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LEO Off-Duty and Retired carry %

22K views 154 replies 72 participants last post by  gumbee 
#1 ·
Have asked these questions to many LEOs over the years so I thought I would throw it out here....

For present or past LEOs:

Do you carry:
All the time
Some of the time
Rarely if ever


Your Department:
What percentage of the officers carried OD:
All the time
Some of the time
Rarely if ever


Retired officers you know:
What percentage carry:
All the time
Some of the time
Rarely if ever



For non-LEOs:

The people you know in LE active or retired, do they carry:
All the time
Some of the time
Rarely if ever



Answers for me:
Have carried every day I legally could since 1970 when I got my first CC license. That was in Connecticut when most of the rest of the country never heard of CC.... Have my LEOA certification and still carry everywhere I go.

Was with three departments in my career:
Larger city, 2500 officers, mandatory carry while OD if in the city
Small City, 40 officers, myself and one other officer carried OD
State Agency, 70 officers, myself, the other officer from the previous department who also changed jobs and the chief firearms instructor

Retired officers I know who carry:
The guy I worked with retired and I know he has a gun on or about him always. Another guy I worked with in the large city department who was my shooting partner I know always carries....but the rest of the retirees I know rarely if ever carry.


Any time a I meet a new person who I find out is an officer I ask these same questions....and at least here in New England it seems to be between 5-10%. I've asked at least three different LEO firearms instructors over the last couple of years and the absolute most and very "optimistic" estimate for their department was 50%...and I think this was "some of the time" vs. "all of the time".


Anyway your answers would be appreciated...

Bob
 
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#29 ·
This is the same for me. When I was active I noticed that we had a mix of agents like me that carried all the time and everywhere, except to detention facilities and courts where we weren't allowed to carry. As well as younger, more progressive agents who treated their issued firearm like an extra annoyance that they were required to carry on duty and had to qualify with four times a year.

Many of these younger agents only carried two spare magazines. I always carried at least four spare magazines and still do. When going out to lunch some of them used to joke about not needing to carry their pistol because I always had mine and would take care of anything that might occur during lunch. I once told an agent, "OK, you don't have your gun to back me up in a situation, then you are the rabbit. If something happens like an attempted robbery, I will wait for you to run and draw the bad guy's fire and use that time to draw and take them out. Sucks to be the rabbit if I can't take all of them out before they drop you." He didn't find that so amusing.
 
#3 ·
Well I am over 30 years and not counting any more in uniform.

I carry all of the time. The only time I would not carry is if I was going to consume alcohol and I rarely drink any more (I heal so slowly if I have more than 2) so if you see me I have a pistol on me. I still lift lots of heavy weights and I can conceal a pistol well.

My agency:
That depends. My units that I supervise are Swat, the plainclothes undercover folks, and a uniform special enforcement unit. They are all highly motivated and shoot a lot (I know I get the ammo bill to approve). I carry, my sergeants carry, so they have good examples and they carry. Our line staff (the normal everyday cops) seem to not feel the same way. I would guess that about half? Some just cannot ruin the look of their Miss Me jeans I guess.

The retired cops I know:
The old cops I hang out with are all ones that worked with me or were cops when I came on. They all carry. I go to a retired cops breakfast one time a month with the old guys and all have guns on except two former troopers (go figure). Just teasing troopers but they never carry and one does not own a pistol any more.

The other LEOs I know all carry but they are old guys like me and think like me.

Here is what I think explains my answers. A lot of cops now days look at the profession as a job and not a calling. A job is something that pays your mortgage and you go to because you need it to survive. A calling is something that is a passion. When you take a job as a calling you stay physically fit, train on your time and dime at times, and look forward to making a difference when at work.

Those cops that look at their employment as a job rarely carry off duty after the first year. Those that look at it as a calling are the true believers and view their job like a warrior, they carry tools of the trade everywhere.

Just my old guy rambling thoughts.

Be safe!
 
#4 · (Edited)
30 years as a deputy sheriff here in SoCal and have never carried off duty or now in retirement. This seems to be the norm here. At a recent funeral for one of our coworkers, the topic came up and all of us just started to laugh. After having to carry for 30 years, we are done with guns. It's not political, it's just that we are tired of carrying them. We qualify every 5 years because it's mandatory. This was a group of about 12-15 retired deputies. Edit:forgot to mention, I have 2 nephews in law enforcement and neither carry off duty---OCSD and LAPD.
 
