Does any police department still use revolvers?

[ForeverPA]

Stayed in Ocean City, MD for a few days. Great place, by the way. One thing I noticed was that the police patrolling the boardwalk carried what appeared to be revolvers. All I could see was the grip and it sure looked like a revolver to me. Just wondering.

[the deer hunter]

I would imagine if they wanted to purchase their own gun they could carry pretty much anything I suppose. I am sure someone more knowledgeable in law enforcement will Enlighten us.

[PHLJJS]

Philadelphia Police allows the old timers who didn't want to switch to Glocks when they first became available to carry S&W .38 revolvers with the caveat that if the Officer ever did switch to a Glock, they could never go back to a revolver.

I believe most, if not all, are in non-street patrol assignments such as airport, CSU, evidence room, admin/office work.

[soberbyker]

Philadelphia Police allows the old timers who didn't want to switch to Glocks when they first became available to carry S&W .38 revolvers with the caveat that if the Officer ever did switch to a Glock, they could never go back to a revolver.

I believe most, if not all, are in non-street patrol assignments such as airport, CSU, evidence room, admin/office work.

In 2012 I met this traffic cop who still carried a revolver. Didn't want anything to do with the semi-autos most of the others had.

[Ecclectic Collector]

Its odd how the mantra of "must have more firepower" has trounced the obvious advantages of a handgun that:
-Just about cannot jam.
-Is very goof proof and user friendly.
-Can be had in much more powerful cartridges (.357, .41, .44 magnums)
-Weapon use is simpler, and the guns can last the entire career of the officer it is assigned to. (with quality stainless revolvers, probably more than two careers)

While a patrol cop, esp. in an urban area may be better served with an autoloader, many other law enforcement would be better off with revolvers. Some examples:
1. Forestry and game enforcement where the animals can come with more than two legs (bears, deer, etc...)
2. Prison escort.
3. Courier duties.
4. Armed law enforcement where the need for a sidearm is there, but the need for sheer firepower isn't (weight station and commercial transportation enforcement division, toll money escort, plus others in similar roles).

[philadelphia patriot]

The majority of old fart cops I spoke to said once they upgraded to Glocks they didn't look back. A lot of them said they're a lot more accurate with the Glocks. One former cop told me after a bunch of gang bangers lit up Belmont plateau with Tech-9s, he said fuck it and wanted something with more than 6 rounds.

[Lexington]

I'm not sure about whole departments issuing revolvers, but I know my Dad preferred to maintain his S&W 66 that he purchased when he joined the department, and he wasn't alone.

And I did see at least one Texas Ranger carrying a revolver of some sort while in the area around the Alamo. Not sure if that was more a ceremonial piece considering she was patrolling near a historic site.

Internationally, I know the Japanese police still issue S&W revolvers. I'm sure they have some automatics, but they prefer the wheel guns. Crime there's a bit different than here so there's probably no justification to upgrade the arsenal when the weapons they have are hardly ever used.

[Tiger]

The needs of the Nypd esu teams is suppose to explain the creation of S&W's TRR-8 revolvers. They needed a gun entry teams could use with a ballistic shield. The slides on autos would hang up on the shields. So they invented a tac wheelgun.

[mdd423]

My firend was OCPD 2 years ago and they do issue revolvers to their seasonal cops. Something about bringing on a bunch of temp cops and trying to keep things as simple as possible.

[JoshIronshaft]

^What he said.

Years ago I met a guy in his young 20's who was going to college to get a CJ degree. He spent his summer working in OC as a summer cop to help with the peak season and he mentioned he was issued a revolver. Training was short.