New Police Weapons are Coming

Several weeks ago, we discussed the issue of safety with the service firearm that most city of Milwaukee police officers carry while on duty. There had at that time been three different incidents where the Sauer P320 weapon had miss fired while still in the holster. The issue had been under study by the department, but no decision had been agreed upon on how to manage it. The police union eventually filed a lawsuit to get rid of these weapons. This past Monday a news conference was held with the mayor, police chief and the head of the police union to advise that an agreement had been reached on this issue. The agreement states that the department will get rid of the current Sauer P320 weapon and replace with the Glock 45. The cost for the new weapons will be close to $500,000 dollars.

Citizens will not have to bear the cost of the new weapons as the money will be taken from the asset forfeiture funds that the department oversees. “There’s no higher priority than the safety of the people who protect our city,” Johson said. “The police officers who serve our city have enough on their plate to worry about.” The process will begin in early 2023 and the transition will take about five to six months. The departments asset forfeiture fund is money that the department acquired by seizing property that engaged in a crime and selling it. “Such funds are typically spent on officer training and community engagement events,” Chief Norman stated. “The safety of our officers and the safety of the citizens we serve are our association’s top priority,” said Andrew Wagner, president of the Milwaukee Police Association.

Former Chief Alfonso Morales decided in 2018 to transition to the P320 when the warranty on the old weapons were expiring. There have been over twenty-two lawsuits across the country by officers over these weapons. They allege that the weapon fires without pulling the trigger and had injured some officers. Wagner states that the last officer injured in September still has a bullet lodged in his knee and is facing at least a year long recovery. Jim Bohl, the Mayor’s chief of staff, said “the city will recoup some money by selling the P320s to the supplier who provided them, but he did not say how much the city expects to receive.” Some are wondering why it took over two years to decide this issue. The chief stated on Monday,” the big thing is making sure all parties involved will be able to agree on the best actions to take.”

This is a win-win for the department, officers, and the citizens of the city. Officers need a reliable, safe weapon on which they can depend. There should not be accident discharges that can injure officers and citizens.