College Cop Glocks

Campus Police Officers perform the same duties and find themselves in the same situations as their municipal, county and state counterparts. This includes felony traffic stops. This U of GA officer stands ready with his GLOCK behind vehicle cover.

Something that criminals don’t want to face— a determined officer armed with a large caliber GLOCK, ready to shoot!

In emergency situations, there is no pistol faster into action than the GLOCK. Easy manipulation is critical in situations where the officer’s task attention is divided.

The use of excellent tactics are a must when using an outstanding duty pistol such as the GLOCK—here, this officer has made full use of cover behind his vehicle during a felony takedown.

Campus Police Departments often lead the way to advances in law enforcement. Here, this officer has a pistol light mounted on his duty GLOCK— a trend that is just starting to emerge in the law enforcement community.

As with the majority of police agencies across the U.S., the majority of campus cops find the GLOCK to be the perfect fit for all officers. The new GLOCK GEN4 adjustable grip system makes a perfect fit feel even better.

Campus police officers are no different than rural, municipal, state and federal policing, they overwhelmingly choose GLOCK! They are reliable, the design and modes of operation are simple, they’re accurate and adaptable to various missions. While not all “Big Campus” P.D.s issue GLOCK as their duty weapon, it is widely a personal choice for individual purchase on duty where authorized and just as important, for off-duty use.

University of Illinois Police Department
The University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD) issued duty weapon is the GLOCK 22 .40. According to Sgt. Tim Harper, it has been the choice of their agency since the mid-1990s. Officers may, carry personal GLOCK models for duty use in most of the other currently popular duty calibers—9×19, .357, .40, .45Auto and even the very powerful and versatile 10mm Auto. They are one of the few agencies that authorize this outstanding, yet often overlooked, cartridge. The GLOCK 27 is popular and standard as a personally purchased backup and off-duty weapon. UIPD provides all the duty ammo regardless of chambering for on- and off-duty use, with the Speer Gold Dot 165-gr. hollowpoint being standard for the .40. The 66 officers UIPD fields K-9, motorcycle, bicycle (a campus policing standard) and even EOD units and furnishes officers for the area’s Metro SWAT team—making the GLOCK-armed UIPD.

Indiana University—Indianapolis Campus
The Indiana University uses the .40 GLOCK series in a big way. According to Lt. Figg of the Indiana University Police Department (IUPD), their agency issues the full-size GLOCK 22 and mid-size GLOCK 23 (officers’ choice) for uniform duty carry. They issue the mini GLOCK 27 for their plainclothes and administrative officers who choose to carry them over the GLOCK 23. All three models are authorized for off-duty carry, but if the officer is in a uniform assignment, they must purchase their own GLOCK 27 if they choose to have the most convenient carry size available for backup or off-duty purposes. The GLOCK 27, although small, has proven to be remarkably accurate for a pistol of its size. Their duty load is the popular .40 165-gr. Speer Gold Dot hollowpoint. The IUPD, like all modern campus police, trains regularly to deal with major incidents such as responding to active shooters and incorporated an active shooter program as part of their training regimen.

University of Michigan Campus Police
The University of Michigan Campus Police Department (UMCPD) is one of the few agencies where the GLOCK is not the standard duty weapon. However, all models and chamberings of GLOCK are permitted for personal purchase and carry while off-duty. They, like all other agencies surveyed, are a full-service department. Sgt. Gerry Steiner relayed that U of M Campus Police have an Advance Quick Unit Action Deployment (AQUAD) team of 13, which is their SWAT team. Two AQUAD members are on the countywide SWAT team. They have two Belgian Malinois K-9s trained in explosive detection, tracking, article find and protection.

University of Minnesota Police Department
Former firearms program instructor Sgt. Erik Stenemann and current firearms staff instructor Sgt. James Nystrom advised that the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) has a long history of GLOCK use. Starting out many years ago with the original GLOCK 17 9×19, their agency has since upgraded to the GLOCK 22 .40 as their duty-issue standard weapon, while allowing the personal purchase and carry of the GLOCK 23 for uniform use and the mini GLOCK 27 for plainclothes carry. Their current duty load is Federal’s Tactical 165-gr. JHP round for all model GLOCKs. The GLOCK 27 is their most popular off-duty and backup weapon.

Officers must purchase their own duty holster of choice from their uniform allowance. Level II holsters are the minimum level required, with the Blackhawk Level II and III Serpa holster being the most popular choice. Both sergeants believe that officers should select a draw type and style that they are the most comfortable with, which is why they allow this wide range of options. While the U of M Police don’t field their own SWAT team, they do contribute two officers to the East Metro Tactical Team. Their agency no longer issues shotguns for use in their cruisers, citing well-researched ballistic concerns about the use of shotgun rounds in the close confines of a college campus. Their agency does maintain an active K-9 unit, which assists in patrol and crowd control functions.

