American law enforcement can be a dangerous job. Tasked with conducting traffic stops, patrolling high-crime areas, and arresting suspects, police face a high level of risk every time they go to work. Firearms are one of the standard tools that allow police to enforce the law while keeping themselves and others safe.
Police departments across the country have a set of basic minimum standards that the service weapons they issue to officers must meet. Though these standards vary, they typically include multiple metrics, including physical dimensions, stopping power, reliability, accuracy, ergonomics, and weight and distance of trigger pull. For many departments, cost is also a consideration.
Meeting these requirements, which are often department specific, is not necessarily an easy task for gunmakers – but those who have managed to do so sell firearms to police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed firearms used by police departments and sheriff’s offices in cities across the country, as well as those used by federal law enforcement agencies, to identify some of the most popular police firearms. The list consists mostly of standard-issue pistols, but also includes auxiliary weapons, such as shotguns and backup handguns.
The two gunmakers that appear most on this list are Glock and Sig Sauer. Austrian gunmaker Glock began selling firearms in the United States in 1988, and many police departments were drawn to the handgun for its magazine capacity, accuracy, light weight, and steady trigger pull. Handguns made by Sig Sauer, founded in Germany in 1976, are popular for similar reasons and also notable for added safety features and easy takedown. (Here is a look at America’s top pistol companies.)
While some of the firearms on this list can come in multiple calibers, 9mm has proved a favorite in law enforcement. Many departments have moved away from .40 and .45 caliber ammunition as 9mm can offer similar performance at lower cost, greater magazine capacity, higher rates of fire, and reduced recoil. (Here is a look at the gun calibers used the most to commit crimes in the U.S.)
Click here to see the most popular guns in law enforcement.
Source: Courtesy of Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson M&P 40
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: .40 S&W
> Est. base price: $500
> Users include: San Antonio PD
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Source: Courtesy of FN America, LLC
FN 509 MRD-LE
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $830
> Users include: LAPD
Source: Courtesy of Walther Arms, INC.
Walther PPQ (replaced by the PDP)
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $700
> Users include: Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Source: Courtesy of Sig Sauer
Sig Sauer P365
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm, .380 Auto,
> Est. base price: $640
> Users include: Indiana State Police
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Source: Courtesy of GLOCK
Glock 43
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $450
> Users include: Asheville, NC PD
Source: Courtesy of Sig Sauer
Sig Sauer P229
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $1,400
> Users include: U.S. Secret Service, Memphis PD
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Source: Courtesy of GLOCK
Glock 21
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: .45 Auto
> Est. base price: $550
> Users include: Phoenix PD, Lawton, OK PD
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Remington 870
> Type: Pump-action shotgun
> Available chamberings: 12 ga, 20 ga, .410 bore
> Est. base price: $500
> Users include: Alaska State Troopers, Memphis PD
Source: Sig Sauer
Sig Sauer P320
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm, 10mm, .45 Auto
> Est. base price: $735
> Users include: Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma City PD, Delaware State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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Source: Slantsixx / iStock via Getty Images
Glock 22
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: .40 S&W
> Est. base price: $520
> Users include: Philadelphia PD, Houston PD, Phoenix PD, Alaska State Troopers
Source: Courtesy of Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson M&P 9
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $500
> Users include: Chicago PD, Detroit PD, Cincinnati PD, Columbus, OH PD, CIA
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Source: timothytsuihin / Flickr
Sig Sauer P226
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $1,200
> Users include: NYPD, Houston PD, Dallas PD, San Jose PD, CIA
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Source: Malachy120 / iStock via Getty Images
Glock 17
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $540
> Users include: San Jose PD, Dallas PD, Phoenix PD, Houston PD, Chicago PD, Columbus, OH PD, Asheville, NC PD, FBI
Source: sand86 / iStock via Getty Images
Glock 19
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Available chamberings: 9mm
> Est. base price: $510
> Users include: NYPD, Chicago PD, Philadelphia PD, D.C. Metro PD, Boston PD, San Jose PD, Dallas PD, Asheville, NC PD, FBI, CIA, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
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