The City of The Dalles Police Department has completed the transition to a new duty sidearm.
TDPD is committed to keeping our police equipment modern, well cared for and ready to perform when it is needed. The Department recently planned for a lifecycle replacement of all of our duty sidearms, which included an upgrade to the sighting systems. The purchase was proposed to the city budget committee and approved through the City Council full budget process. An open and competitive bid process was followed to comply with city purchasing requirements and ensure the best value for the purchase.
TDPD recently completed our transition to the Glock 47, chambered in 9mm. Our former service handgun was chambered in .40 caliber and those sidearms had been in service for 12 years.
The 9mm round offers similar performance to the .40 caliber and costs substantially less at about .31 per round while the 40 caliber costs around .48 per round. The price differential saves about 150$ per case of ammunition.
The new sighting system, know as a red dot system (RDS) offers greater accuracy than open sights, promotes faster learning and are meant to be shot with both eyes open, giving better situational awareness to officers during encounters.
These new sidearms are carried in a modern, high security holster to ensure maximum retention during non-lethal force encounters.
Tactical pistol mounted lights from our former sidearms continue to serve on this new platform and aid officers in low light encounters.
Chief Worthy said “I want to thank my training unit for all of their work to make this transition possible as well as City leadership for continuing to provide my officers with excellent equipment to do a challenging job. While we train continuously in de-escalation and tactics to ensure the safety of everyone, it is reassuring to know that my officers are provided with the necessary equipment to protect the public and themselves, no matter the threat. Ideally we will never fire these sidearms, except on the firing range but if we have to we can be assured that they will function as intended.”
