Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews
  • Guns
    • Rifles
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Airguns
    • Specialty Guns
    • Custom Guns
  • Ammo
    • Handgun Ammo
    • Rifle Ammo
    • Reloading
  • Parts
    • Handgun Parts
    • Rifle Parts
  • Accessories
    • Optics & Sights
      • Night Vision
      • Thermal Vision
    • Lasers & Lights
    • Suppressors
    • Holsters
    • Slings
    • Shooting Rests
  • Gear
    • Ears & Eyes
    • Knives
    • Apparel
    • Tactical-Gear
    • Storage
    • Flashlights
    • Electronics
    • Less Lethal
  • Lifestyle
    • Sport Shooting
      • Hunting
    • Competition Shooting
    • Precision Shooting/Long Range
    • Training
    • First Aid
    • Pop Culture
    • History
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Gun Facts & Laws
    • Police News
    • Military News
    • Politics
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews
  • Guns
    • Rifles
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Airguns
    • Specialty Guns
    • Custom Guns
  • Ammo
    • Handgun Ammo
    • Rifle Ammo
    • Reloading
  • Parts
    • Handgun Parts
    • Rifle Parts
  • Accessories
    • Optics & Sights
      • Night Vision
      • Thermal Vision
    • Lasers & Lights
    • Suppressors
    • Holsters
    • Slings
    • Shooting Rests
  • Gear
    • Ears & Eyes
    • Knives
    • Apparel
    • Tactical-Gear
    • Storage
    • Flashlights
    • Electronics
    • Less Lethal
  • Lifestyle
    • Sport Shooting
      • Hunting
    • Competition Shooting
    • Precision Shooting/Long Range
    • Training
    • First Aid
    • Pop Culture
    • History
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Gun Facts & Laws
    • Police News
    • Military News
    • Politics
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews
No Result
View All Result
 
ENTER TO WIN > Free Gun Friday for your chance to WIN the SIG Sauer P320 AXG Legion and Black Hills HoneyBadger Ammo

Off-Duty Survival For Law Enforcement Officers

Richard Johnson by Richard Johnson
March 16, 2023
in News, Police News
0
Off-Duty full subway

Off-Duty Survival For Law Enforcement Officers

0
SHARES
16
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Off-Duty full subway
Off-Duty Survival For Law Enforcement Officers
Off-Duty full lead
Off-Duty Survival For Law Enforcement Officers

In some agencies, the top brass frown upon off-duty carry, while in others it is “strongly encouraged,” and there may even be a few departments that still require 24/7 carry except when the officer intends to be drinking.

Research from one Georgia police department indicates that as many as 7 percent of law enforcement agencies issue easy-to-carry compact handguns for off-duty (and usually also backup) use. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three state police agencies that issue such handguns to their troopers for those purposes.

RELATED: Going Covert: Top Undercover Officer Gear

It’s easy for a less-committed officer to say, “I get paid to carry a gun, so if they want me to carry one on my own time, they better pay me for that, too.” Those who see law enforcement as a calling know better. They realize that deadly danger can present itself at any time, often when least expected. And frequently, the off-duty cop finds himself the target instead of the rescuer.

Taking Out The Trash

I’ve heard skeptics say, “So, am I supposed to strap on a gun when I take the garbage can out to the curb?” Well, look at the following three cases and then ask me that question again.

Case One occurred in New York. A decorated NYPD detective who does put on his Smith & Wesson Model 36 when he takes the trash out witnessed a neighborhood argument spiral down into extreme violence. He drew the gun, preventing death or grave bodily harm that almost certainly would have occurred had he not been armed during this mundane, just-step-out-of-the-house task. Case Two also took place in New York. An NYPD officer with national pistol champion titles is taking out the trash when he sees multiple assailants mugging an older woman. Unarmed, he rushes to her aid, only to find that the muggers are armed with metal pipes. With genuine heroism, he beats the hell out of them with his bare hands and subdues them—but not before their swinging pipes inflict injuries that will force him to retire from not only handgun competition, but also police work itself.

California is the setting for Case Three. A young officer’s successful anti-gang efforts have made him a target for the local gangbangers. When he steps out of his house to bring garbage to the curb, human garbage is waiting for him in ambush. Helpless to shoot back because he is unarmed, he is gunned down and dies in front of his own home.

