All About the Duty Belt
During a typical shift, law enforcement personnel rely heavily on their duty belts as they contain a wide range of tools and weaponry they have been trained to use. Having gone through the gauntlet at the police academy, every street officer knows—above all else—that you cannot drop the soap, unless you’re trying to cut your handcuff key in half. Police officers working the street often wear nearly 20 pounds of duty gear on their utility belts. Your average patrol officer will most likely be outfitted with two handcuffs, a flashlight, baton, OC pepper spray, firearm, extra ammunition, spare taser cartridges (if applicable), radio and, increasingly, a Taser or other less-lethal option. A lot of weight for such a weight distribution platform that you wear 12-14 hours a day. Your officers will tell you they sleep in it when they’re burned out . Every second your uniformed officers spend searching their utility belts for the tools needed for the job is wasted time. In mounting the right gear on the utility belt, we’ve come up with a system that works best for us. When setting up duty belts, it’s important to remember that the O.C. spray holster always secures to the non-dominant side in the rear. The magazine carrier goes on the dominant side mid-waist, as it’s quickest to get to if the officer has to reload on the run. Batons and flashlights need to secure to the weak side out of the way of the firearm. Extra magazines, handheld tasers and handcuffs go directly to the rear. Lastly, all utility belt gear has to be mounted in such a way that the objects are grabbable from both the dominant and non-dominant sides.
Typical Elements of a Duty Belt
The vital items that every law enforcement officer needs to carry, including a holster, handcuffs, radio, baton, flashlight, as well as other necessities. While the basic tools can vary depending on the location, missions, or style of the officer, there are a number of essential pieces of equipment that are virtually universal. The gun holster is one of the most important items that must be properly secured and safely attached to the belt. The firearm must be accessible at all times, yet retained securely to prevent it from being removed by an offender or anywhere else it could fall out. In addition to carrying a firearm, it is common for officers to carry their handcuffs, which are usually on a cuff keychain or a separate leather strap with snaps. Other items that many officers carry in their duty belts include their radio, protective gloves, a baton or expandable steel baton, and a protective tactical knife or folding knives and/or shears. Depending on how your department is set up, and what additional gear you need, you may also have pouches for extra magazines, OC spray, flashlights, and protective equipment, as well as an officer’s safety flashlight that can be attached to the uniform. However, there may be additional tools that could be helpful, and innovation has found its way into these accessories.
Best Arrangements for a Duty Belt
The optimal duty belt configuration is subjective and must be tailored to the individual to maximize efficiency while also delivering greater comfort. The basic idea is to have the heaviest items, such as the duty weapon, handcuffs or taser with the most weight, be placed in the front center of the body area where they are most protected from sudden movements or injury. Additional tools, such as a pepper spray canister, baton, or flashlight, can be fitted on the other side of the duty weapon or taser, away from the center of the body. The holster should allow for a comfortable draw, so that the weapon can be accessed almost instantly if ever needed. That said, the draw speed must be balanced with the amount of friction of the holster, which will keep the weapon secure (even when running) but also allow for an easy, fairweather draw.
The belt keeper will be placed in the center of the back. Other tools can be fitted on either side of this area. The keys, first aid pack, baton holder, etc., will be oriented to the left. This means that the top of the holder will be facing backward while the bottom of the holder will be facing forward. Ideally, the baton holder itself should be kept a couple of inches towards the back of the body so that when swinging the baton, the motion is unimpeded and not restricted by interference from the belt. Similarly, the handcuff case can be angled toward the center of the back and viewed the same way. This allows the handcuffs to be accessed with one hand while at the same time keeping irritation and shifting of the belt away from the body. The magazines should be fitted as close to the centerline of the body as possible. A double magazine with the clips paired side-by-side should be worn horizontally on the front of the center of the body. If there is only one clip, you can orient it vertically. Place the cuffs horizontally to the right of the center of the body. In terms of routine use, the clip is accessed with the left hand while the pager is accessed with the right hand. The pager should also be worn horizontally just above the cuff holder. The flashlight will be stored immediately to the right of the pager. The flashlight should be stored palm up on the belt so that it can be quickly removed with an easy wrist flick straight down.
