WHY DO THEY NEED NEW GUNS? I THOUGHT THEY WERE GETTING RID OF THEIR COPS

By Bob Walsh

 

 Tampa Officer Bob Northrop, whose Sig discharged without the trigger being pulled, spent weeks in the hospital and months doing rehab on his injured leg

 

The Milwaukee P D has just announced that they are dumping their recently acquired SIG service weapons with Glocks.  It will cost them about $450,000 which they are getting from asset forfeiture money.

The police union sued the city about six weeks ago over the issue.  There have been three unexplained accidental discharges of the SIG weapons within the last two years, injuring two officers.  In at least two of these discharges the weapon was without question still in its holster when it discharged.  In one of them the office involved had both hands full of paperwork while exiting his vehicle when the weapon discharged.

It is known that there have been 22 lawsuits filed against SIG over allegations that the weapon fired without the trigger being pulled.  Some officers in effected jurisdictions have taken to carrying the weapon with an empty chamber in violation of department policy for fear of the weapon discharging itself.  

The union has agreed to drop the lawsuit since the city announced the planned switch-over.