Next L.A. / A look at issues, people and ideas helping to shape the emerging metropolis
Watch for a new highly visible accessory to join the equipment carried on Los Angeles police motorcycles--shotguns.
Motor officers already carry a handgun and are issued a baton and a canister of irritant gas, but the Police Commission approved shotguns as an optional supplement, citing the firepower carried by criminals.
Police Chief Willie L. Williams endorsed the idea of letting motor officers carry shotguns.
About 120 officers, almost half of those who patrol the city by motorcycle, are expected to accept the offer. The shotguns will be secured on the bikes with a quick-release locking mechanism and will be loaded with four rounds.
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