Ohio State University Division of Police
The Ohio State University Police Division is heavily invested in the GLOCK weapons system. The standard issue weapons for all officers are GLOCK 17 9×19 and the 19, with assignment based on duties—uniform versus plainclothes. The 9×19 round has been the standard since the Division adopted the semi-automatic pistol for duty use (the first in Ohio) in 1971. While the 9×19 GLOCK is the standard-issue weapon, the University Police Division policy allows each of their officers to carry the GLOCK pistol/chambering combination they feel most comfortable with and many have opted to purchase their own GLOCKS in permitted chamberings and frame sizes. Most officers have opted for the Glock 26 or Glock 27 as the ideal option for off-duty carry or back up.

All the GLOCKs are loaded with various weights of Speer Gold Dot ammo. The department-issue GLOCK 17s and Glock G19s are loaded with124 gr. +P Gold Dot rounds. The University Division of Police is armed with M4-Carbines and 870 shotguns for patrol use. They also have a fully equipped SWAT team of their own.

Northwestern University Campus Police
Northwestern University Campus Police have a unique situation among other Big Ten Conference Schools; they have a list (albeit a short one) of approved duty weapons that officers must purchase on their own, with GLOCK topping. Fully 55% of their officers have chosen to purchase GLOCKs in either 9×19, .40 or .45 Auto for duty use and 51% selecting them for off-duty use. No matter what the chambering, the Speer Gold Dot round, in the appropriate weight, is the required duty and off-duty load. Sgt. Robert Wiley reports that the GLOCK is the majority favorite purchase of new officers coming on the P.D. due to the fact that GLOCKs are easy to work with and reliable—in his words, “just pull the trigger and they go bang.” Officers are required to purchase the duty holster of their choice, as long as it is a Level II. Northwestern does not field a SWAT team or contribute officers to a Metro unit, each of their cruisers are equipped with M-4s, ballistic helmets and shields and breaching tools, all of which are designed to deal with a Virginia Tech type active shooter situation—essentially making every officer SWAT-capable in emergencies.

Penn State University Police Department
Penn State University Police Department (PSUPD) issues the GLOCK 22 .40 for uniform carry, and the GLOCK 27 .40 for plainclothes and administrative personnel. Captain Bill Moerschbacher indicated that the agency is fully committed to the GLOCK line, which in various chamberings is also a popular off-duty choice. PSUPD’ firearms instructors are seeking approval for carrying weapons lights for their uniformed personnel. Laser sighting systems are being considered. Both weapon lights and lasers are currently authorized for their tactical team members.The 49-member agency is well equipped and trains for active shooter encounters backing up their Glock 22s with 870s and AR-15s in all cruisers. Their GLOCK duty load is the .40 180 gr. Federal Tactical hollowpoint load.

University of Wisconsin Police Department
Sgt. Aaron Chapin reported that University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD) issues the standard-size (and original) GLOCK 17, compact-size Glock 19 and the Glock 26, which is of course limited to plainclothes personnel. The chosen duty load is the hot Winchester Ranger 9mm +P+ round, and GLOCKs are carried in Safariland or Michaels of Oregon Level III security holsters. As the agency allows the use of tactical lights (which is not a common situation, but becoming a more popular option with all departments these days) for all duty personnel, their officers, who must also purchase their duty lights, are permitted to drop down to personally purchased security Level II holsters to accommodate their duty weapons with lights mounted. Lasers are not currently authorized. An accredited agency, the University of Wisconsin also has on staff six certified GLOCK armorers for their agency (required to maintain their national CALEA accreditation, no matter what the duty pistol is), who make sure that the recommended annual GLOCK armorer’s inspection is conducted and documented properly.

University of Georgia Police Department
A campus population of 45,000 at any given point during the day or week demands a full service-plus police department, and U.G.A.P.D. delivers just that. Its officers in all of its divisions are all GLOCK equipped, and quite capable considering that their GLOCK of choice for issue is the GLOCK 22 .40, stoked with the fine 180 gr. Federal HST JHP round. Their GLOCKS are backed up by Remington 870 pump shotguns and a mixture of Bushmaster and Colt AR15’s in their cruisers. While all the troops are issued the Glock 22, plainclothes officers are additionally issued the mini GLOCK 27, also in .40 for their specialized duties. All off-duty carry is left to the discretion of their individual officers. According to Captain Justin Gregory of the UGA Police Department, I found that their 80 sworn officers work a variety of additional assignments besides patrol and investigations. The U.G.A.P.D. also fields a K9 unit, a SWAT Team, an E.O.D. Bomb Disposal Team, Traffic Divisions, Computer Forensics Unit, Accident Reconstruction Unit, Hostage Negotiators and a standard Forensics Investigation Unit. All police departments should be so lucky as to have these specialized units at their disposal-and since they don’t, the U.G.A.P.D. provides these services to other north Georgia law enforcement agencies as a shared resource. According to Captain Gregory at the time of this writing, the majority of cases in the hopper in the computer forensics unit are from outside the university. The University of Georgia campus, and its outstanding full service police department, provide an outstanding resource for all the residents of north Georgia and to the agencies and officers who protect and serve them. They appear to have all the bases covered.