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Law enforcement officers use several different tools to make the community safe. Police officers and police administrators are always looking for more "tools for the toolbox." This progressive attitude allows officers and administration to remain flexible and open to ideas, while keeping in mind the ultimate goal: provide a safe, secure environment for the citizens and visitors of Macomb. Police officers use their mind and verbal skills most of all. But this is an Equipment section, so lets look at some fun stuff.
Duty Gear Unfortunately, being a police officer in this day and age means that you must carry a firearm of some sort. Although it is rare for police to resort to deadly force, it is a component of the job. As an officer, you must understand that one day you may have to defend yourself or someone else with your firearm. The Macomb Police Department utilizes a variety of firearms
to tackle the many potential deadly force situations that could arise.
Officers carry side-arms, or pistols, to protect their life, or the life of
another.
The relatively small size of the sidearm allows the officer
to carry the sidearm with them at all times. Pictured at right is a Glock handgun with tactical light mounted on it. A tactical light allows officers to identify targets in low / no light conditions. Police in America have also used the shotgun, in varying forms, for situations that a handgun can not solve. The shotgun has been used to humanely dispose of an injured animal. A pistol would not be the right tool for that job. With advancements in shotgun ammunition, Officers are able
to extend the role of the
The Macomb Police Department currently has two Thompson Machine Guns. These weapons are fully automatic. Which means with one continuous pull of the trigger, fifty .45 caliber bullets can be fired at a rate of 450 rounds per minute. The Macomb Police "Tommy Guns" are remnants of a by-gone era. The guns were acquired during Prohibition Times and are not in current use by department personnel. The Macomb Police Department also has a variety of rifles. These rifles are designed to engage targets beyond pistol and shotgun distances.
These rifles also provide the ability to stop targets that
are wearing body armor. Police across the country began adopting
rifles for patrol officers at the violent conclusion of what has become
known as the "North
Hollywood Shoot-out."
For more information on one of the nations scariest police shootouts check here and here. Police use handcuffs to restrain the movement of a person. The handcuffs allow the officer to better control the subject. Handcuffs are not designed to cause pain or inflict harm if applied according to the officer's training. But remember, handcuffs are not designed for comfort either. There is an old saying that says the more you wear handcuffs the more comfortable they get. Try to avoid making choices that would result in being placed in handcuffs. Most police agencies in the United States, as well as internationally, have adopted chemical irritants as a force option. Commonly referred to as Pepper Spray, Tear gas, MACE, and O.C. spray, these tools allow officers to subdue subjects that are resisting officer's commands or orders.
Minor effects of pepper spray such as, slight itching and watery eyes, can last for a few days. The image to the right shows a subject being sprayed with pepper spray. Police use specially trained dogs, or canines (K-9), to locate illegal narcotics, search for lost children, find fleeing suspects, and sniff for explosives. Each K-9 is a specially selected and trained dog, usually a German Shepard. K-9s and their human counterparts, the handler, attend training together and become a K-9 Team.
Visit the Macomb Police K-9 Unit page for more information on police use of this valuable team.
Marked Squad Cars The Macomb Police Department uses a fleet of vehicle to provide
police services. The most common police vehicles are the marked squad cars.
The Macomb Police use marked squad cars that are white with thick blue stripes
and thin black stripes.
The squad cars also have emergency lights and sirens. The lights are located in a "light bar" on top of the car. Most squad cars also have lights in the taillights and corner lights. The Macomb Police has had emergency equipment installed by Justin Lundgren at Warning System Specialists with great success. Unmarked Squad Cars The Macomb Police use several "unmarked" or undercover police cars when officers wish to remain unseen. The unmarked cars have hidden lights and no reflective striping. The unmarked cars have all the same radios and equipment as a marked squad car. The Macomb Police also have access to a wide range of vehicles for undercover operations. Most police departments from the surrounding counties assist each other by sharing unmarked vehicles. Police agencies have even been known to use cars from car dealerships when a special car is needed for a short time. Pursuit Interruption Devices / Spike Strips The police administration of the Macomb Police Department recently purchased Stop Sticks. These pursuit interruption devices are designed to stop or slow a fleeing vehicle. These tools have been very effective in ending a pursuit in a safe manner. The Macomb Police have not been able to deploy the Stop Sticks to this date. Not only does our community have fewer pursuits than major metropolitan areas, but the West-Central Illinois area has considerably fewer police available to assist with a pursuit should one occur. Police officers need to remain strong and healthy throughout
their career. Officers have to be called on to arrest, wrestle, or
chase people of all stages of physical fitness. The Macomb Police
Department has a small weight room within the police station that is
available to officers in their off-duty time.
The Macomb Police Department has a firearm practice range for officers. The firing range is a safe area where officers can practice gun handling skills and tactics. The range is always considered a "live-fire" range. Officers are required to qualify twice a year with their sidearm. If an officer is certified for secondary weapon systems like the shotgun and / rifles, they must qualify twice a year as well.
Officers ready to fire
Macomb Police Range Officers teach officers safe gun-handling skills, defensive shooting, decision making, low light techniques, reloading drills, shooting moving targets, moving while shooting, and weapon transitions. Weapon transitioning is the skill of using one weapon and seamlessly presenting another when the first stops working or runs out of bullets. All this training is designed to teach the officer to recognize lethal threats, correctly determine the appropriate, reasonable, and legal course of action (shoot, duck, run, etc.), execute the correct decision in a safe and precise manner under less than friendly conditions (night time, low visibility, rain, heat, while seated in a vehicle, after you've been shot yourself, or after a fight with a subject) and keep protecting people until other help arrives. Not to mention a lengthy, detailed report afterwards. Then there will be weeks, or even months, of court proceedings and testimony. Not as easy as it looks, huh?
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police shotgun. Officers can use the shotgun to deliver
less-than-lethal rounds like bean bag rounds or they can breach fortified
doors with special ammunition.
Pepper spray causes the eyes to close and burn, the nasal tissue becomes
inflamed and burns, and exposed skin itches and burns. The short
term effects of pepper spray wear off in a few minutes. One is almost
back to normal in about 30 minutes to an hour.
The
car has blue lettering as well. The stripes on the vehicle are reflective
at night. This paint scheme and reflective striping is designed for
maximum visibility. When officers are driving through town, they want
other drivers to see them.
