
And as always if you have any comments or questions please feel free. Be safe out there.
The following video was uploaded by Jordan Burke.
