What’s on Your Officer’s Christmas List?
Every year, for anyone who celebrates Christmas, there comes a time when you wonder what to get that certain someone. What gift would they want this year? What gift do they NEED this year? What in the world don’t they already have? To help out with some ideas, we’ve put together this Officer’s Christmas Wish List. Somewhere on here you’ll surely find something that will appeal to the law enforcement professional in your life.
The Sig P320 has grown huge in popularity and usage with the law enforcement (and military) community. The off-duty / backup gun (BUG) pistol often selected to go with it is the Sig P365. Chambered in 9mm and carrying 10+1 rounds in the standard capacity magazines, the P365 gives you a nicely compact yet duty-powered weapon. Additionally, if you’re interested, Sig also sells accessories for it to include mountable flashlights, laser aimers, holsters and ammo.
Glock’s Model 43 is a single stack 9mm with a (standard) 6+1 capacity. Following on the heels of the release of the Glock 42 in .380ACP, demand for the G43 was high before it ever hit the market. Given its size and 9mm chambering, it’s very popular as a backup gun (BUG) or as an off-duty weapon (our editorial director has been known to have his G43 with him anytime he leaves the house). As with every other Glock, there is an assortment of accessories to include holsters, mountable lights and lasers, sights and more available for the G43. It’s easy to accessorize your gift with stocking stuffers.
Way back in the mid-1990s, our editorial director wrote about his perfect gun: the Glock 17 “Commander.” The government model commander had a full-size frame with full-size capacity but a shortened slide and barrel assembly. Shortening the barrel and slide decreased accuracy only marginally but increased concealability and comfort of carry in a noticeable way. The Glock 45 is (essentially) a Glock 17 Commander. It’s a full size frame with full size capacity (17+1) chambered in 9mm, but with the shortened slide and barrel assembly of the Glock 19. That shortened slide assembly makes the gun somewhat easier to conceal and we’ve yet to find a shooter who can measure the difference in accuracy (if any) between the regular Glock 17 9mm and this Glock 45 9mm.
Whether you give your loved professional a gun for Christmas or not, s/he’ll still need to clean what is used for duty (or off-duty). The RamRodz cleaning swabs make quick cleans (the kind they should be doing monthly even if the weapon isn’t fired) easy. Available for most popular pistol calibers and several rifle calibers, the swabs look like the cotton swabs you use to clean your ears… except bigger and with wooden handles. They are disposable, cost effective and easy to use. The larger caliber ones make cleaning a barrel quick work and the smaller ones – if not being used to clean barrels – are great for getting dust and grime out of miscellaneous parts of a gun’s frame, trigger assembly, etc.
CRKT Homefront w/ Field Strip Technology
Every officer or deputy any of our editorial staff has met is carrying a knife. The lock-blade folding knife is a staple in law enforcement equipment. Many an officer carries more than one: one on the right and one on the left. One is for utility use and one is for the ugliest fight you can imagine: keeping their gun when attacked and someone is trying to disarm them. The CRKT Homefront with its unique Field Strip Technology is an excellent lock-blade folding knife that is easy to take apart for cleaning and maintenance. It’s the perfect companion piece to your officer’s off-duty (or on-duty provided it meets administrative guidelines) carry.
Buck Knives 722 Blue Line Spitfire
Buck Knives is a brand that’s been around a long time and is readily recognized as a trusted partner for the law enforcement professional. The 722 Blue Line SpitFire knife is a lock-blade folder that can be engraved with two lines of text – most often suggested as the officer’s last name and his/her badge or ID number. Additionally, there is a Thin Blue Line flag embossed on the grip. With a 3.25” blade length, the knife meets most state’s restrictions for in-pocket carry. The handles are aluminum and there is a pocket clip for the most common method of in-pocket carry.
