Cop Shop a One-Stop Source for Officers : Baltimore: The store founded by a former officer markets everything from nightsticks to nighties. ‘I Slept With The Greatest Cop Alive,’ reads one short, black number.

A police officer in The Cop Shop is like a kid in a candy store.

Eyes widen at the sight of guns, boots and belts galore, anti-riot vests with steel plates, pepper aerosol that can incapacitate a person with one spray, even bulletproof vests for dogs.

This one-stop shop just a block from police headquarters covers everything from nightsticks to nighties--”I Slept With the Greatest Cop Alive,” reads one short, black number.

“This is the K mart of police supply stores,” said owner Sam Walters, a retired 21-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department.

Walters opened the store 12 years ago when he was still on the force because he couldn’t find equipment he wanted at other stores. While most police equipment stores are gun shops that sell police items on the side, Walters designed his store specifically for law enforcement officers.

“They have just about everything there,” said Sgt. Ronald Kennedy. “If I need a specialty item, that’s the place I go.”

Walters says civilians make up about 20% of the 3,000 customers he sees annually.

There are rules, however: Only people with gun permits can buy bulletproof vests. Nightsticks and handcuffs are restricted to law enforcement officers. And Walters is permitted to show to officers, but not sell, illegal items such as a belt buckle that hides a small handgun and a pencil-flashlight that folds out into a gun.

“We like to show the police officers what’s on the streets,” Walters said during a recent interview.

New police officers in Baltimore usually get a uniform, gun and handcuffs. A typical police academy recruit spends about $150 in the store buying other items, such as different sized handcuffs and bulletproof vests, Walters said.

“A lot of the departments don’t supply bulletproof vests. Or all too often, if they do, they buy from the lowest bidder,” he said.

If a special type of bulletproof garment is needed, Walters can order it, including jean jackets, overcoats and a stylish vest that can be worn as part of suit.

“He’ll give you an honest opinion of the equipment because he was a former police officer,” said Col. Ronald Daniel, chief of the police department’s Criminal Investigation Division.

Even though he’s not patrolling anymore, Walters recently helped catch a bank robber. The man, a city corrections officer, had bought handcuffs from the store and used them in the robbery. Walters--who keeps the serial number and buyer’s name of such items on file--helped police trace the handcuffs. The robber eventually was convicted.

Most of Walters’ customers are from the East Coast, but police officers from as far away as Alaska and Colombia have bought equipment from The Cop Shop. One wall is covered with police patches from around the world.

Advertising is pretty much word-of-mouth.

“When you want to find the best place to eat, you ask a truck driver,” Walters said. “When you want to find the best place to buy a gun or holster, you ask a police officer.”