Reading it now. Pay attention to the part about Holloway carrying a 1911 Mexican AIWB. He managed to keep both testicles without a holster, a gadget, or a trigger guard.
Reading it now. Pay attention to the part about Holloway carrying a 1911 Mexican AIWB. He managed to keep both testicles without a holster, a gadget, or a trigger guard.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
A blast from my childhood! I remember when the local TV news would report that DPD was sending the Shotgun Squads back out in response to this or that criminal act.
Ok just finished it, the good old days! I loved it when two of his guys off an armed hi jacker with 44Magnum and 45ACP and he reams them a new one for not using the shotguns.
I liked him telling them they shouldn't shoot without a warning, but that an 870 going off safe was warning enough.Originally Posted by Dave Williams
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
Ordered, and read, on my iPad Pro with the Kindle app. Good stuff! I was familiar with the deeds of the NYCPD SOU, having read articles penned by Jim Cirillo and Mas Ayoob, but knew nothing of the much-nearer DPD shotgun squad events.
I was reminded of the stakeouts we did in the mid-Eighties, trying to catch a pair of hijackers who had shot a notable political ally of the mayor, inside her business. The shame was that the hijackers did hit one of our covered locations, while the officers posted at that location were, instead, checking a "suspicious" person nearby, who did not match the well-known description of either hijacker. (Seriously, "ADD kids" should NOT be assigned to surveillance/stake-out duty! Stake-outs succeed by staying on-task!) Actually, we were not a "shotgun" squad, but a hastily-assembled group consisting of Homicide Investigators and the so-called "Westheimer squad," which was normally a uniformed hot-spot/zero-tolerance squad tasked with working what was then Houston's cruising strip. This part of town was these hijackers' comfort zone, so we became the logical source of manpower. I was the only avid shotgunner among them.
The heat became a bit much for these hijackers, so they decided to lay low, and one left town; he was detained in a rural area, where he stopped to take a nap in his car, resulting in a suspicious vehicle call. The other was soon picked up somewhere in town.
On shotguns: YES, shotguns are devastatingly effective, within their niche, but of course, most police and private citizen shooting incidents occur within that niche. During those Eighties stakeouts, I had an S&W 3000 pump gun, at hand, and an HK P7 and an S&W Model 58 .41 Magnum sixgun on my person. (The big sixgun was my primary duty revolver from 1985 to 1989 or 1990, and the HK P7 had been my primary duty pistol, briefly, before I switched back to revolvers.)
My wife is retired, after a 21-year career as a scene investigator with the Harris County Medical Examiner. (Scene investigator, not morgue/autopsy, even though she is an M.D.) Blood spatter evidence does tell the tale, of how far and how fast someone moves after being hit. Plus, she was/is personally acquainted with homicide detectives from multiple agencies, plus Texas Rangers, so was plugged-in to a wealth of knowledge about shooting scenes. Her first choice of defensive weapon, when concealment is not a factor? Remington 870 pump gun, of course, with 00 buck. "Baby" has an old-school Surefire forend, and stockless grip, while two more short-stocked 870P are available for common use.
To be clear, I am not arguing against defensive rifles.
Last edited by Rex G; 03-17-2017 at 10:15 PM.
I picked this up a few days ago. Pretty good stuff, and definitely a different era of policework. Reminds me a lot of Cirillo's stuff.
I went to the FBI NAA in 1987 with Eddie Walt when he was an LT. Later rolled with him in Dallas when he was a Captain. He Wife was also an Officer and both are great people.
If you were casting a TX Ranger for a movie or TV show, you'd cast Eddie, whip cord and steel! He distinguished himself at a US Secret Service class in DC, by opening during the intro go around the room by stating words to the affect of "I'm LT. Eddie Walt, of the Dallas PD where we are proud of our near perfect record of Dignitary Protection". (Those not alive on 22 Nov 1963 should Google that date and Dallas). All the cops laughed, all the SS guys grimaced
I'm buying both books and then getting back in touch with Eddie.
I just finished it - thanks to the OP for the recommendation. Great read, and would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during some of those stakeouts! I bet there was a level of hilarity going on that simply can't be overestimated.
Read this from cover to cover in one day, back on 2/12/17. Effin awsome. Makes me sad for the path DPD is on today.
I read most of it during a layover in Dallas, as it turned out. Finished it on the flight home today. Good book, thanks for the recommendation.
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