Going for the Shotgun

[atlctyslkr]

This is for law enforcement

Do you have a shotgun in your trunk and if so when do you/are you allowed to deploy it?

It seems to me that alot of situations would turn out better if police used the shotgun more. I worked with my local police to track a suspect on my property and the suspect was presumed armed but the police carried nothing but handguns. They never caught the guy but I was amazed at the fact that they did not use the maximum firepower available.

[Single Six]

At my agency, we have both an M4 and also an 870 at our disposal. The 12 gauge rides with us in our patrol cars, the rifle is in the trunk. Frankly, both should be in the car's interior, but what do I know? It is pretty much left to the officer's discretion as to whether or not either one is deployed. For me, it goes like this: If I'm going into a situation where I know there's a good chance of an armed encounter, I'm reaching for one of those two long guns. Which one I go for depends on the environment / situation I expect to be in.

[kraigwy]

I carried a shotgun most of my 20 years. There was no policy, I was the one who decided if I should take it or not.

Having said that, I didn't use it much. I found it mostly in the way. In building searches you needed a light and/or mirror plus the service revolver. If you dealt with suspects it was always in the way when you were handling the bandit.

Also the shot gun is a relatively short range weapon. If it was beyond the range of the shotgun, I'd be better off with a revolver. If it was in the range of the shotgun I figured I could hit it with the revolver.

I did carry a Counter-Sniper rifle in the truck if I needed distance.

[DiCarnage]

Our locals carry both a shotgun AND and AR in the cabin of the patrol car. Been that way for five or six years now.

[HorseSoldier]

Preference up here is for a mix of officers with and without long guns on major calls. They can get in the way/create vulnerability when going hands on with a suspect, but there's no replacement for what a shotgun or carbine can do in terms of terminal ballistics.

[demigod]

Shotguns are for departments with bureacracy that is too politically correct to allow patrol rifle... i.e. AR15 carbines or rifles.

Shoot! I remember when Tempe Police Department only allowed Sergeants to patrol with shotguns.... Forget about an actual rifle.

[egor20]

Our Sheriffs carry a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500 in a rack in the front of the cruiser and an M-4 (or certain ones) a Remington 700 .308 in the trunk. Talking to one of them a while back, when they come to a domestic (they always dispatch 2 cruisers) at least one of them carries a shotgun.

[shooter_john]

When we were issued patrol rifles all of our shotguns were turned into "less lethal launchers". All that means is that any and all buckshot and slugs were banned and we can only carry bean bag rounds now, and the stocks were painted orange. Before that, we could deploy the shotguns as needed at our discretion. Patrol rifles have a little bit more of a policy though, such as no trailer parks, no apartment complexes, etc. for obvious reasons.

I have probably deployed the rifle more than I ever did with the shotgun, but is was always nice to have for sure though I was surprised to find that most people encountered are more scared or intimidated by the rifle over the shotgun. Personally I'd rather not encounter either one on hostile terms.

[40s-and-wfan]

We carried a shotgun in the front with us and an M-14 in the trunk when I was still in that line of work, that was about 7-8 years ago. The use of both fell to our discretion. If we thought the situation warranted the use of one or the other it was up to us to employ it, otherwise they stayed where they were.
We've had a few multi-agency 'training days' and a few actual searches for armed individuals where responding officers carried the M-4 that was in the car in place of the M-14 we had before. Sometimes just the presence of something larger like the shotgun or the rifle is all that's needed to defuse the situation!

[jeepman4804]

We have tahoes here. Run an 870 less-lethal, 870 lethal, and a 16" AR-15 all up front. I will take my long gun over all else. If a shotgun is appropriate then a long gun is appropriate. That is unless I feel the less-lethal is necessary.

[Erik]

I deploy long guns at my discretion, which means whenever I perceive an increased threat and I am not designated to make physical contact.

[tlm225]

We carry rifles and shotguns at the officer's discretion. Deployment is also at the officer's discretion. In my case, my personal 870 rides in a locking rack up front. If it's a gun call, the 870 is in my hands when I bail out.

[lovemyllama]

I am a former LEO for a large non municipal park. We dealt with everything from speeding tickets to drug interdiction to poachers. Our SOP was to carry a shotgun in a rack behind the head of the front seats in our units. We also carried an AR-15 in the trunk for real serious situations. SOP said we were to use the shotgun or AR only if we were in "imminent danger". Luckily, I only had to pull my shotgun once. and never had to actually use it.

[Nnobby45]

It seems to me that alot of situations would turn out better if police used the shotgun more. I worked with my local police to track a suspect on my property and the suspect was presumed armed but the police carried nothing but handguns. They never caught the guy but I was amazed at the fact that they did not use the maximum firepower available.

Cops know what armament they need on calls where they could end up chasing suspects over backyard fences where they'd look pretty silly negotiating such obstacles burdened by long guns.

There's a time to be fleet afoot, and a time to be backed up by heavy artillery.

And, of course, one would have to question the wisdom of laying the shotgun on the ground, where it's no longer under the control of the officer, to tackle the fleeing suspect. Remember that officers often have to split up when the chase begins.

Now, I'm not a cop and these are only my thoughts on the matter, but yours was a likely foot chase situation. As has been mentioned, officers deploy their shotguns at their discretion.

[blueridgerunner]

Back in my LEO days: Remington 870 in shotgun lock in front and M16 in trunk
(yes folks, semi/full auto version).

[Terry A]

In Feb, I'll be finishing up a 29 1/2 year career as a police officer. Patrol Sgt and DTF officer. We've always has Remington 870's in all the vehicles. Of the 16 men in our department, 6 of us have extensive SWAT / CERT training and experience. Back around 2002-2003 or so, we had M4 type Bushmasters placed in all the Sgt vehicles.

Personally, I only had the shotgun out when I had to deal with someone who was armed or who I strongly suspected was armed in the OUTDOORS. If I had to go inside a structure, I left the long arms locked in the vehicle. Much easier to subdue someone who's resisting when you can use both hands. In having a long arm, what am I to do with it when I'm in a fight or wrestling around with someone? I never liked the idea of dropping it on the ground like some guys have had to do when someone who is unarmed charges or resists them.

Outside, however, they do afford much better protection than our service weapons. I only fired one shot at anyone in all my time, and it was with the .12 gauge at 24 feet outdoors at night. My opponant had a Rem 760 .308.

When we also began carrying the .223's, personally, I felt our shotguns were almost outdated. I would select the .223 in every situation that I had to deal with rather than a shotgun. I'll give the shotgun the nod as a breecher in a spur of the moment dynamic entry, but that's about it. Most of us prefer the .223's.