A gun quandary for Trenton police- NJ.com
Thursday, May 01, 2008 BY ANDREW KITCHENMAN
TRENTON -- City council is weighing whether to pay $200,000 for new guns for city police, despite an offer of free guns from the maker of the department's current weapons.
Police Director Joseph Santiago asked the council to approve the purchase of 425 Springfield Armory .45-caliber guns, although Glock has offered to replace the department's 14-year-old pistols with new ones at no cost to the city.
Santiago pointed to a recommendation from a committee of police officers, who preferred the Springfield weapons.
Officers said the Croatian-made Springfield XD model guns were easier to handle for officers with small or large hands, compared with the Austrian-made .40-caliber Glock 23 model.
Councilman-at-large Manuel Segura expressed skepticism toward turning down the free guns and asked if the department had any problems with the Glocks.
"Why the change, unless it's a really new predicament in the use of the weapon?" Segura asked dur ing a council meeting Tuesday.
Segura said the council is ultimately responsible for the taxpayers.
Glock sells the most semiauto matic pistols to U.S. police departments, and the 23 model is the official service weapon of the FBI, according to the company.
However, Springfield Armory also is an established manufacturer and XD models are either the official weapon or an approved option for more than 1,000 law-enforcement agencies.
Santiago described how the police reached the decision at the meeting.
After determining that the department needed new guns, he assigned a committee to test and compare several of the most popular models used by police departments. He noted that the police have $200,000 available in the department's capital budget.
"We are open, the process is transparent," Santiago said of the committee recommendation.
Santiago said there was nothing wrong with the Glocks, but the department needs new weapons be fore a failure in the old guns leaves an officer at risk.
"No one has an ax to grind," Santiago said. "No one has an agenda."
Sgt. Adrian Mendez, who trains officers in using the pistols, said 15 of 16 committee members who tested the Springfield and Glock models preferred the Springfield.
The officers found that the Springfield shot better and was more comfortable to shoot.
Two officers at opposite ends of the Trenton police department in hand size demonstrated their diffi culty with the Glock model at the council meeting.
Mendez said Officer Cathy San tiago's petite hand was too small to comfortably grip the Glock, while Sgt. Limmie Caver's considerable fingers didn't fit the finger grips on the Glock.
"I guess all guns look small in my hands," Caver said.
Mendez said officials with the Trenton's Police Benevolent Association and Superior Officers Association unions only ask that the guns accommodate every officer in the department.
The $200,000 cost includes $40,000 for new holsters and $375 for each gun, which includes a $200-per-gun discount for ex changes of old weapons.
There is a close comparison between the two guns, according to Mike Detty, who writes the Arsenal column on law-enforcement weapons for Police Magazine, a California-based national publication.
Detty said the Springfield's trig ger is more crisp and its grip has a safety feature, but there's nothing wrong with the Glock.
"That's a big dilemma," he said of Trenton's position.
Contact Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5706.
Thursday, May 01, 2008 BY ANDREW KITCHENMAN
TRENTON -- City council is weighing whether to pay $200,000 for new guns for city police, despite an offer of free guns from the maker of the department's current weapons.
Police Director Joseph Santiago asked the council to approve the purchase of 425 Springfield Armory .45-caliber guns, although Glock has offered to replace the department's 14-year-old pistols with new ones at no cost to the city.
Santiago pointed to a recommendation from a committee of police officers, who preferred the Springfield weapons.
Officers said the Croatian-made Springfield XD model guns were easier to handle for officers with small or large hands, compared with the Austrian-made .40-caliber Glock 23 model.
Councilman-at-large Manuel Segura expressed skepticism toward turning down the free guns and asked if the department had any problems with the Glocks.
"Why the change, unless it's a really new predicament in the use of the weapon?" Segura asked dur ing a council meeting Tuesday.
Segura said the council is ultimately responsible for the taxpayers.
Glock sells the most semiauto matic pistols to U.S. police departments, and the 23 model is the official service weapon of the FBI, according to the company.
However, Springfield Armory also is an established manufacturer and XD models are either the official weapon or an approved option for more than 1,000 law-enforcement agencies.
Santiago described how the police reached the decision at the meeting.
After determining that the department needed new guns, he assigned a committee to test and compare several of the most popular models used by police departments. He noted that the police have $200,000 available in the department's capital budget.
"We are open, the process is transparent," Santiago said of the committee recommendation.
Santiago said there was nothing wrong with the Glocks, but the department needs new weapons be fore a failure in the old guns leaves an officer at risk.
"No one has an ax to grind," Santiago said. "No one has an agenda."
Sgt. Adrian Mendez, who trains officers in using the pistols, said 15 of 16 committee members who tested the Springfield and Glock models preferred the Springfield.
The officers found that the Springfield shot better and was more comfortable to shoot.
Two officers at opposite ends of the Trenton police department in hand size demonstrated their diffi culty with the Glock model at the council meeting.
Mendez said Officer Cathy San tiago's petite hand was too small to comfortably grip the Glock, while Sgt. Limmie Caver's considerable fingers didn't fit the finger grips on the Glock.
"I guess all guns look small in my hands," Caver said.
Mendez said officials with the Trenton's Police Benevolent Association and Superior Officers Association unions only ask that the guns accommodate every officer in the department.
The $200,000 cost includes $40,000 for new holsters and $375 for each gun, which includes a $200-per-gun discount for ex changes of old weapons.
There is a close comparison between the two guns, according to Mike Detty, who writes the Arsenal column on law-enforcement weapons for Police Magazine, a California-based national publication.
Detty said the Springfield's trig ger is more crisp and its grip has a safety feature, but there's nothing wrong with the Glock.
"That's a big dilemma," he said of Trenton's position.
Contact Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5706.
