Police Equipment

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As long as there have been police there has been a need for police equipment. Criminals are always seeking to gain advantage over police when breaking the law, and using tools and technology is one way that they try and stay one step ahead.

For their part, police departments try to equip themselves with the best police equipment possible to combat crime. Crime fighting tools come in all different shapes and forms:

Riot control equipment-this is used by police officers to keep order when the public turns violent or threatens to turn violent in a mass group. Police often employ tools such as teargas, handcuffs, and batons to control violence.

• Guns – while many police carry guns to fight crime and are trained to use them, most rarely fire them in the line of duty. However, in order to protect their own lives or the life of an innocent citizen police are authorized to fire a weapon. Police hold their guns in holsters that can be worn over the hip or across the chest.

• Uniforms – these are essential for identifying the presence of an officer to the public. It alerts the public who to go to when in distress, and also provides the officer with public authority. Some police officers known as undercover cops do not wear uniforms so they can investigate a crime undetected while they are on duty.

Police k9 equipment-police outfit their crime-fighting dogs with special equipment such as bulletproof vests, badges, and heavy duty leashes.

Police equipment has entered popular culture through prime time TV, detective novels, and movies. In the 1970s TV icon Erik Estrada became the face associated with police motorcycles when the TV show CHiPs was introduced. The show was set in California and the image of the motorcycle cop became glamorized in the public's imagination.

During the 1980s the award-winning drama Hill Street Blues undertook the task of stripping down the glamour associated with carrying a gun and handcuffs. In the 80s and 90s more movies and TV shows centered around police life and the dangers associated with police equipment. In the late 1990s the TV show COPS became a hit. This was a reality-based show which showed how police officers on the beat used police equipment in their day-to-day lives. Currently one of the most popular dramas on TV-the CSI series-deals with forensic police investigation.

Away from the screen police gear can be a highly politicized item. The public has always been concerned with keeping the police well armed so that they could fight crime. However, the police must strike a careful balance so they do not seem to be abusing their authority.

In the 1960s anti-Vietnam riots on college campuses were dispelled by officers, and in a famous incident students at Kent State University were killed by police. Many people viewed the police's response as overly violent and felt that many deaths could have been prevented.

Race relations have also been strained by the use of excessive force. In fact, one of the most highly publicized cases of the 1990s in America involved police officers with batons mistreating an African-American named Rodney King.

For politicians and police chiefs the matter comes down to effectively training officers to use police equipment wisely. The public wants to be protected and wants officers to be well-equipped. However, constituents do not want to feel that officers may threaten them for an unjustified reason.

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