Local News in Brief : Fountain Valley : Police Officers Issued New .45-Caliber Gun
The Police Department has selected a more powerful handgun as the standard weapon for its officers.
A new .45-caliber automatic Smith & Wesson, known as Model 645, is now being used by all of the Fountain Valley Police Department’s 61 officers, said Capt. William DeNisi.
Previously, officers were issued a 9-millimeter pistol, and those who demonstrated “proficiency” with other weapon calibers were allowed to select a different duty weapon, DeNisi said. He said that will no longer be permitted.
Officers researched a variety of weapons before selecting the .45-caliber automatic handgun.
The new gun provides officers with more “stopping power or knock-down power against criminals” but at the same time reduces the risk of “secondary penetration”--when a bullet passes through a targeted person and strikes an innocent bystander.
DeNisi said the new weapon holds nine bullets and has five safety features that prevent accidental firing by someone unfamiliar with the handgun’s operation.
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