Quote:
Originally Posted by BodymoreMurderland
Many police departments do not issue or allow rifles.
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Until just a very few years ago, Charles County Sheriff's Dept. REQUIRED each deputy to purchase their own duty/off-duty weapons.
This included sidearm(s), rifles and shotguns.
This department is just 50 miles south of where you're sworn, and is the only county-wide law enforcement agency, in Charles County.
In other words, the sheriff's department IS the county police department.
I know for fact, that the department's EST (Emergency Services Team - same thing/different name used for SWAT), the sniper (a sergeant) purchased his own sniper rifle. (Remington 700 Varmint - .308 Win.)
At the time, the only weapons that were provided by the department, were the Beretta (if memory serves me) the M12 (9mm) and AR70 (.223).
The 'purchase policy' started changing in 1990/'91, for liability reasons (and a Federal Grant).