Case One: Armed, unharmed and victorious. Case Two: Unarmed, ultimately victorious, but disabled for life and gone from the career he loves. Case Three: Unarmed, helpless and dead. In police work, that’s spelled C-L-U-E.

Off-Duty full alley
Off-Duty Survival For Law Enforcement Officers

Low-Cost Options

For many young cops, still low on the salary scale but with fast-growing children and attendant expenses, buying a subcompact off-duty gun seems like a selfish luxury. No problem: Modern CCW holsters allow the department-issued service pistol to be worn comfortably in concealment. In Case Four, a cop in a New Hampshire city invested in an inside-the-waistband holster for his full-sized, department-issued sidearm. Regular training and qualification made him confident with it the night he had to draw on a dangerous felon while off-duty. That confidence showed, and cowed his opponent into surrendering, turning what could have been the murder of a policeman at worst and a gunfight at best into a solid felony arrest with no shots fired.

Saving Lives

For a decade now, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act has allowed cops to carry off-duty outside of their own jurisdictions. It saved an innocent life in Case Five when an off-duty Chicago cop who happened to be in Utah saw a man stabbing another man in a restaurant parking lot. He drew his privately owned, department-approved Smith & Wesson M&P40, identified himself and ordered the man to drop his weapon. When he continued the attack, the off-duty cop shot him. The stabbing victim survived, thanks to a well-prepared officer who was in the right place at the right time.

Case Six went down in Tucson, Arizona. A Pima County SWAT physician and sworn deputy was off-duty in his assigned, unmarked vehicle when he came upon a woman being brutalized by an armed carjacker who, it turned out, had murdered his own father hours before. With his department-issued Colt Government Model 1911 .45 ACP in hand, the SWAT doctor identified himself, and the fight was on. In the course of a short but savage gunfight, the police doctor was wounded slightly by a 9mm bullet, but he shot and killed the suspect. He was credited with saving the life of the carjacking victim.

Often, what calls the off-duty gun into action is a violent criminal who mistakes the officer in casual clothing for a victim. In the famous Case Seven, a particularly vicious serial rapist saw a beautiful young woman on the street, took her at gunpoint and forced her into his automobile. What he didn’t know was that she was a rookie Chicago Police officer, and she was armed.

What would likely have been a brutal rape and possibly a murder turned into a fierce battle to the death in the front seat of the pervert’s car when she drew her Colt .38 Detective Special. When it was over, she stepped out of the car alone, defiant and alive. The rapist’s string of heinous crimes was over: He was sprawled in the front seat, dead from the multiple gunshot wounds she had inflicted upon him in self-defense. His first armed victim had been his last.

It is not at all uncommon for the first responding officer at a scene of lethal criminal violence to be off-duty. He or she must be prepared. Sometimes, only the presence of an off-duty gun and the skill that must come with it will separate the triumphant hero cop from the tragically murdered, helpless police officer caught both off duty and off guard.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS

RELATED POSTS

The ATF Final Rule on Pistol receivers changes products like Polymer80 to an FFL item.

Polymer80 Scores Big Legal Win After ATF Final Rule on Receivers

The FN EMGS arms the next generation of Air Force rescue helicopters.

FN External Mount Gun System Arms Air Force HH-60W Next Gen Rescue Helo

Shooting and testing the new Smith & Wesson M&P FPC folding carbine.

VIDEO: Sending Rounds Downrange Shooting the S&W M&P FPC

The acquisition of General Robotics by SIG Sauer brings access to major systems and robotics technology.

SIG Sauer Acquires General Robotics

Load More

WATCH NOW: TACTICAL-LIFE’s RELOADING ZONE

Discussion about this post

FEATURED POST

The ATF Final Rule on Pistol receivers changes products like Polymer80 to an FFL item.

Polymer80 Scores Big Legal Win After ATF Final Rule on Receivers

We recently reported on the open letter from the ATF to FFLs regarding its final rule on receivers (below). The...

Read more

TRENDING

New Jersey LEOSA, federal law

Big Court Win for New Jersey LEOSA Permits

...

The Dicken Drill is named for Eli Dicken who saved many lives in the Greenwood Mall

The Elisjsha Dicken Drill

...

