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Thread: Seattle Police Department Duty Gear Question...

  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Hambo View Post
    While that's not a bad idea, and he needs a belt for work, it's best not to buy anything when "hoping to get hired" is all he's got. I used to see young guys pay for the academy on their own, buy pistols and duty gear, and then end up trying to sell it when they didn't get hired or the department that hired them had different requirements.
    He will be able to use it where he is currently at. We do contract security for government contracts and I know he can use it here. The issue gear is not that great but we are given a lot of leeway in what we can wear for our duty belt. Most of us are wearing HSDG or Safariland basketweave but I prefer HSDG for the lighter weight. I figure it would be nice to be able to save a few bucks further down the line if he can. If not then I am sure he will buy new gear if he needs to.

  2. #12
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    Allen, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by jnc36rcpd View Post
    Odd that only the discontinued Surefire M500 system is referenced as an authorized rifle light and that only one of two Surefire shotgun forends is on the lest. Bushmaster being listed as one of two patrol rifles also gives me pause.

    Anyone know if the equipment specification list at SPD is taken seriously or if it's as outdated as my former agency's weapons manual was?
    Unfortunately, Bushwhacker was the most popular brand in US LE for a long time. They produced a price point product that was nowhere close to being built to the proper standards. Showing those deficiencies was a huge part of the Colt Armorer courses I taught.
    Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
    Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)

  3. #13
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    Feb 2011
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    Minneapolis-Saint Paul
    Don’t think SPD will be hiring anyone until January 2021 due to COVID budget liabilities.

  4. #14
    Politically I think SPD will have trouble getting officers.....In general Seattle is a shit show.....avoid.

  5. #15
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    ABQ
    Learned the hard way that if you try buying stuff prior to hire, either you don't get hired, or someone in a position of authority changes the spec between the time you buy and the time you buy and the time you get hired, and all your cool guy gear is now forbidden... In my academy uniform appearance was required to be, well, uniform. Right down to where our magazines were positioned and where we had to carry our cuffs. Local academy here even tells cadets/trainees that they need to carry a specific type of handcuff key on a ring with their whistle on their right epaulet while in uniform. When we got on OJT we got a bit more freedom to decide on gear, and once we passed our probationary boards we could run how we wanted, as long as it was black and leather looking. Then I got to bike patrol and had to buy all nylon gear.

    They will be given a list of what they need to buy and when they need to have it by when he gets hired or reports to the academy.

    pat

  6. #16
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    Feb 2011
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    Minneapolis-Saint Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Navin Johnson View Post
    Politically I think SPD will have trouble getting officers.....In general Seattle is a shit show.....avoid.
    Yeah if you’re brand new going into the job with naïveté and a need to be validated by the public and your administration... but if you’re a 20 year veteran looking for a top Lateral salary to make it through to retirement ...different story

  7. #17
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    Feb 2016
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    SF Bay Ahea
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    Unfortunately, Bushwhacker was the most popular brand in US LE for a long time. They produced a price point product that was nowhere close to being built to the proper standards. Showing those deficiencies was a huge part of the Colt Armorer courses I taught.
    Also, Colt sucked balls at actually delivering product. Price was not a factor in many agencies' purchase of Bushmaster rifles. Colt's ridiculous delivery times and never in stock status were more determining factors, IME. A Bushhamster in the hand is worth two Colt's in Hartford. I've got about 12 Bushhamster lowers with Colt uppers and bolts now. The uppers/bolts were budgeted as replacement parts. In fact, I think the only thing Bushmaster left on the rifles is the lowers. Municipal budgets are funny things: a new rifle purchase might be a no-no, but maintenance and parts will be readily approved, even if new rifles cost less than the parts...

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by paherne View Post
    Also, Colt sucked balls at actually delivering product. Price was not a factor in many agencies' purchase of Bushmaster rifles. Colt's ridiculous delivery times and never in stock status were more determining factors, IME. A Bushhamster in the hand is worth two Colt's in Hartford. I've got about 12 Bushhamster lowers with Colt uppers and bolts now. The uppers/bolts were budgeted as replacement parts. In fact, I think the only thing Bushmaster left on the rifles is the lowers. Municipal budgets are funny things: a new rifle purchase might be a no-no, but maintenance and parts will be readily approved, even if new rifles cost less than the parts...
    BM lowers were generally OK. Uppers were quite another issue and would take a very long post to cover properly. As for parts, that was an ongoing problem with lots of agencies on budgeting. Some were good on buying consumable parts and some not. A bigger issue is that the readily available small parts are usually rejected/low tier stuff that didn't make the cut for the quality makers and ended up in the marketplace. Colt was monstrously inattentive on this issue and made huge mistakes in that regard.
    Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
    Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)

  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by paherne View Post
    Also, Colt sucked balls at actually delivering product. Price was not a factor in many agencies' purchase of Bushmaster rifles. Colt's ridiculous delivery times and never in stock status were more determining factors, IME. A Bushhamster in the hand is worth two Colt's in Hartford. I've got about 12 Bushhamster lowers with Colt uppers and bolts now. The uppers/bolts were budgeted as replacement parts. In fact, I think the only thing Bushmaster left on the rifles is the lowers. Municipal budgets are funny things: a new rifle purchase might be a no-no, but maintenance and parts will be readily approved, even if new rifles cost less than the parts...
    Availability and the fact I didn’t know any better is why we bought some Bushmasters back in the early 2000s.

    The Bushmasters were the only ones I’ve had to work on. They are all gone now; we have a mix of Colt, S&W, and DD.

  10. #20
    Member
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    Feb 2016
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    SF Bay Ahea
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    BM lowers were generally OK. Uppers were quite another issue and would take a very long post to cover properly. As for parts, that was an ongoing problem with lots of agencies on budgeting. Some were good on buying consumable parts and some not. A bigger issue is that the readily available small parts are usually rejected/low tier stuff that didn't make the cut for the quality makers and ended up in the marketplace. Colt was monstrously inattentive on this issue and made huge mistakes in that regard.
    We could start another thread on how much armorer time it took to make those Bushamsters run properly and how it's not really cheaper, in the long run. About two years ago, I made the mistake of buying some cool guy Troy SBRs for our SWAT guys. Once again, Colt's were not available within the budget window. Even though they were more expensive than the unobtanium 6933s we wanted, several of them went full-auto due to heat treating issues on the trigger group parts. All new ALG Defense triggers later and they work great.

    If they are available, the best value purchase for a municipal or county agency is Colt.

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