Originally Posted by
Rex G
The grip would catch on the right side bolster, on the seat back, as I would exit the passenger side door. The slightly shorter grip of the G19 minimized that one problem. The holster body was for a G34, so could accommodate a range of Glock models. This factor, alone, did not prompt me to retire; it was just one of the straws piling onto the camel’s back, or, one more weight being placed onto the balance scale. Being able to patrol in a Tahoe had, effectively, been a career-extender, an improvement over the Crown Vic, enabling my long-legged self to step in and out easily, rather than climb. Losing the ability to patrol in a Tahoe un-did that one one favorable factor, but then also put me into a patrol vehicle that required more of a climb, than the Crown Vic, and added a squeeze and an obstacle course.
It was not that I was too big. I was wearing issued Blauer duty trousers with a 34” waist, and could still fit into a pair of 32” VertX cargo trousers. I had made the commitment to wear LEVEL III plates, for the full shift, but they fit above the duty belt, so did not make the holster fit any differently. The holster was the mandated Safariland 6360 ALS/SLS, so that part was set in stone.
I could modify the way I exited the vehicle, by pivoting around more, but that would mean facing away from the direction the vehicle was facing, a problem during a felony vehicle stop, or other situation in which the patrol vehicle was facing danger, as my left flank would be toward the danger, setting me up for a shot into my less-armored and unarmored parts. I actually worked on a drop-and-partial-roll, as a way to bail-out quickly, but I had to lose sight of anything in front of the vehicle, to do that, and then get back onto my feet.
One last bit of creativity would have been to install QLS receptacles onto the duty rig, allowing me to quickly exchange left and right holster bodies. I was already most of the way there, with one QLS receptacle on the left side, allowing me to quickly add a lefty holster body, which I did already have on hand, part of my “active shooter” kit set-up. But, as I said, there were other factors.
Aniother advantage of the roomy Tahoe was being able to maneuver my duty shotgun while still within the vehicle. The more-compact Ford took that away from me. Being able to step out, with shotgun in-hand, I believe, won several battles, without a shot being fired, during my days of driving Crown Vics and Tahoes.