Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. I will be attending a meeting with some senior police officers in my state I want to ask them why they can’t provide this equipment. Police officers are carrying a knife because it is such a wonderfully versatile tool: it can be used as a rescue device to extract people stuck in vehicles; it can be a utility blade used to cut barricade tape; and for officers who wear glasses that sharp tipped knife is often used to tighten those tiny screws that hold on the eyeglass arms. In addition, if an officer is disarmed of his knife by an offender, it becomes a deadly force situation. Wir und unsere Partner nutzen Cookies und ähnliche Technik, um Daten auf Ihrem Gerät zu speichern und/oder darauf zuzugreifen, für folgende Zwecke: um personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr über die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie für die Entwicklung von Produkten. Frame locks are very similar to liner locks, … Self defense, cutting a seat belt on a trapped driver, prying open a screen door to get to a person who is helpless on the floor of their home. If you need to find someone who is in prison, it is important to know exactly... Before we get into the list of police resources, let's define what a police officer is. The Glock handgun is the preferred weapon of choice of most on-duty police officers. I carry a Cold Steel Gunsite edition with a 4 inch blade and a "50-50" serrated efge with the Tanto point. Officers in police departments throughout the United States must be fitted with standard equipment to help protect themselves and citizens against any and all encounters they may encounter. you can strike and stun him like a Taser. Despite the utilitarian chores for which a knife may be used, a primary reason officers carry a knife is for last-ditch self protection. This includes torches, water bottles and … The baton is actually superior for it’s intended purpose. Police officers have the option to carry a shotgun that shoots bean bags, a non-deadly weapon that is typically used in riot or crowd control situations. The completion of the different types of paperwork, if not covered in other training, should be included in the training program for the knife. Learn how your comment data is processed. The section about Rescue Tools contains the following wording: “a device equipped with a belt clip and intended use of this tool is for emergency rescue situations, i.e. It should be used last resort, and they just have a gun for that. Also, we are an information provider only and do not physically distribute the products on our website. Reading these examples and recognizing the extremely different approaches, one might ask, “What should a policy on edged weapons cover?”. The items may be physically carried, fastened to a utility belt, or stored in the police vehicle. The duty belt makes the equipment easy to carry and readily accessible. Not only does it dictate what types of edged weapons its officers can carry, it mandates that properly certified instructional personnel shall inspect any knife that officers want to carry and that the officers must be properly trained prior to carrying the weapon. In fact, a 2006 survey of the British Police Federation, which represents all officers in the U.K., found that 82 percent of members didn't even want officers to be armed. By detailing the characteristics of departmentally authorized knives the agency can protect itself from liability caused by officers carrying low-quality knives that are as much a threat to the officers as they are to the suspects when used. If the Use of Force policy prohibits the use of other tools such as batons, vehicles, flashlights, knives, etc. Though it might be labeled as a rescue tool, it obviously cannot be carried into a secure area such as prisoner processing. Law Enforcement agencies in general expect lawsuits and don’t fear them as a matter of doing business. Additional rounds of ammunition may be stored in the patrol vehicle. He prefers liner locks, which use a side-spring lock and can easily be opened and closed with one hand. The Northglenn Police Department in Colorado has taken a decidedly different approach. Either a private citizen or a police officer can possess a switchblade knife, and peace officers are exempt from the school grounds prohibition.See below Continue Reading When I was a police officer in Nevada in the 1980s, switchblade knives (or any knife that opened by use of a spring or other automated mechanism) were a completely prohibited weapon. : police For example, you could go to restrain a guy hopped up on drugs and he tackles you and attempts to eat your throat out. How do you think about the answers? Specifically, for the latter item, the use of multi-tools has already saved lives by cutting ligatures where people are sadly attempting to commit suicide, or bandages whilst administering first aid. Police, do you think it should be mandatory for officers to carry a knife for last resort hand to hand scuffles? In addition, if an officer is disarmed of his knife by an offender, it … There are many uses for a knife; probably more than the weapons you listed. Most often this type of liability is going to be incurred when the untrained officer carrying a knife of poor-quality construction manages to close it on his own fingers. A majority of police officers prefer to use a soft bulletproof vest as part of their equipment as they are less noticeable. These links take you to the products mentioned in the article. The police duty belt is also known as a gun belt or kit belt. The methods by which agencies can minimize their liability from officers carrying and using knives vary from prohibiting the carry of a knife to recognizing its potential and fully training their officers in every potential use. If they don't what is the reason they don't? If you have any questions about police officer equipment, please leave a comment below. Most are not issued knives (some units do) so the knives are a personal preference. The spray makes it difficult for the assailant to see and breathe, which gives officers time to subdue the individual and make an arrest. Some companies manufacture knives that are specifically designed for rescue usage, but the blades would be great for defensive lethal force as well. Damit Verizon Media und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten können, wählen Sie bitte 'Ich stimme zu.' Sie können Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ändern. This helps offset some of the costs of running our site. A good Use of Force policy today permits the officer to use anything available to deliver lethal force given the appropriate circumstances. They can be used to track suspects, search for missing persons, survey a damaged area, and much more. Police handcuffs are probably the most used item in their equipment arsenal. How can any agency authorize the use of a weapon for other use than what is represented on the Use of Force Continuum?