What Equipment Do Police Officers Carry? (And Do They Buy It Themselves?)

If you’re a law enforcement officer, you’re obviously doing a vital job that can get downright dangerous at times. Because of the nature of the work, you need to have high quality gear that you know will hold up in a stressful situation.

Just about anyone off the street can tell you that a police officer will carry a firearm and a pair of handcuffs for apprehending suspects, but beyond that there’s quite a bit more than a typical officer will carry.

Let’s first take a look at some of the vital pieces of police equipment.

What Gear Do Police Officers Need?

Before getting to the various tools you’ll bring with you, we need to start with the police uniform. You’ll have various long and short sleeve uniform shirts and likely a couple pairs of uniform trousers along with a belt.

For cold weather you’ll have a jacket, likely nylon, and boots for bad conditions. And to top things off you need a uniform cap. Also, don’t forget about one of the most important things you’ll carry, your badge.

Beyond the uniform, you’ll likely have a couple pairs of handcuffs along with a handcuff case, a duty gun with holster, ammunition and a magazine carrier, a baton and baton carrier, pepper spray with holster, and likely more including a police knife and backup and off-duty gun.

Body armor has become more and more widely used, either as a requirement or at least a strong recommendation for cops to wear. Things like this obviously depend greatly on the size and environment of the department, with urban and rural being one example of how general duties and thus necessary gear can vary significantly.

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Do Police Officers Have to Buy Their Own Equipment?

Next, how exactly do officers get all the equipment they need? Many people believe that the department issues all of the gear mentioned in the previous section, but in most cases that’s not true. It’s dependent on the department and its policies, but there are a couple of common ways to handle it.

Some departments do provide the “standard issue” major pieces of equipment but leave it up to the officer to choose what remains or whether to replace certain pieces with something preferable.

For example, you might get a simple duty bag to carry things in but many officers will upgrade to a tactical pack.

Other departments have strict guidelines as to what its officers need to get. Many offer an equipment allowance with varying levels of strictness as to what to do with it.

In most cases, though, it will fall short of everything that will need to be purchased. And for some departments, the officer foots the bill for nearly everything that they will be carrying while on duty.

Departmental policies will also dictate what tools you can carry off duty and thus what extra you might need to pick up, such as an off-duty weapon.

The reasons for all of this are numerous, including the fact that many departments are in tough budgetary situations that will likely only increase as various municipalities question even the current levels of towards police forces and some propose re-allocating some of that money elsewhere.

Do Cops Need to Buy Their Own Gun?

Some police departments do not provide handguns to their officers because of liability concerns, while others leave it up to the officers themselves.

This can be due to the fact that guns and other pieces of tools need to fit the individual officer well and be comfortable, so a single “standard issue” is less than an ideal situation.

But on the other hand, giving officers unlimited choice can lead to major disparities that can make the logistics difficult, so many departments have certain guidelines.

Sometimes an officer will be issued a standard handgun for the duration of their probationary period, and then be free to choose to a personal weapon of their choice once they have completed it.

The question of how police gear is bought also extends beyond the original purchase. Just about all police gear, from a handgun all the way down to the uniform shirt, needs to be replaced every few years.

Therefore, a yearly allowance is usually provided to each officer. How strict the requirements are on appearance and updated equipment will also vary greatly depending on the department.

As you can see, there are no universal answers to these questions about what equipment cops carry and what needs to come out of their own pocket.

There are, however, a few general ways that departments and officers will combine to purchase the necessary gear. And these methods are often not exactly what the general public would assume.

Other types of work environments such as a federal agency will have even more divergent policies, often with additional central control from the top down.

In general, all officers will need the same basic categories of police gear, but current or prospective officers want to check at the department level for how the specifics are handled.

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