The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia is the latest law enforcement agency to announce it is transitioning over to the Sig Sauer P320.
Founded in 1757 and based in Leesburg, Va., the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is made up of different “substations” that are peppered throughout Loudoun County, which is the third most populous county in the state, the press release says. Today, the agency is the largest sheriff’s office in the Old Dominion, counting nearly 800 employees—including 584 deputies and 210 civilians—in its ranks.
“Two years ago, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office extensively evaluated 9mm firearms from several major manufacturers,” Sheriff Michael L. Chapman said. “The Sig Sauer P320 stood out as the most versatile and the easiest to handle, and our deputies’ shooting scores improved dramatically. It became clear that the Sig Sauer P320 was the future when it came to firearms at the LCSO.”
“We are honored that the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has selected Sig Sauer,” said Tom Jankiewicz, Sig’s VP for law enforcement sales. “We take immense pride in building the finest pistols in the world, and it’s humbling to know that such a well-respected agency trusts their officers’ lives to the reliability and performance of the P320.”
The striker-fired, 9mm Sig Sauer P320 was selected as the winner of the U.S. Army’s XM17 Modular Handgun System competition in January. That decision has not come without controversy, particularly from Glock, which filed a protest over the pick with the Government Accountability Office. That protest was denied. Shortly thereafter, the GAO issued a report that said Sig Sauer’s submission was $100 million cheaper than Glock’s, something that likely played a role in Sig winning the contract. A couple of days ago, Glock released photos of its XM17 submissions—variants of the 9mm Glock 19 and .40 S&W Glock 23.
In any event, the Sig Sauer P320 is the official sidearm of the U.S. Army, and now it looks like law enforcement agencies are starting to follow suit. Stay tuned.
