My future son in-law will be graduating from the police academy in Texas in 3 weeks. His dad is purchasing him his back up gun. His agency issues a decent amount of gear including 2 pairs of cuffs, taser, etc. He’s already got 2 flashlights.

For the cops on the board, what gear would you want as a rookie these days that isn’t issued?

I was thinking spare mags for duty gun (Glock 45)
Not sure what he’s got for a duty knife, if any, so maybe one of those too.

I’m open to other recommendations as well.

Thanks guys!

A high quality multi tool.

A) I’m a bit of an ass at times.

B) https://www.baconscouts.com/

Patrol bag or active shooter bag

-A quality, ruggedized digital watch in black. Something like a Casio Pathfinder, Pro Trek, or G-Shock.

-A quality pair of ballistic-rated sunglasses (Oakley, Wiley X, etc.), with an extra set of clear lenses for use when working nights or shooting at indoor ranges.

-An active shooter response bag and several additional Cat-T tourniquets.

-A gift certificate to his local police gear store, with instructions not to spend it until he is at least done with FTO, and preferably not before he has a year under his belt, so he knows at that point what additional gear he likes/needs.

-A quality leather gun belt, mag pouch, and holster combo for the gun he's going to be carrying off duty.

-A nice set of meal prep containers with accompanying lunch box and a meal prep cookbook, so he won't be tempted to eat out every meal or especially try to subsist on gas station food and fast food.

Cash. Let him buy what he wants.

- Visa or, Amex cash card
- Watch
- Multi-tool
- Gear bag (Black)
- Socks
- Appropriate gun belts (Ares Gear, Kore, Nexbelt) and/or holsters mainly for plain clothes work
- Dress shirts and ties
- Personal cooler, lunch box, Thermos bottle or, something similar; main thing is having meal, snacks readily available and avoiding fast-food situations. My cousin was an LEO, his diet was horrible lots of easy access, fast food, it caught up with him to an early death.

I still have my Gerber multi-tool my brother bought me. It is indestructible and always comes in handy. A good Leatherman if cant find Gerber. Or, a gift certificate to a police supply store so he can get what he wants.

Many items have been mentioned, good ones at that, but being able to get what he wants to set up his belt or duty bag is a personal approach to most. The department will provide a lot of stuff mentioned,..usually.

I'm with SIG228 on this one. Only he knows what he'll need right out of the gate.

On a lighter note, the first thing that came to mind was:

An excellent flashlight. One is none, two is one. I always carried at least three - one on my belt, one on my pistol, one in my vest, plus the one mounted in the squad.

Get it engraved, he'll use it 20 times a shift, easy. Far more than any other piece of gear.

A good leatherman / gerber multi tool- I probably use this more than any other item on my belt.

A good gear bag / Patrol bag.

A good first aid kit

A decent pen (scrap that idea if he's prone to losing stuff)

A good pair of boots go a long way!

(Tell him to take a picture of himself on his 1st day on the street! 28 years later, I laugh at how young, idealistic and thin I was)

My son carries a knife and a glass punch . He's actually used the glass punch on a couple of occasions . If there's a Police Supply store nearby , a gift card would be nice . He could pick out some footwear or a range bag , etc.

Second (third? Fourth?) a good multi-tool.

Even in the "electronic age," a good, rugged leather notebook cover might be worthwhile. There are a few custom makers (in Texas, no less) that can deliver. I still have a "memo book" size one that was an academy gift, then one sized for a reporter's notebook when I joined the Investigator Life (side note, there's no substitute for good note-taking skills.)

After someone grabbed my gun, I started carrying a Cold Steel Safemaker II behind my mag pouch. (weak hand, as it’s hard to fight with one hand on your gun)

https://www.coldsteel.com/safe-maker-ii/

I then began gifting them to each rookie I trained.

They get a lot of stuff given to them but mostly they have to figure out what they can carry by policy and if there’s enough real estate on the sam Browne belt.

The last guy I trained was a sheriff deputy who came over to the city, he already had a karambit knife he kept in the same place. So I got him a set of leg shackles and a waist chain since I knew he was gonna be in LE for the long haul.

I'd suggest a very high quality personalized padfolio. He'll use it in all the inservice classes he'll be taking. Saddleback leather are great quality products.

He'll also want a good waterproof pocket note pad something like these. And a leather cover for the pads like this.

Knives... they will get lost/broken and dull..

here's a good and decent knife that has a window breaker, seat belt cutter.. it's $30. I have several of these and were issued one.

https://www.amazon.com/Kershaw...etclip/dp/B06XPR3W77

Write in the rain pen and paper. Not sure of the weather where he will be working but spare cold weather gear if appropriate. Hat,gloves etc. Slash/stick resistant gloves. Extra latex gloves. Good quality socks. Spare batteries for lights.

What does he do to relax on his downtime? Mental health is important in a high stress job. Maybe something for his hobby and let him decide over time on the cop stuff. Just a thought.

Also, and I never thought I’d recommend this because of price but, a Yeti water bottle or jug. Yes it is worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Also, and I never thought I’d recommend this because of price but, a Yeti water bottle or jug. Yes it is worth it.

I'd second this one.. need to stay hydrated. probably worth getting 2, but there are other cheaper brands just as good.. most if not all are made in China and you are paying for a name brand.

I think it was mentioned above, but a good quality cooler bag for drinks, snacks, lunch/dinner.