That is why in the academy they train "weapon retention." I know in the "explorer academy" that I went to we had "firearms" (blue guns in a holster) that we had to wear on out belts while we were eating. The instructors would come up and try to take your weapon in the middle of eating, and you had to FIGHT to retain your weapon.

During the DAAT (Defense and Arrest Tactics) they made us fight for 5 MINUTES while we had 3 FULL TRAINED DAAT INSTRUCTORS trying to take your weapon. It was 5 minutes in HELL. Trust me, I took more away in that 5 minute fight (it truly felt like I was fighting for my life), then I did ANY other part of the academy. Because when you feel like you are fighting for your life, THE GLOVES are off and it is go time. I know we have all seen those shows where the DI is yelling at a recruit or something "asking" them if they are just gonna lay there and die, it feels like you just want it to end but you have to keep going.

I have been in one fight in my LE career (so far), and it was SCARY!!!!!!! I hated it and once the BG had his hand on my holster, guess what, when you feel that tug, you don't care the level of retention your holster is, because you just fall back on your training in what to do, and how to do it.

Ok that is the end of my rant! I just wouldn't want ANYTHING to go wrong when I HAVE to have my weapon, and something seizes up on my holster. A double retention (unsnap/rock the guard back, then as you are pulling up you pull back just 1/4 an inch) works fine for me.

Just in case they do take your gun away,heaven forbid.It is a good idea to have that nasty BLADE to shove right in that''spot.Now thats back up..Of course you knew that anyway,I am just ranting away.....

Or do what other officers in my department do, Buy a backup gun to keep on your ankle!

That was an awesome rant. I would love to have a trainer try to snag my weapon during lunch!! GOD that would be exciting.

That kind of exercise is exactly why I cannot wait to do police academy. That sort of activity is the type of thing I want to do with my life. I want to be good at it! I want to master it!

Jesus man, just reading that story gave me goosebumps.

Great morning read, DT

Timothy,

Your body F*CKING HURTS after some of this stuff you keep telling yourself you love it after not being able to walk the next day!!!!!It is exciting, we had to to react if one of our partners was getting their weapon taken, so needless to say there were A LOT of dropped plates of food onto the ground. We were told if one of your partners is struggleing with a suspect (instructor) you are to draw your weapon place it on their head (the attacker) and pull it back 2 inches and 'pull' the trigger!

I have no doubt that it is grueling. I wish you could see my daily planner and see just how much exercise I got between last Monday and Monday of this week.

On Monday, I felt so dead in the legs, I had not had a day of rest since last Monday, and my legs just wanted to give out. But you know, I went to school, and then, in the evening, I played about 2.5 hours of hockey. No breaks, no B.S., just 2.5 hours of straight goaltending.

The best part is, even after all this work, I felt excellent yesterday, and I was ready to go again.

(Too bad I got slammed in the face with like, 84 hours of homework)

I always carried a knife on my weak hand side. I had to be able to open the blade by just flipping my wrist (it is a requirement I have with ALL folding knives.) That way if I ever was in a gun grab situation I could keep the weapon in my holster with my strong hand and pull the knife with my weak hand and take care of business.

I carry a knife in my vest (right behind the trauma plate. I can get to it within a matter of seconds (my vest is outside my uniform, but looks like a uniform shirt). It is a flick of a wrist, or push of a button (depending on the uniform, I have one for each of my two uniforms) and it is go time.