LEO poll

[Shakgul]

I once talked with a cop that said he only pulled his weapon once in twenty years of service.

This got me thinking (1 how many years have you been on the force and how many times hve you had to draw?

2) Have you ever fired your weapon in the line of duty?

[9mm]

Ill speak for a friend,
He has drawn a few times, and been shot at.

[frigate88]

Been on the road since 09. I'm kinda stuck in the trouble magnet club. Guns been out of the holster more times than I care to count. It gets drawn for clearing buildings, perimeters, people being finicky and sketchy with their hands after you tell them to just chill out and keep thier hands where you can see them and so on. 6 weeks off of FTO(field training) I backed up my zone partner on a traffic stop and the second I pulled up the bad stuff started to happen. 2 guys got out and opened fired on us. Had a few holes in our cars but thankfully not us. Let's just say both shooters ended up in the hospital. Have a friend that's been on the road for 6 years and has already shot 3 people killing one of them. Have a handful of other stories like that with friends and other officers I know. Not going to write a book about it. Can't tell if times are getting worse or were just trouble magnets. But one thing off topic I might add. Is if you carry, train and practice your fundementals. I can't stress that enough. In that situation where bullets just start wizzing by You fight or flight kicks in, muscle memory and training. Thankfully, me and my zone partner have our stuff together and that might be the only reason we walked out of there unscaved.

[old bear]

1- More times than I can remember.

2- yes.

[Lokpyrite]

A local cop has been in 6 fatal shootings in 7 years iirc. This is in Phoenix.

[PawPaw]

I've pulled my firearm in the line of duty more times than I care to remember. Mostly room and building clearing. I've only pointed it at two guys. I've got 30 years behind the badge.

I've never shot it at anyone, thank God.

[Nanuk]

In 32 years, I have drawn my gun more times than I can count. The last 3 years I was with the Ft Worth, Tx PD I worked the highest crime beat in the city. Drew down on someone 3-4 times a day, they were all armed.
Yes, I have fired in the line of duty and been shot at more times than I can count and stabbed 3 times, ironically,I was stabbed when I was an MP in the Army.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Not counting the years I spent working SWAT, I probably average 2-3 times per year for 38-years. I've never fired a weapon at anyone, although I have been shot at and one person tried stabbing me.

[Glenn Dee]

In 25 years... I probably drew my gun an average of two or three times a tour (shift).

I've fired my gun... ahhh a lot.

I've been shot, shot at, stabbed, beaten sensless, gang stomped, bitten, stuck by syringes, spit upon, hit with thrown missles, cursed, lied about, and lost far too many fellow officer, and friends. Then on my second week... lol Just kidding. But I have been through all the above... and I know guys who have been through more.

Frigate88 made mention of an officer being a trouble magnet. I totally understand where he's coming from. As I was one of those trouble magnets. bad things just seem to look for me and find me more often than not. There are some Officers who go through their entire career without ever drawing their gun. No offence to anyone but these guys are usualy brass types or skaters.

[Single Six]

In 23 years [and counting], I've had to draw numerous times, I couldn't begin to count them all. I've come within a hair of actually pulling the trigger twice in all of that time; however, if I never have to actually "do it for real", that's more than okay with me. I don't think I meet the criteria for being brass [I've chosen to remain a patrolman, no brass on my uniform] or a "skater", but I will say that my entire LE career has been spent in a small town in the South, where we can often go through an entire shift without any calls for service.

[donglock26]

1. I'm near a major American ghetto, so I've had my pistol out many times as well as my shotgun. 22.5 years in service

2. Only to put injuried animals down, so far.

[LockedBreech]

I've talked to my dad about this.

In about 25 years of service, mostly as a highway patrolman, he cleared leather countless times, and two or three times had to fight for his gun, one of those times being a long, protracted struggle that took every ounce of fight he had in him, but he held out until backup arrived.

He never had to fire his weapon in anger, not when it was a .45 Long Colt S&W, or when it was a .357 S&W 686, nor when a Beretta 92FS, not when a Beretta 96FS.

He counts himself blessed for being able to say so.

[tahoe2]

To all LEO's !! putting it on the line every day for our communities and families, you guys & gals are a special breed,
and I thank you whole heartedly and appreciate you all, for every thing you do !! THANKS AGAIN !!!

[Deja vu]

Im not a LEO but my brother is. I asked him this along time ago and he said the only time he has ever pulled his weapon was involving a mountain lion that did not want to come out of a guys garage. They finally got it out by banging on the windows but he had his gun out encase the animal decided to attack instead of run away.

[Doyle]

My Grandfather was a fairly small-town cop for 32 years. He retired as Chief in about '74. In 32 years he never had to draw his weapon once. However, my Dad told me that he came home MANY times with a bloody nightstick and blackjack. He used to walk a beat in the area they called "the bottoms". He had to use his nightstick and blackjack often to break up fights and arrest drunks.

