5 Things to Know Before Buying Police Duty Utility Belts

By Marty Katz

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As a police officer, you are provided with certain equipment to perform your job. Some equipment you may purchase on your own, as long as it meets with agency policies and procedures. Review your policy and procedure manual before random purchasing. Most equipment after use is non-refundable and many of the items you will want to purchase are expensive.

The equipment you will have is divided into three groups:

• Your duty equipment;
• Your patrol vehicle equipment;
• Your personal equipment (on and off duty).

You will quickly get familiar with all your equipment because each piece will be a part of you for your entire career.

In this article, we look at considerations for the purchase and placement of police officer duty equipment on police duty belts.

Your duty gear

Your duty equipment is commonly known as your duty belt. During the years, I've adjusted and readjusted my duty equipment and, due to my research, have enlightened many agencies to change their policies over the placement of duty belt equipment.

Everything has a proper place and is tactically placed. At any given moment I can reach out and bring into play anything that I carry. I've found some officers under stress have confused items on their duty belts.

One officer attempted to place his OC spray can into the open magazine well of his firearm during a stress-induced scenario. This officer was so stressed out that he reached for the wrong piece of equipment and upon realizing his error became even more stressed.

The goal of proper placement of duty belt equipment is to ensure everything can be easily located and ascertained to where you do not have to think about where an item is as you reach for it.

Likewise, you can return each piece of equipment to its proper place without taking your eyes off the suspect or what you are doing.

In addition to the proper placement of your duty equipment, you must understand the function of each piece and how it is to be operated.

Without warning, I would call five officers into the station. I would then take them to the indoor gun range and have them draw their duty weapon and fire four rounds into a target.

This was to determine if their firearm charged, the weapon functioned correctly, they had the correct ammunition and whether they could hit the target. Some officers did not have a round in the chamber of their semi-auto pistols.

Most officers had no problems or difficulties with this drill. But if one of the problem officers was your backup, there could be a situation that did not end well. This became a wake-up call for all.

Handcuff placement

Standard duty belt placement is important. Each item is placed in a specific place for tactical and ease-of-use reasons. Starting from the front center and moving toward your strong side, the first item from the center point is your handcuff case. This is placed here so that it can be accessed from either hand.

I always carry two sets of handcuffs. There are double handcuff cases, or you can simply carry your second set in your rear pocket, either side. The reason for the handcuff case in front is that there will be no reaching when needed.

I have seen some officers carrying their handcuffs behind their firearm. If your weapon was out, covering a subject, and you need to retrieve the handcuffs, you have to either holster the weapon or use your strong hand to obtain the cuffs. That is not a good idea.

I carry a handcuff key attached to one of the belt keepers and a second one in my left back pocket. One of the drills I teach is how to get out of handcuffs if you are taken hostage.

OC spray

Next to the handcuff case is my OC spray. Again, it is accessible by either hand and the transition from spray to firearm is easy when utilizing this location. I can also spray from the case if necessary.

Firearm

The next item is my firearm. On either side of the holster is a belt keeper. This will help secure the holster to my body and with the proper handgun retention, and a triple secure holster, the weapon is protected.

Tactical light

The firearm I carry also has an attached tactical light. I keep nothing behind the holster. There have been reports of police equipment moving on the duty belt and sliding behind the holster, and depending on the type of holster, this item prevented the weapon from being drawn.

Magazine pouches

Going back to the center point and moving toward your non-firearm side, the first item is your magazine pouches. The magazines are facing forward and nothing is blocking the quick removable and reloading of these important tools.

TASER

The next piece of equipment is my cross-draw TASER. The reason for cross draw is that it can never be confused with your firearm. In addition, the TASER can be drawn when in a cross-draw location by either hand. On either side of the TASER are my belt keepers.

Portable radio

The next item is my portable radio. A long time ago, I decided to wear a tactical earpiece that also had a microphone built into the earpiece. With the earpiece secured by a small strap around my ear and under the ear lobe, this has become a critical safety tool. Only I can hear what is being transmitted.

Too many times the bad guy hears something about them over the radio while standing next to the officer and the fight is on. When I am on a perimeter position or searching a structure, even if the radio traffic is limited, someone always breaks in at the wrong time and gives away your position. This way, with a secure earpiece, safety is enhanced.

Baton

After the belt keeper is my collapsible baton followed by one last keeper.

