Jobs in law enforcement are among the most dangerous in the United States.  Conducting traffic stops, patrolling high-crime areas, and pursuing and arresting criminal suspects, police face a high level of risk to their personal safety every time they go to work – and those risks appear to be on the rise. According to the FBI, incidents in which law enforcement officers were assaulted while on duty increased 11.2% from 2020 to 2021.

Because of the potential for deadly violence, police in the United States carry firearms, which, under certain circumstances, they are authorized to use.

With the potential to save someone else’s life or their own, firearms are among the most important tools carried by men and women in uniform. And should an officer have just cause to use their weapon in the line of duty, it is imperative that the firearm functions reliably and effectively. As a result, cities across the country have strict guidelines dictating what their officers carry. 

24/7 Wall St. reviewed police department policy handbooks and local media reports to identify the handguns used by police departments in America’s 10 largest cities by population. It is important to note that the firearms listed are not necessarily all those used by police in that city, but rather represent standard issue firearms based on the latest available data at the time of this publication. 

In some major U.S. cities, such as Chicago and Philadelphia, police can choose between a range of firearms that fall within department-approved parameters to carry while on duty. In other major cities, police departments rely on a single, standardized service weapon. (These are America’s top pistol companies.)

In much of the country, police departments have moved away from revolvers, opting instead for semi-automatic handguns, which typically reload and fire faster, and have larger magazine capacities. However, in some cities on this list, revolvers are still permitted. (This is how many people your state sends to jail every year.)

Click here to see the standard issue police sidearm in each of America’s 10 largest cities.

Click here to read our detailed methodology.

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Methodology

To identify the handguns used by police departments in America’s largest cities, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed official police department documents and local media reports. 

All data in this story was the latest available at the time of publication and is subject to change. Specific data on the firearms available to officers with the San Diego Police Department was not available at the time of publishing, but a department spokesperson confirmed there is no single standard issue firearm and that officers have a choice between a range of firearms. 

Police officer personnel and city population figures are as of 2021 and came from the FBI. Due to a lack of FBI reporting for Chicago and Philadelphia, population data is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey and police officer counts are from official department websites.

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