Tips to Minimize Belt-induced Discomfort
While a properly fitted and set up duty belt can dramatically reduce strain on your hips and lower back, there are also some strategies that you can employ in the field to further minimize discomfort, fatigue, and the likelihood of serious injuries. For starters, remember that distributing the weight of your gear properly is key. In addition to ensuring that items with more weight are closer towards the center of your body for better balance, be sure to spread out the gear so that the belt sits lower on your body, ideally about 2 inches above your hip bones. This will help your body to engage the proper muscle groups to counteract the weight of the belt and in turn , reduce stress and strain on your low back.
It’s likely that you routinely wear the same or very similar gear each day. If at all possible, try to mix up the configuration and rotate the gear being carried on your duty belt regularly. This may include switching every few months, or periodically swapping the gear for similar items with a different design or weight. Even small changes can make a big difference here.
Wear suspenders. While these may not be allowed at some agencies, wearing suspenders, or a similar device to ensure that the duty belt more closely fits one’s natural waistline, can help to take some pressure off of the hip joints and pelvis. A lot of officers report that they are never going back to their old setup after using suspenders.
Duty Belt Safety and Maintenance Tips
To ensure the officer’s functional safety and the functionality of the law enforcement duty belt setup for proper operation in all facets of law enforcement, the duty belt and its components must be regularly maintained and inspected. Periodic weekly inspection of the officer’s law enforcement duty belt setup is recommended.
General cleanliness of the law enforcement duty belt setup’s equipment is essential to its functionality and appearance. The personal protective equipment invested in the law enforcement duty belt setup should be cleaned with the appropriate cleaning supplies according to the manufacturer’s recommendations on a regular basis. The rule of thumb should be to not allow a week to pass without giving the law enforcement duty belt setup a thorough cleaning.
Every law enforcement duty belt setup should be functionality checked each day before the officer puts it on. All components of the law enforcement duty belt setup (except the firearm, which must be checked immediately before the officer assumes his patrol officer status) should be inspected by the officer while donning the gear. Belt attachment security should be thoroughly checked. Collars and strap to secure the gear in place should also be periodically checked to ensure that the gear is not easily dislodged with slight pressure. A simple pull test on the gear will help determine if it is secure.
Functional on-duty training should be conducted at least once a month on the officer’s law enforcement duty belt setup. This on-duty training is conducted during the officer’s regular duties. The officer’s supervisor or training officer should observe the officer to determine how well the officer has familiarized himself with the law enforcement duty belt setup.
The officer’s functional safety and the functional integrity of the law enforcement duty belt setup depends on the officer’s compliance to these maintenance and safety considerations.
Duty Belt Gear: Technological Innovations
The law enforcement industry has been the recipient of a growing number of innovative advancements tailored directly to the utility belt. Smart holsters that can alert officers to everything from weapon discharges to the precise location of their duty weapons are becoming increasingly commonplace. For those preferring a more old-school approach, notifiers that sit discreetly within the belt itself can be purchased and employed, providing an efficient way for officers to receive alerts without detracting from the appearance of professionalism they work so hard to maintain.
More subtle than a smart holster, risk- and exposure-reducing gear such as lightweight materials and emergency tourniquets have also become increasingly available in recent decades. Even the most seasoned officer has only so much stamina when confronted by outrageous calls at all hours. Advancements in duty belts have made it more comfortable than ever to serve long and demanding shifts. Adaptations to belts that utilize moisture- and dirt-resistant materials and rugged waterproof zippers have revolutionized the way officers interact with their holsters. Ounce-for-ounce , cutting-edge duty belts offer superior efficiency to their predecessors — encouraging optimal performance in the process.
As officers of the law are better prepared to meet everyday challenges — and face ever-more serious threats — their level of exposure has consequently increased. Consequently, new solutions have emerged, including badgeholders designed for use in emergency water-rescue situations. The elimination of glass components from standard badgeholders has heralded a new era in which even the most damaged badge holders can protect pockets and personal documents from harmful moisture exposure. Elsewhere, portable vending machines now provide law enforcement officers with around-the-clock access to the kind of gear they need to perform at their best.
If these recent innovations are any indication, the law enforcement duty belt has nowhere to go but up. With frequent advancements, greater levels of safety, comfort, efficiency, and professionalism have been achieved.