Equipment that you were issued/used in the past

[BobM]

The Streamlight SL-35. Could get through tint back in the day.

I forgot about those, my FTO had one.

[vcdgrips]

A Dictaphone hard wired into office coms system.

[FNFAN]

A S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman in a Hoyt Breakfront holster. Two HKS speedloaders. Mace. A pair of Peerless cuffs. 26 inches of hickory shampoo. A Bright Star M1626 flashlight (hadda be like 12-13 lumens).

Cars were anything from Crown Vics to Chevy Maibus....plus a few Astro Van's. All were dinged to hell, had upholstery missing, and steering wheels that looked like the guy who drove it before you had used it as a teething ring. Computers in cars were the old analog green screen jobs that would literally crash if you ran anybody with a Hispanic name. And yet, police work still got done.

The only thing I miss is that Model 28. I still kick myself that I didn't buy it when I had the chance.

I loved my Hoyt and carried 4 Dade Screw Machine speed loaders for my 6.5" Model 27. When I first signed on we had one unmarked 77 Plymouth Fury left. It had a 440 and the brakes were good for maybe 2 hard applications. After that, stopping and slowing was Voluntad Divina We had PR-24's and were certified with the Kubaton as well. Probably a quarter of the folks carried a beavertail in the leg pocket made for them. When I went to LE college, we actually got to have Bob Koga from LAPD teach a 2 day class with straight sticks. Cars that I rode were Gran Fury, Diplomats (dogs), Caprice, Malibu's, LeBaron. My last two cars were unmarked Malibu's and a Fusion I got at 32k miles and turned in at 102k miles. Good Times!

[Coyotesfan97]

Convertable radios where you could unplug the portable from a holder on the dash to carry it while you were out of the car. On return, you reinstalled it in the holder and you had a functioning vehicle radio. We had ones made by RCA. Searched for a photo of the RCA vehicle mount but came up empty. Here is one that worked in a similar fashion to the RCA model:

Attachment 104310

The RCA portable:

Attachment 104311

I never used one but two out of my three FTOs had used them.

[Coyotesfan97]

I was issued a Model 66 with huge rubber grips that I replaced with Pachmayr grips. I was issued a 12 round belt loop that I never used as I bought my own speedloaders and pouch. I was issued a straight stick that I carried until I bought a PR24 and went through the training. I was issued a 36” wooden riot baton that I still have. The cars had LED DXTs that only stored two pages. It had a movable hood because sunlight washed out the screen.

The cars were a mixture. The were a couple old Malibus. The rest were the old boxy Crown Vics with huge trunks and Chevy Caprices with 350s and a four barrel carb. I always flipped the air cover lid for better air flow. All had gear driven light bars.

We started getting Gran Furies. They sucked to drive but the AC worked like a champ in the summer. When you idled at a wreck for hours it was an icebox inside.

[Moylan]

Canon F-1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_F-1

Issued by my ARNG unit in 1989, at which point it had evidently been out of production for about 8 years. By the time I was getting out 6 years later, they were switching over to some sissy Olympus thing. No digital stuff yet.

My MOS/ASI of 46QJ8 involved the now-fully obsolete skills of developing B&W pictures and producing color slides. Remember slides? Also learned how to lay out a newspaper literally cutting and pasting stuff. DINFOS was at Fort Ben Harrison in those days. That's obsolete, too.

Was also issued a Colt 1911 in that unit. I fired it twice in my military career.

High speed troop here.

[Whiskey]

I know its not as old as stuff others have posted, but to me it felt ancient. I was issued a Safariland 070 SSIII (I just love Safariland nomenclature) holster. Not only a thumb break, but an extra snap you had to defeat with your middle finger. Then, the gun still had to be rocked to the rear then up to clear leather. For many dudes, that thing was a gun case that just happened to strap to your belt.

[TC215]

I was issued a DA/SA .45. They used to be a thing.

I know it’s not as old as stuff others have posted, but to me it felt ancient. I was issued a Safariland 070 SSIII (I just love Safariland nomenclature) holster. Not only a thumb break, but an extra snap you had to defeat with your middle finger. Then, the gun still had to be rocked to the rear then up to clear leather. For many dudes, that thing was a gun case that just happened to strap to your belt.

I actually really liked the 070 at the time.

[TheNewbie]

I know its not as old as stuff others have posted, but to me it felt ancient. I was issued a Safariland 070 SSIII (I just love Safariland nomenclature) holster. Not only a thumb break, but an extra snap you had to defeat with your middle finger. Then, the gun still had to be rocked to the rear then up to clear leather. For many dudes, that thing was a gun case that just happened to strap to your belt.

I was never issued one, but they were very popular when I first started. DAK and 070 were once the most popular issued weapon in an area I once lived in.

[MD7305]

I know its not as old as stuff others have posted, but to me it felt ancient. I was issued a Safariland 070 SSIII (I just love Safariland nomenclature) holster. Not only a thumb break, but an extra snap you had to defeat with your middle finger. Then, the gun still had to be rocked to the rear then up to clear leather. For many dudes, that thing was a gun case that just happened to strap to your belt.

That was my first duty rig, carrying a Sig 229 Da/Sa .40, without a rail of course. I actually loved that holster and I practiced with it so much that I got pretty fast with it. Too bad I had no clue what a shot timer was back then.