Township of Patterson, PA Firearms

Duty weapon. The Police Commissioner and the Chief of Police shall designate and authorize the firearm to be carried while an officer is on duty and/or in full uniform. The preferred duty weapon is the 357 SIG. With prior approval of the Chief of Police, an officer may carry his own weapon as his duty weapon.

Duty ammunition. Only ammunition approved of and issued by the Department shall be carried or used in the duty weapon. Each officer will be supplied with sufficient ammunition to provide for full loading of the preferred duty weapon and ancillary speed loaders or loading strips. An officer who chooses to carry his own weapon that is not a 357 SIG shall be responsible for supplying his own ammunition as approved by the Chief of Police. Any ammunition which has exceeded recommended shelf life will be consumed for practice or qualification purposes. Each officer who carries the preferred duty weapon, shall be provided with a sufficient quantity of practice ammunition to facilitate his/her participation in approved training activities. In no case shall an officer carry ammunition for which he/she has not been qualified with.

Carrying the duty weapon. All officers of the Patterson Township Police Department are required to be armed with the duty weapon and to carry such weapon on their person while on duty and/or in full uniform, except when engaged in the processing of a prisoner or when special circumstances prevail. The carrying of the duty weapon while off-duty is recommended but not required.

AR 15 and shotgun. The AR 15 issued by the Department will be carried at all times in a secured position in the patrol vehicle. It is not intended to replace the officer's duty weapon but should be considered a supplementary weapon for use as a situation dictates. The duty shotgun issued by the Department may be carried in a secured position in the patrol vehicle. The duty shotgun is not intended to replace the AR 15.

Carrying the AR 15, shotgun and ammunition. Only AR 15 ammunition approved for use by the Department will be loaded, carried or used in the AR 15. There will be no rounds carried in the chamber, and the safety will be on at all times when not in use. At the termination of a situation where the AR 15 or shotgun has been loaded, the officer shall remove all rounds from the magazine tube and then remove the round in the chamber. The weapon will again be secured and loaded as stated previously.

Qualifications required.

(1)

All members of the Patterson Township Police Department must qualify annually with the duty weapon and with the AR 15 on a course approved by the Chief of Police. All officers will be required to demonstrate their ability to handle the duty weapons in a safe and responsible manner and be able to meet minimum qualification standards.

(2)

The Township of Patterson will pay for all wages, AR 15 and 357 SIG ammunition, supplies and certified instructors to facilitate the officer's annual certification requirement. However, should the officer fail to meet the required minimum standard, the following rules shall apply:

(a)

The uncertified officer must, within 30 days, re-test for qualification and certification with his/her duty weapon. The Township of Patterson will provide ammunition only. The instructor and man-hours are the responsibility of the officer.

(b)

Should the second attempt at qualification be unsuccessful, the uncertified officer must, within 30 days, re-test for qualification and certification with all expenses the responsibility of the officer.

(c)

Should the third attempt at qualification be unsuccessful, the officer will be suspended indefinitely. The officer will have 30 days to be certified at his own expense or be terminated.

Simulated exercise courses. Any member of the Patterson Township Police Department may participate in any simulation exercise course as offered for duty weapons, including but not limited to night firing, multitarget simulations, stress courses or other courses set by qualified firearms instructors, this being subject to the approval of the Chief of Police.

Displaying or discharging a firearm. All officers will refrain from displaying any firearm or other weapon to anyone, except upon the demand of a superior for inspection purposes or in the performance of his/her duty. At no time shall any member of the Department fire a warning shot from any weapon. An officer may at his discretion discharge his firearm to terminate an injured animal. Officers shall use deadly force only in accordance with the use of force policy.

Report of weapon discharge. The discharge of any weapon, except for officer-involved shootings, training purposes or the termination of an injured animal, will be reported immediately to the Chief of Police; and as soon as practical, a written report detailing the circumstance under which the weapon was discharged will be submitted. All officer-involved shootings shall follow the applicable department policy.

Care and maintenance of weapons. All officers will regularly inspect their assigned firearms for residue and signs of corrosion or deterioration and will at all times keep them clean and in good operating condition. It will be the officer's responsibility to clean any firearm that has been discharged as soon as possible, but in no case will the officer attempt repairs, modifications or refinishing of Department-owned weapons or contract for same without prior written approval of the Chief of Police. All officers are personally responsible for the security and safety of all issued weapons under their custody and control. Any loss or theft of a Department-issued weapon will be reported immediately to the Chief of Police. In the event of an officer-involved shooting, the officer shall follow the Officer-Involved Shooting policy and shall not clean the firearm until all internal and external investigations have been completed and approval is provided by the Chief of Police.

Policy enforcement. It shall be the responsibility of the Chief of Police to enforce the firearms policy, and it will be at his discretion as to what type of action, if any, will be taken for violating said policy. The Chief of Police may, at his discretion, handle the matter within the Department or refer disciplinary actions to the Board of Commissioners. This policy shall not be construed to regulate an officer's participation in other organized shooting, competitions, informal training sessions or other recognized shooting sports.