FBINAA Associate Magazine Oct/Dec 2021

RETENTION DAVID HIGGINBOTHAM

Any serious discussion of duty holsters has two key considerations. The first is an officer’s ability to access the gun when it is needed. Emergency situations require immediate access and the officer’s ability to clear the holster can mean the differ- ence between life and death. T he second factor is equally important, and that’s an officer’s ability to prevent anyone else from accessing his or her gun. During an arrest or altercation, a holster’s ability to secure a firearm can mean the difference between life and death. This is the fundamental paradox at the center of holster re- tention. How can a device that is designed to provide immediate access to a firearm also prevent unwanted access, and do both at the same time? HOLSTER RETENTION The key to unlocking this conundrum is what’s become known in the profession as “holster retention.” All holsters are designed to hold a gun, but how well they hold them is now measured by their retention level, a concept pioneered by Bill Rogers in the early 80s and refined over decades by Rogers and Safariland after Safariland aquired the Rogers Holster Company in 1985. While there’s no institutionalized standard for rating holster retention, Safariand’s holsters have become the default standard for holster retention ratings. The company currently uses four Retention Level ratings: I, II, III, IV. One important note is that most holsters provide no reten- tion. If an assailant can get to the gun, there’s nothing apart from the friction of the holster body (and potentially awkward body mechanics) to prevent the gun from being drawn from the holster. As retention goes, these don’t register on the scale. That would be a zero. A retention device on a holster is like a lock on a door. If you are on the right side of the door, a simple mechanism turns the deadbolt and allows the door to be opened. The person wearing the holster has the benefit of body mechanics that allow for a holster’s retention system to be easily unlocked. But if you were to try to take control of the gun from any other angle, control would be far more difficult to achieve.

These devices may be simple levers that move blocks inside the holster. They may connect to the trigger guard or the fire- arm’s ejection port. They may be covers that rotate up to prevent a gun from being drawn, or even manual locks that prevent ac- cess to other locks. When used alone, one lock might provide both rapid access and modest retention. When used in combination, the serious of obstacles in an assailant’s path can be confounding and make the gun completely inaccessible. HOW SAFARILAND TESTS RETENTION Safariland’s testing methodology is designed to simulate a basic attempt by an assailant to snatch a gun from its holster. To conduct the test, follow these steps. 1. Apply all the force to the grip or handle of the weapon by an individual while the weapon is secured in the holster and mounted on a suitable belt being worn by another individual. 2. The direction of force is unlimited but the duration of the force is limited to 5 seconds. 3. Weapon must still be secure in the holster and the holster must still be attached to the operator. 4. Operator must be able to accomplish a draw after the attack within the times set as a standard by the controlling depart- ment. The procedural steps add a level of formality to what is really a simple test. It requires two people. The pretend assailant can pull on the holstered gun for a full five seconds in any direction that they’d like. Some holster designs won’t even stay on during such a test. Some clips and paddles, especially, may not make it through the upward pull. This doesn’t mean those designs aren’t valid, it simply means they may not have enough hold to pass the level 1 retention test. After the five-second onslaught, the holster has to be in sound working order. This ensures that the officer wearing the holster can still draw the gun by unlocking the retention device. If the holster breaks and the gun is locked in the holster, it won’t pass the test. If the holster remains on the officer, and the gun can’t be drawn by the assailant in the available time, and— lastly—if the officer can then draw the gun, the holster passes. It is designated a Level I Retention Holster. Safariland’s Automatic Locking System (ALS), when used in isolation, would provide Level I retention. The ALS is a lever that secures the gun inside the holster.

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