{"id":24112,"date":"2023-10-22T00:01:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T07:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=24112"},"modified":"2023-10-22T15:42:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T22:42:58","slug":"police-business-iacp-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/10\/22\/police-business-iacp-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Police Business: IACP 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n

The International Association of Chiefs of Police…it’s an organization most folks have never heard of, but it’s been around for 130 years.\u00a0 My good buddy Mike is a member and he invited me along as his guest to the 2023 IACP convention (Mike and I have known each other since the 7th grade, and that means we’ve been friends for more than 60 years).\u00a0 It’s the third or fourth time I’ve attended the IACP show, and it’s always great.\u00a0 The IACP convention was in San Diego this year, and any time I have an opportunity to visit that beautiful town, I’m in.\u00a0 Susie and I rolled south in the Subie; Mike had already flown in.\u00a0 All kinds of companies have exhibits at the IACP convention, and many federal and state law enforcement agencies have displays.\u00a0 The United States Secret Service was there and they had one of the presidential limos on display.\u00a0 The photo at the top of this blog is yours truly reflected in the presidential limo’s deep black paint.<\/p>\n

So who exhibits at the IACP?\u00a0 All kinds of government organizations and all kinds of businesses.\u00a0 Many of the exhibitors were software companies (including Microsoft) specializing in data base and other police applications.\u00a0 There were several outfits advertising armor plating for people, automobiles, war wagons, and more.<\/p>\n

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Body armor in your choice of colors. I’d wear it, but it would make me look fat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Impressive.\u00a0 Bullet proof glass may become an optional accessory for civilians here in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another bullet proof barrier supplier. Check out the photos below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Here’s another bulletproof barrier company, with several of the cartridges its material can stop displayed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A close-up photo of one of the cartridges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The above door interior. None of the bullets made it through.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As you might expect, gun companies also display at the IACP convention.\u00a0 The ones I saw this year included Glock (with the largest display), SIG Sauer, Beretta, and a few different AR manufacturers.\u00a0 Surprisingly, Smith and Wesson wasn’t there (if they were, I missed them), nor was Colt (not many police departments carry Colt handguns these days).<\/p>\n

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Glock’s booth at the IACP convention. These guys had a lot of visitors. Glocks are popular and they are relatively inexpensive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Beretta and SIG booths were quiet.\u00a0 \u00a0There was a lot of activity at the Glock exhibit.\u00a0 I spent some time at the Glock booth talking to one of their reps, and he was informative when I asked about using cast bullets in a Glock.\u00a0 I’d previously heard that Glock advises against using cast bullets in their pistols, and I asked if that was true.\u00a0 Glocks have barrels with polygonal rifling, and as such, there are no lands and grooves (there are just raised and lowered areas that twist along the barrel’s length).\u00a0 The Glock rep explained to me that they do indeed recommend not using cast bullets, as the lead has nowhere to go when it accumulates in the bore.\u00a0 When the barrels experiencing leading, it constricts the bore, and this raises pressures higher than what would be experienced in a conventionally-rifled pistol barrel.\u00a0 He said if you clean the barrel often enough (so that leading does not accumulate), shooting cast lead bullets would probably be okay, but how many shots can be fired before this becomes a problem is too dicey a proposition for Glock to provide a number.\u00a0 I also asked about copper plated (as opposed to jacketed) bullets, and the Glock rep told me that they advise against using those as well.\u00a0 \u00a0To me, it’s not a big deal, as I don’t own a Glock, I always clean my guns, and virtually every firearm manufacturer advises against shooting reloaded ammo anyway.\u00a0 Eh, what do they know?\u00a0 The only time I ever shoot factory (i.e., non-reloaded) ammo in my handguns is when I have to requalify for my concealed carry permit.<\/p>\n

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Glock pistols. I don’t follow Glock, so I don’t know what their different models are. The red and the blue guns are training guns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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SIG Sauer’s 226 X-5. This is an impressive handgun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I saw the new SIG target model (the 226 X5) and I fell in love with it. Unfortunately, the X5 is not available to us here in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia (it\u2019s not on the California Department of Justice roster of approved handguns). The SIG X5 is expensive at $2219, but I\u2019d buy one in a heartbeat if it was sold here. It fits like my hand like a glove and the trigger is superb. The grips are nice, too. The X5 has all steel construction, so it’s heavier than the standard 226 (which has an aluminum frame).\u00a0 I sure wish it was available here.\u00a0 On the plus side, SIG\u2019s M18 is now available in California. It\u2019s the Army\u2019s new sidearm. It has a striker firing mechanism (there’s no hammer), so the trigger pull is not what I would call good (as is the case, in my opinion, with all striker-fired handguns). The M18 is about $700 and I am tempted.\u00a0 I like SIG handguns.<\/p>\n

There were taser manufacturers and firearms training simulator manufacturers at IACP, too.\u00a0 \u00a0The photos below show a taser virtual reality simulator.\u00a0 You wear a headset that covers your eyes and hold a taser gun.\u00a0 I think the company was Axon.\u00a0 They had about 20 stations for people to try it.\u00a0 The rep explained that you have to fire twice…once in a noncritical area and then again in another non-critical area.\u00a0 When you do that on the simulated bad guy in the virtual reality headset, the bad guy goes down.\u00a0 Sometimes you have to fire more than two times because your suspected felon doesn’t cooperate and keel over immediately.\u00a0 You get about 15 runs against assorted bad guys, and I toasted every one of them.\u00a0 Then there’s an officer needs assistance call where you roll up on a police officer having difficulty subduing a bad guy.\u00a0 I fried that bad guy, too.\u00a0 It was fun.<\/p>\n

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Virtual reality and a taser. It was awesome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Me, in my VR world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another company, Sim Lab, had a target gallery with moving silhouette targets and your choice of either a SIG or a Glock (I went with the SIG).\u00a0 I did pretty good on that one, too, and after I had toasted their bad guys the Sim Lab rep said I was a good shot.\u00a0 That made this IACP convention one of the best ever for me.<\/p>\n

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The Sim Lab setup. I opted for the SIG M18. I may get a real M18 one of these days.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After I shot the Sim Lab course, the rep asked if I wanted a video.\u00a0 Hey, does a man in the desert want water?\u00a0 Does a California resident want gas prices below $5 a gallon.\u00a0 “You bet,” I answered, and I fired the course again.\u00a0 It was fun.\u00a0 (Pro Tip:\u00a0 The video looks better if you expand it to full screen.)<\/p>\n