[tlm225]

1. Excluding building searches, it's still too many times to count although the frequency has been less the last few years.

2. Twice on attacking dogs.

[GM2]

Was LEO for 32 yrs Had to pull my weapon many times, Was involved in shootouts a few times, Once a deranged person shot out the windshield of my patrol car when I arrived on a disturbance call and kept firing at me until he was taken down by buckshot from my Pump shotgun ( carried in all of our patrol cars). I was stabbed in the knee once in a fight with an escapee. Was on the SWAT team for twelve years lots of weapon drawing during that time. Had a lot of bruises and two broken bones along the way. With that said most of the weapon drawing and shooting was done at the range where we had firearms qualifications every 13 weeks.

[Kevin Rohrer]

On a slight tangent, in addition to being shot at and (almost) stabbed, I've been bit, punched, kicked, spit on, peed on, defecated on (indirectly), and slapped. I've been struck and knocked down by vehicles four times (car, quad-runner, semi, and train), and been in at least 15-traffic accidents (two were my fault). I have scars on my right hand from being bit by a guy, and my left arm still hurts after getting run down by the quad-runner 15-years ago. And I work in a low-crime, fairly affluent area.

And I still enjoy doing the job.

I know some guys have it far worse. I was in the back-lot of one of our big truck stops once and a driver about the size and build of Hulk Hogan walked up to me to say, "Hi". He said he used to work Narcotics in Florida, but had to take a disability. I asked why he was on disability, and he replied, "I got shot during a drug raid--five times".

[PH/CIB]

I have had a number of friends in Law Enforcement over my lifetime and I have enjoyed many a coffee listening to their stories of their experiences and telling my stories of combat.

I told all of them they were some of the Bravest Men I have ever known.

Just one example, I have a friend in the Police Department who should have retired years ago who told me once he could remember at least a dozen times where he had told someone to drop their weapon or he had physically disarmed someone.

I told him he was one of the Bravest Men I had ever met.

When he asked me “Why?” I told him in every one of those dozen situations with someone pointing a gun at him if it had been me or any one of the Men I served with in Viet Nam those twelve people would be dead.

In the Military if someone is pointing a weapon at you,,,you kill them…Yet Combat is the most error prone of environments,,,In a split second of extreme stress you have to react,,,shoot too soon and you might have killed a friendly,,,shoot too late and you might be dead.

Law Enforcement is even worse,,,in the split second of Life and Death,,,when you command someone to drop their weapon or physically try to disarm them,,,you can be killed.

Our Men and Women in Law Enforcement,,,Our Heroes on the Homefront,,,are some of the Bravest People to ever walk the planet.

[RBid]

'Thank you' to all LE and military service men and women for your service.

I am not LE, but have been friends and acquaintances with a few.

Most of the LE guys I know haven't had to draw, or fire. Oddly, the officers I know who have dealt with the worst situations are part of the PD in a smallish town, about 40 minutes from Portland, OR. One week, there were 3 armed robberies. Within a month, 2 bomb calls, one of which killed an officer, and badly wounded another. Not too long after, a third officer survived (I hesitate to say, 'won') a kill-or-be-killed gunfight. Between these big events, they have had to deal with gangs, drug related crime, more robberies, and more. Somehow, they remain an *exceptionally* kind, patient, and hilarious group to be around.

I know that this post doesn't answer the posed questions, but I feel obligated to speak up for this amazing group.

[donglock26]

On behalf of the LEO's here, thank you all. It means a lot to hear this from you


Don.

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[Grant D]

To all the men in blue, thank you for your dedication and service. Some people say it's a thankless job,but the majority of good honest Americans see it differently.On a side note a Sheriff came in my shop today to drop off his truck and was carrying a Springfield Armory 1911 TRP Stainless in his holster. Said he's never had a problem with it

[Kevin Rohrer]

I'd have to say that following the North Hollywood Bank Shootout, public perception of what we do did change for the better.

And as things get worse with the Mexican drug traffickers infiltrating the US (and Obummer not doing anything about it), things will get worse. We have at least two MS13 families living in our county, which is unheard-of. DEA has already raided them once, but they are still there.

Once rival gangs move in and they start offing each other, we will be back to the days of the Old West. The crap that is going on in Mexico is starting to filter north thru Texas. Eventually, our prisons will be filled with those people.

Keep your powder dry.

[frigate88]

Kevin,
That's funny that you mentioned MS13. We're starting to have a big problem with those guys down here in S. Fl. The 2 guys I mentioned we shot(and later died of multiple gunshot wounds) were MS13 affiliates. These guys are a whole new breed of bad. Even our local gang bangers that have been running around our side of town for years and years are starting to back down from these guys. The violent killings these guys do are insane.

[Single Six]

I'll second what donglock26 said. Your thanks are not necessary [it's an honor to serve], but they're very, very much appreciated.