A flashlight should be considered mandatory for on-duty carry and highly recommended for off-duty carry. That agreed, the size of the flashlight becomes immediately important. It’s far easier to carry a larger light on duty but even then there comes a point where the light is just too big for convenient carry. The size and weight have to be balanced against the light output. Typically, the brighter the light, the larger it is. So we see that the limit on convenient size is also a functional limit on light production. Enter the Pelican 7070R, a rechargeable LED driven handheld light that produces an astonishing 1,200+ lumens of light at full power for over two hours. Measuring just under 7” in length and weighing less than one half pound, the flashlight comes with a mountable car charger and uses a common USB connection to plug in the charger. On duty this is a versatile light that can be charged until needed and then “holstered” in many a suitable carry pouch. Off-duty, it’s the perfect light to have in your Personally Owned Vehicle (POV) and available when you need it.
Law enforcement professionals seem to always have a go-bag either in their trunk or available at home. Whether the officer/deputy works a rural area or an urban one, there seems to always be an unexpected need to have some emergency supplies with them: the extra first-aid or trauma care items; the emergency food rations for when they’re away from their vehicle, away from anything remotely convenient, and haven’t eaten in the past six to eight hours; that change of socks that seem like total lifesavers… and more. The 32L AMP24TM backpack from 5.11 Tactical is the perfect size to keep all those necessities in while not taking up so much room as to make it inconvenient in your trunk or on the floor in your car. The full clam shell opening design plus the organizational pockets and features inside make it handy for storing all the stuff you might need to get to in a hurry. The outside pocket face also incorporates an easily attached/detached panel for MOLLE mounting and/or Velcro mounting items.
When a major police department is so impressed with an uniform pants design, it’s a hint. Just recently New York City Police Department ordered a variation of the Stryke pants from 5.11 Tactical. Our editorial director has previously mentioned that he finds these the most comfortable uniform pants he’s ever worn. The cut looks tailored but the fit and movement feels loose thanks to the proprietary Flex-Tac® material used. Available in twelve different colors, the Stryke pants can be worn as much off-duty as on-duty and offer your law enforcement professional enough pockets to carry everything they want. With sizes from 28” waist to 54” waist, and lengths from 30” inseam to unhemmed, you shouldn’t have any problem finding the right size for your gift recipient.
Propper BA Softshell Duty Jacket
As much as manufacturers design items specifically for duty use, a lot of the time that same item is fantastic for off-duty use. The Propper BA® Softshell Duty Jacket is just such an item. Due to the customizable and removable ID panels on the front and back, the jacket can be easily worn off duty without screaming “police!” but with some quick add-on panels be equally viable for duty use. The water-resistant material helps keep your professional dry in light rain and the jacket can be worn over sweaters or armor carriers if it’s purchased in the right size for that planned use. Given that it’s available from Extra Small to 5XL, finding the right size shouldn’t be too difficult.
Eye and ear protection is a must for all law enforcement professionals and while we most often think of eye protection when we’re at the firearms range, reality is that our eyes can be threatened at any time. In fact, when you think about it, we wear sunglasses because ultra-violet rays have been shown to cause damage to our vision long term. The ESS Credence series of ballistic sunglasses can be the perfect gift for your law enforcement professional this season. Available in seven different frame/lens combinations and offering full wrap around protection for the eyes without hindering peripheral vision – a must for today’s street warriors. With a 30-day return policy and a 5-year warranty, the ESS Credence Series makes sense if your gift recipient needs something new to hang on their nose.
Last, but far from least, the Master of G Mudmaster GG1000 watch from Casio G-SHOCK is the perfect gift. Your law enforcement professional spends a lot of time at work and in hazardous conditions. The entire time s/he is there, they want to know, “How much longer until I get to go home?” They want a watch that will take everything they throw at it and still tell them how much time is left until they get to be with their loved ones again. The Mudmaster G1000 has been field tested and proven to put up with what law enforcement professionals go through day to day and it provides the necessary information (beyond just time) that can help them get through that day more comfortably. It’s a gift that’s sure to please whether it’s found in a stocking or under the tree!
Lt. Frank Borelli (ret), Editorial Director | Editorial Director
Lt. Frank Borelli is the Editorial Director for the Officer Media Group. Frank brings 20+ years of writing and editing experience in addition to 40 years of law enforcement operations, administration and training experience to the team.
Frank has had numerous books published which are available on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, and other major retail outlets.
If you have any comments or questions, you can contact him via email at [email protected].