#5 ·
Ive carried ever since I got out of the Academy in Sept. 1971. Although long Retired, I have a State CWP as well as annual re-Qual Cards to comply with Title 18/ 926C. I try to get to the Range at least monthly and practice.

I’m a firm believer in that it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. In the real world, there are no “ time out, I have to go get my gun” scenarios. Stay Safe.
 
#6 ·
Hey, I'm not a cop and have no standing in this, But, the question pertaining to OTHER active & retired officers would be far more informative.

This being a GUN forum, this is where the more Gun-Interested guys hang out.

Bypassing the cops who's interest in guns is only about the same as for all their other equipment.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Do you carry:
All the time

Your Department:
What percentage of the officers carried OD:
Rarely if ever


Retired officers you know:
What percentage carry:
Rarely if ever

I never used to carry off-duty, but started when I attended a parade, and four individuals walked-up and told me I had taken them from jail to court.
 
#10 ·
I carry 98% of the time. Only been retired about a year and a half. Have been carrying off duty since I got out of the academy in May of 78. Knew many, many officers that never carried off duty. Most retired guys that I know do not carry, probably about 70%. Would hate to be with my youngest daughter and if something happened she would have to draw her concealed gun because dad didn’t have his. :)
 
#13 ·
When I was a rookie, I asked my FTO if I should carry off-duty. He told me that guys that are cops because they are sheep dogs carry always so they can protect others. He also said that the guys who don't carry and scoff at those who do are the ones who are being protected by the very guys they are making fun of. He said also said guys who don't believe in practicing or carrying are the guys who have never been involved in anything serious, either by sheer luck or the fact that they avoid situations where something bad might happen.
So, I carry all the time. There is evil in this world and I will not stand quietly by and let some thug hurt my grandchildren...scoff at me if you must, but when evil comes no one ever calls for the guy who doesn't have a gun....
 
#15 ·
Your question is virtually impossible to answer because you ask us to answer what other folks do.

My honest answer:

I carry 99.9% of the time when I'm off duty.
I always have a pistol in my vehicle, but every great once in a while, I will run into a store without one, if my attire doesn't support it.
 
#16 ·
...not an "impossible" question to answer, as many have. Just wondering of the people you know and work(ed) with if they give any indication of whether or not they carried off duty when on the job and/or continued to into retirement....

Bob
 
#18 ·
Several of the “officers” I used to work with lock the gun in there locker then walk out of the building, in uniform, no gun. Dumb in my opinion!

Do I always carry? Yes unless I’m out of the country. I also let the local officers and deputies I meet that I’m retired but will have their back if they need it; not once has one ever said don’t do that. They always say thanks!

Those who don’t carry? None of my business - frankly some of the people I worked with - I’m glad they don’t carry!
 
#19 ·
Just a side note on this subject.

I left work early yesterday and my son went to the range after school with me. I was not in any attire that could identify me as a cop but did have the usual items for off duty carry.

On the way home I saw one of our squads out with a crash on the side of the road and no backup. I drove past and stopped a short distance away to make sure the uniform had a backup. No backup came as the 911 calls were stacked way up. The encounter progressed to where the driver was being screened with field sobriety tests. At this point I walked up and stood in the background. I have known the uniform at this crash for about twenty years and I made sure he was aware I was there.

Of course the driver was drunk and when he was told he was under arrest, he decided he was not going to be arrested. The two of us made short work of 'booze hound' and he gets to enjoy the criminal justice system from a user friendly view.

Point is I was armed and could have assisted had the encounter gone another way.

I saw a Parkland Florida School shooting report that details an off duty Sergeant was at the school early in the incident but was unarmed. I do not want to be that guy! Yeah I know there were cops there in uniform and armed, just saying.....
 
#20 · (Edited)
Hey DRM .....
At this point in time your presence was, I'll bet, well received and with a big thanks. Since most of our country is being plagued by the "open season" on cops, backup such as yours needs to happen at every opportunity. Sickening to wake up every day to another brother down on national news. It needs to be addressed by all that can be of assistance.

When I got started in LE as a 3rd generation officer I showed up on the job with very distinctive orders to live for each other. After moving to DEA for 20 plus I'm proud to think that I continued that thought process for all in LE. Still do. Never without my 1911.
 
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#25 ·
23 years on the force with no retirement in sight. Currently 92 officers in the PD.

I carry off duty all the time. Sometimes a J-frame, sometimes a .45 cal 1911 of one size or another.

Spit-balling it, over half of the force probably carry off duty regularly.
 
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