Patrol Rifles: Arming Officers to Succeed
PATROL RIFLES: ARMING OFFICERS TO SUCCEED
Sergeant Scott Buziecki North Aurora Police Department
A Research Paper Submitted to the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff & Command Class #175 Naperville, Illinois December 9, 2002
Executive Summary
The North Aurora Police Department currently allows officers to carry their choice of 9mm or .45 caliber pistols; no long guns are available. The Firearms Training Unit has proposed that the department adopt the .223 caliber rifle for patrol officer use. The reasons for this proposal are: (1) pistols are inherently less accurate and have a shorter effective range than long guns such as rifles and shotguns, (2) pistol caliber bullets penetrate more heavily through interior walls than .223 rifle caliber bullets, which causes an increased risk of unintended persons being hit, and (3) pistol caliber bullets will not penetrate body armor and many other obstacles commonly encountered, while most .223 caliber bullets will. The objective of this research is to determine if the NAPD should adopt a long gun for patrol officer use or keep the current pistol-only program as it is. The types of weapons under consideration are pistol caliber rifles (9mm and .45 caliber), shotguns (slugs and buckshot), and the .223 caliber rifle. These weapons will be compared and contrasted with respect to accuracy & range, ease of use, wounding ability, and barrier penetration. Immediate Incapacitation Officers shoot to immediately achieve physiological incapacitation of a suspect who is threatening life. This means that the suspect is rendered physically incapable of continuing his or her life threatening behavior. This is done by (1) damaging or destroying the suspect’s central nervous system by shooting the brain or upper spinal cord, or (2) interrupting blood flow to the brain, to cause unconsciousness, through shooting the center mass of the suspect. Stopping blood flow to the brain is done by creating
Sergeant Scott Buziecki North Aurora Police Department
A Research Paper Submitted to the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff & Command Class #175 Naperville, Illinois December 9, 2002
Executive Summary
The North Aurora Police Department currently allows officers to carry their choice of 9mm or .45 caliber pistols; no long guns are available. The Firearms Training Unit has proposed that the department adopt the .223 caliber rifle for patrol officer use. The reasons for this proposal are: (1) pistols are inherently less accurate and have a shorter effective range than long guns such as rifles and shotguns, (2) pistol caliber bullets penetrate more heavily through interior walls than .223 rifle caliber bullets, which causes an increased risk of unintended persons being hit, and (3) pistol caliber bullets will not penetrate body armor and many other obstacles commonly encountered, while most .223 caliber bullets will. The objective of this research is to determine if the NAPD should adopt a long gun for patrol officer use or keep the current pistol-only program as it is. The types of weapons under consideration are pistol caliber rifles (9mm and .45 caliber), shotguns (slugs and buckshot), and the .223 caliber rifle. These weapons will be compared and contrasted with respect to accuracy & range, ease of use, wounding ability, and barrier penetration. Immediate Incapacitation Officers shoot to immediately achieve physiological incapacitation of a suspect who is threatening life. This means that the suspect is rendered physically incapable of continuing his or her life threatening behavior. This is done by (1) damaging or destroying the suspect’s central nervous system by shooting the brain or upper spinal cord, or (2) interrupting blood flow to the brain, to cause unconsciousness, through shooting the center mass of the suspect. Stopping blood flow to the brain is done by creating