Arkansas' Springdale PD to Buy Glock 43 as Back Up Pistols
Arkansas’ Springdale PD will purchase around 150 new 9x19mm Glock G43s to equip the department’s officers with backup guns. Springdale’s City Council unanimously approved the purchase and the guns will be purchased using department funds and a federal grant.
The City Council approved the idea 8-0, and $35,000 from Springdale PD’s budget and a federal Justice Assistance Grant of $28,398 will be used. The department will purchase 146 guns at $394 each for issuing to patrolmen, detectives and other department officers. Police Chief Mike Peters said:
Glock is by far the most common firearm carried by law enforcement in the United States. We issue full-size Glock pistols for our duty carry, and the Model 43 has the same functionality in a smaller, more concealable size. The primary reason we chose these is because they are high quality and will function exactly like the one they’re issued.
The Glock 43 was introduced back in 2015 and r ecently Glock introduced the 43X. You can enter TFB’s Glock Giveaway for a chance to win a Glock G43X or a Glock G48 here.
The guns will be purchased through Glock’s regional representatives, Cruise Uniforms and Equipment of Springdale. Traditionally, police in Springdale carry backup guns they own, but City Council member Kathy Jaycox recognized the advantages of introducing police-issue back up guns, “they are a great value for safety reasons,” she said adding that if a review of an incident is required, investigators will be able to trace a gun back to a person more easily.
Chief Peters said “we pretty much live in an armed society,” and while in 28 years of service he has never personally needed to fire his weapon in the line of duty he has drawn his sidearm many times while on duty when someone with a firearm or knife wouldn’t comply. He said recently that there had been an increase in incidents saying that “unfortunately, we have had several incidents in the last few years.”
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Managing Editor: TheFirearmBlog.com & Overt Defense.com. Matt is a British historian specialising in small arms development and military history. He has written several books and for a variety of publications in both the US and UK. Matt is also runs The Armourer's Bench, a video series on historically significant small arms. Here on TFB he covers product and current military small arms news. Reach Matt at: matt@thefirearmblog.com
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Why is an agency purchase for a backup gun news? Most agencies I've heard of allow cops to carry whatever backup gun/off duty gun they want as long as they qualify with said gun under the agencies course of fire.
Numbers work out to 160 guns not 146.