Back-up gun

From day one, I have always carried a backup gun. Some prefer the same caliber and make of their primary duty weapon. Others prefer to carry a smaller revolver or smaller semi-auto. Either choice, make sure it is carried in the same place every day. Many officers carry the backup weapon attached to their vest, while others carry the weapon in an ankle holster. No matter what you carry, you must have an additional load device.

The loading devices for a semi-auto-type weapon are carried in the front pocket weak side and the revolver-type weapon is carried in the front pocket strong side.

Equipment placement restrictions

I do not place any equipment on the rear of my duty belt. Reason number one is that if anything was behind me during a physical confrontation, I would have to disengage one hand and reach to obtain this piece of equipment. Reason number two? Well, if I fell and landed on my back, an item in this location might cause a back injury and that might take the fight out of me when I needed it most. The rule here is that nothing is around your back.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Police Duty Utility Belts.

Other considerations

Of course, standard equipment whenever the uniform is being worn is the ballistic vest. If the uniform is on, the vest is on. When assigned to the criminal investigation unit, the vest was always next to me on the front seat. If we had any prior notice of taking any police action, the vest was immediately put on.

In my left front pocket, I carried a small flashlight because you just never know.

I place a folding pocketknife in each rear pants pocket. I prefer an auto-opening knife. No matter what hand is occupied, I can still reach for a knife if needed. Since the knife is auto, it will open with just a push of a button. In combat situations, time is in short supply.

Many other items can be carried. Pens that are designed as knives, pens that are really handcuff keys, the list goes on and on. This article covers the basic duty equipment each officer should carry and its proper placement on a police duty belt.

About the author

Marty Katz is a retired sergeant with the Broward Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his 34-year career, his assignments included field training officer, SWAT team member, undercover narcotics detective, academy instructor street crime suppression unit and supervisor of Recruitment, Criminal investigations and Patrol. Marty is a Florida Department of Law Enforcement certified instructor (Firearms, Defensive Tactics, Driving, First Responder, Ethics and Human Diversity), Expert Witness for Use of Force issues, a member of ILEETA, and past Florida Chapter Director for the International Association of Ethics Trainers In addition, Marty has trained in Japan with the Tokyo Metropolitan Riot Police and is a martial arts instructor.

The duty belt (aka: gun belt) is an incredibly useful piece of gear. It is usually an outer belt that holds the tools of the trade, that snaps onto an inner belt by way of belt keepers. The old, leather 'Sam Browne' has been 'standard issue' for law enforcement officers for decades and is American as baseball and apple pie. The materials used to construct modern duty belts, and the stuff carried on them have changed, but the function remains unchanged.

A well-organized duty belt carries the gear police and security officers need within easy, two-handed reach. The concept remains as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. This concept has even made inroads with military personnel as the battle belt. Military battle belts are more likely to have MOLLE webbing than belt keepers, but both are essentially the same idea.

This blog post will cover the importance of proper duty belt setup. We will talk about the components of a duty belt, and how that is influenced by the job you do. Next up: best practices for duty belt setups, and how to get the most out of yours. Finally, we'll go over maintenance and care of your duty belt, and duty belt accessories available from Qore Performance.

Importance of a Proper Duty Belt Setup

Setting up your duty belt correctly is very important. Good duty belt setup can have a big impact on your ability to reach life-saving tools in a timely manner. Obviously, this is far and away the most important reason for proper duty belt setup, but not the only one. Certain items should be on certain sides, depending on which hand is most likely to access the tool in question. A duty belt can be optimized to improve comfort when doing things most police officers spend a lot of time doing, like sitting in a cruiser. Alternatively, they can be optimized for specific tasks, like riding a bicycle.

On the other hand, a poorly-organized (or completely disorganized) gun belt can be a liability. It can cause snag hazards as the officer tries to exit his vehicle or maneuver through a building. Improperly placed pouches and hard gear can cause a severe back injury should the officer fall or be taken to the ground. Poor equipment set up can slow the removal of life-safety gear like firearms or spare ammunition, potentially costing the officer his life, or the lives of bystanders. Make no mistake, duty belt setup is serious business.

Components of a Duty Belt

A lot of different items are carried on a duty belt. These items are selected based on the job one is expected to do, and the conditions under which they are expected to do it. Let's take a look at the components typically found in a duty belt setup. Keep in mind that not every cop or security officer carries all of this stuff, and there is an element of personal preference.