U.S. Secret Service adopts Glock G47

FIRST LOOK: Glock Just Very Quietly Unveiled the New Glock 47 Pistol

...

Police Sidearms, police duty pistols, Handguns, America's Largest Police Departments 2018

Police Sidearms: The Handguns of America’s 10 Largest Departments

...

PICK A CATEGORY

TACTICS & TRAINING SPOTLIGHT

CMP surplus ammunition.

CMP Surplus Ammo Coming Soon in M2 Ball, .30 Carbine & More

Some big news for trigger pullers recently from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. A wide selection of CMP surplus ammo will...

TACTICS & TRAINING SHOWCASE

Active School Shooter Training: 14 Key Points to Consider

Active School Shooter Training: 14 Key Points to Consider

Tactical Reload Semi-Auto Pistol Step 8

5 Strategies For Effectively Completing a Tactical Reload

The Colt CBX Precision Rifle ushers in a new era in colt bolt-gun offerings.

FIRST LOOK: Colt CBX Precision Chassis Rifle Ready to Compete & Win

Fact vs. Fiction 5 Myths Gunfight Survival lead

5 Common Myths on How to Survive a Gunfight

Standing Your Ground Castle Doctrine lead

Understanding Stand Your Ground Laws and Castle Doctrine

long distance shooting tips

Long-Distance Shooting: 5 Must-Know Tips For Spotters & Shooters

IMPACT Experience Events.

IMPACT Experience Events Redefine Your Long-Range Shooting Limits

Enhance your shooting precision skills in a course with Modern Day Sniper.

Sniper Skills: Taking Your Shooting Precision to the Next Level

Once you find a carry gun that works for you, get another for a spare. These “hammerless” S&W J-frame lightweights are M340 M&P with Hogue Bantam grips, top, and a M442 Airweight with Crimson Trace Lasergrips, below.

10 Commandments of Concealed Carry

AMMO SPOTLIGHT

The wizard behind the curtain at Peterson Cartridge, company president Derek Peterson.

The Rise of Peterson Cartridge: Precision to Build Better Brass

What do you get when you cross a mechanical genius with a Tasmanian devil? Well, you get someone who looks...

site logo
Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun news, gun reviews and gun magazines for gun enthusiasts, military and law enforcement

Tactical

  • tactical-life.com

Magazines

  • Tactical Life
  • The Complete Book of Reloading
  • Guns of the Old West

Facebook

  • Tactical-Life Facebook
  • Guns of the Old West Facebook

Twitter

  • Tactical-Life Twitter

Self Defense

  • PersonalDefenseWorld.com

Magazines

  • Personal Defense World
  • Combat Handguns

Facebook

  • Personal Defense World Facebook
  • Combat Handguns

Twitter

  • Personal Defense World Twitter

Shooting Lifestyle

  • BallisticMag.com

Magazines

  • BallisticMag.com

Facebook

  • Ballistic Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Ballistic Magazine Twitter

Alpha Lifestyle

  • SkillsetMag.com

Magazines

  • Skillset

Facebook

  • Skillset Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Skillset Magazine Twitter

Instagram

  • Skillset Magazine Instagram
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
© Athlon Outdoors, All Rights Reserved.
You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Outdoors.

Manage your GDPR consents by clicking here. Manage your CCPA consents by clicking here.
No Result
View All Result
  • Guns
    • Rifles
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Airguns
    • Specialty Guns
    • Custom Guns
  • Ammo
    • Handgun Ammo
    • Rifle Ammo
    • Reloading
  • Parts
    • Handgun Parts
    • Rifle Parts
  • Accessories
    • Optics & Sights
      • Night Vision
      • Thermal Vision
    • Lasers & Lights
    • Suppressors
    • Holsters
    • Maintenance & Tools
  • Gear
    • Ears & Eyes
    • Knives
    • Apparel
    • Tactical-Gear
    • Knives
    • Storage
    • Flashlights
    • Electronics
    • Less Lethal
  • Lifestyle
    • Sport Shooting
      • Hunting
    • competition-shooting
    • Precision Shooting/Long Range
    • Training
    • First Aid
    • Survival
    • Pop Culture
    • History
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Gun Facts & Laws
    • Police News
    • Military News
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Contact Us

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.