While I was at SIG, Texas DPS was always one of the shining stars in the customer pantheon. They shot a lot of people and kept really good records. Individual spectacular incidents notwithstanding, they were firing fewer rounds per OIS to end fights with the 357 than they did with either their previous 9mm or .45 guns.
I'm not aware of any spectacular failure of the 357 in DPS hands.
However:
- someone at Texas DPS clearly has an interest in getting M&Ps into the hands of their LEOs
- the M&P357 has proven to have similar durability and reliability issues as most non-SIG 357 pistols
- the cost of 357 SIG ammunition continues to climb at a much greater rate than more common calibers; fewer agencies use it each year which means there's less demand which means costs climb which mean fewer agencies use it... and so on and so on
If someone told me that #3 was the sole and entire reason for the switch, I'd believe it. Other big agencies are considering the same thing presently even though they've been incredibly happy with the cartridge's performance in actual shootings.
Even though it's not what I carry myself, I think you'd be hard pressed to criticize any agency for deciding upon 124gr +p Gold Dot as duty ammunition. Its track record with NYPD alone should be enough to make folks realize it works very well under a wide array of shooting conditions.
I have never had a problem shooting a car with a 9mm pistol but that was in Iraq. With Bonded ammo the ammo should be similar and depending on the round they were using.
I hope they stick with their Sig P226 because of what people have said about the 9mm M&Ps.
I'm hearing scuttlebutt that the Georgia DPS considering dropping .45 GAP and going to 9mm. I also very recently heard similar that a federal agency was considering dropping .40SW in favor of 9mm.