Firearm and Holster: This is one of the most universal of items, and the reason the duty belt is often called a gun belt. This is carried on the shooter's strong side, usually at the 3 o'clock position. This offers a smooth draw, and prevents the bottom of the holster from hitting the officer in the thigh each time he or she sits. Holsters worn on duty belts are almost universally retention holsters to prevent gun grabs. They also may be 'drop-leg' holsters, which puts the gun high on the officer's thigh (oftentimes these are seen being worn far too low). Drop-leg holsters are most useful for getting the gun out of the way of bulky body armor.

Magazines: Pistol mags are typically carried on the opposite side of the handgun, typically in the front. Bullets are usually pointed toward the belt buckle to support modern speed reload methods. Most officers carry two additional magazines in a double magazine pouch.

Flashlight: The days of the long, D-Cell Maglite are long gone. Cops today carry small, lightweight, high-intensity flashlights that dwarf the old Maglites in every way but size. These are usually carried forward on the belt because they are frequently accessed: when doing traffic stops, searching a building, etc.

Taser: Electrical, less-lethal weapons are usually carried on the side opposite the firearm. Placing it well away from the firearm greatly reduces the chances of the firearm being mistakenly drawn when deadly force is not appropriate'and vice versa.

Pepper Spray: Another incredibly valuable tool, less-lethal OC spray is generally kept close at hand, near the front of the belt.

Radio & Pouch: Though it seems as though absolutely everything is competing for front-row space, the radio is one item that makes no such demands. An officer's radio generally has a corded microphone, so it can be put in the pouch and left alone. The volume may need to be adjusted, but this can be done without having to see the radio.

First Aid Kit: The first aid kit is largely being replaced by the tourniquet. Tourniquets are typically worn forward of the holster where they can be rapidly accessed with either hand.

Baton: If there is one item on this list that is still widely issued but that is falling into disuse, it is the baton. The baton is still a highly effective tool, but the optics have using one have been a big factor in its decline in popularity. Batons that are used are nearly universally of the collapsing, ASP variety.

Optimal Gun Belt Setup: Best Practices

As we can see, there is potentially a lot of gear on a duty belt. There is some art and science to setting up an effective duty belt. Let's look at some of the best practices for doing so.

Life-Support Gear First: Before anything else goes on the belt, life-support gear, like the pistol, magazines, and tourniquet have to go on. The pistol should be optimized for a smooth, fast draw with no interference. The magazines should support a solid reloading technique, and the tourniquet should be accessible with either hand. Everything else will filter in around those items, with infrequently accessed items, like the radio, further back.

Weight and Balance: Obviously, you have to carry what your organization mandates. You may want to carry an extra item or two, but this stuff adds up really quickly. Make sure you're not overloading the belt. Also, make sure to balance the belt. It will be very uncomfortable if one side is heavier than the other.

Keeping a Clean Back: Most cops spend a lot of time in their patrol cars. Keeping the back of the duty belt clean goes a long, long way making sitting down more comfortable. A big lump in your lumbar region that keeps you from sitting against the seat is supremely uncomfortable. It may also be a safety hazard, preventing the seat from supporting you if you are in a crash.

Maintenance and Care of a Duty Belt

Your duty belt is life-support equipment. It is a symbol of the job, the most recognizable tools of your profession. It is also a really expensive set of equipment. Keeping it well-maintained is important.

Inspect your duty gear regularly. Make sure nothing is frayed or wearing prematurely. If it is, it may be improperly attached to the belt, or mounted in a less-than-ideal position or orientation. Make sure your equipment stays clean. Grit in dirt creates friction points and wears your gear down, shortening its lifespan. Clean gear also presents a pleasing appearance to the public you serve, and tells anyone who might mess with you that you're squared away. Replace items that are to worn to effectively perform their function, especially safety devices like retention holsters.

Duty Belt Accessories from Qore Performance

Qore Performance offers a number of products to make your duty belt more comfortable and functional. Comfort sounds like a secondary consideration, but when you are comfortable you are more alert, more patient'and able to make split-second decisions more quickly.

Qore Performance's ICEVENTS® padding is a honeycomb pattern belt lining that keeps the belt away from the body, allowing airflow in and, just as importantly, heat out. This keeps the belt from trapping heat and sweat. It also renders the belt far, far more comfortable. ICEVENTS® padding is available as an inner belt. The inner or liner belt is worn as a regular belt with the outer, tactical belt going over it. or as pads that fit on a variety of outer belts. Not only that, ICEVENTS® pads are available for select holsters, as well.

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