Police officers are essential to maintaining public safety, with responsibilities like patrolling designated areas, issuing citations, writing reports, and responding to both emergency and non-emergency situations — just to name a few. To ensure public safety, many officers carry firearms, which are used to protect and de-escalate dangerous situations when necessary. Police departments typically have specific preferences when it comes to which weapons their officers carry. Certain firearms and firearm brands have become the favorites of many officers due to training, proven reliability, and department policies. (These are the current crime rates of cities that defunded police.)
Here, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the makers and types of firearms used nationwide to determine those used most often by police officers. Capacity, accuracy, and cost are common and important aspects to consider when choosing a weapon, and this is no different for any American police department. Departments choose time-tested guns with high reliability and quality. Pistols seem the most prevalent, followed by shotguns and handguns used for backups. We did not list the guns in any particular order. (These are last year’s best-selling guns in the U.S.)
Why Are We Covering This?
According to the FBI, the United States has over 18,000 police departments. The vast majority of these departments’ officers are armed with a handgun. Like many other public institutions, police in the U.S. and around the world are a major client of the firearm manufacturing industry, a $10 billion-a-year sector. Providing a profile of the most commonly used weapons helps paint a picture of some of the gun manufacturers benefitting most from American taxpayer dollars.
Let’s learn more about the most popular guns used in American law enforcement today:
Smith & Wesson M&P 40
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 0.40
- Price: $500
- Used by: San Antonio PD
FN 509 MRD-LE
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $830
- Used by: Los Angeles PD
Walther PPQ (replaced by the PDP)
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $700
- Used by: Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Sig Sauer P365
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm, .380 Automatic
- Price: $640
- Used by: Indiana State PD
Glock 43
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $450
- Used by: Asheville (NC) PD
Sig Sauer P229
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $1,400
- Used by: Memphis PD, U.S. Secret Service
Glock 21
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: .45
- Price: $550
- Used by: Phoenix PD, Lawton (OK) PD
Remington 870
- Gun Type: Shotgun
- Chambered in: 12 ga, 20 ga, .410 bore
- Price: $500
- Used by: Alaska State Troopers, Memphis Police Department
Sig Sauer P320
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: .45 automatic, 9mm, 10mm
- Price: $735
- Used by: Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma City Police Department, Delaware State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Glock 22
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: .40 S&W
- Price: $520
- Used by: Alaska State Troopers, Philadelphia PD, Houston PD, Phoenix PD
Smith & Wesson M&P 9
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $500
- Used by: Chicago PD, Cincinnati PD, Detroit PD, Columbus (OH) PD, CIA
Sig Sauer P226
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $1,200
- Used by: Dallas PD, Houston PD, San Jose PD, CIA, NYPD
Glock 17
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $540
- Used by: Chicago PD, Phoenix PD, FBI, San Jose PD, Dallas PD, Houston PD, Columbus (OH) PD, Asheville (NC) PD
Glock 19
- Gun Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Chambered in: 9mm
- Price: $510
- Used by: Chicago PD, NYPD, Philadelphia PD, Boston PD, D.C. Metro PD, San Jose PD, Dallas PD, Asheville (NC) PD, FBI, CIA, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks