Undercover LEO carrying in his waist, no holster?

[Price]

I don't know how many of you have seen the show First 48 but I watch it from time to time. It is a show where cameras do a short documentary on real investigators in real cases. Anyway I just finished watching an episode where a veteran detective went undercover, he got all dressed up like a bum and put his service pistol ( a glock not sure which model) in his waist band in the small of his back. No holster just right in the waist band. I first will say I am prior military and have absolutely zero leo expirience. That said this stil seems very wrong to me. Maybe its for tv or something I dont know but I was just wondering if any of you that may have leo expirience would ever do this or have seen it done ro anything like that. I try no to be too critical when watching tv or movies on these subjects but this seems very wrong to me. Am I being too critical?

[jeep45238]

Ask the cops you know when the last time they arrested a criminal with a gun that had a holster?

If you're going undercover, a holster will be a dead give away. An old cop trick was to wrap rubberbands around the grip, which would keep it in place in yourr pants, but not give yourself away.

[Bawanna]

Ask the cops you know when the last time they arrested a criminal with a gun that had a holster?

If you're going undercover, a holster will be a dead give away. An old cop trick was to wrap rubberbands around the grip, which would keep it in place in yourr pants, but not give yourself away.

This is pretty much true. That being said, I'm a civilian employee but our guys never go without a holster of some sort. We're just a small town and a long way from California so maybe in the future we'll have to look at the rubber band trick.
Keep in mind it's only television and has no connection to reality. I watch CSI regularly (mostly to watch the gals looking for clues outside with their flashlights at high noon but with cleavage comparable to the grand canyon. Jocko I know "pervert".) I don't believe there a crime lab like theirs anywhere in the world.

[jeep45238]

Rubber bands is a 1970's trick

[Price]

Well it is tv but its not one of those crime dramas its an actual detective that cameras follow around while he investigates a murder. I get the idea of blending in if he was trying to look like a criminal but he was dressed up like a bum sitting on the ground against a building observing an area. So I think maybe this wasnt the best move, he also pulled his pistol out a couple times on some drug addicts wtih a needle and he was waving it around all over the place with one hand like an 80s cop movie so maybe this guy just plays it up for the documentary crew cameras.

[CeltKnight]

A friend of mine worked undercover a lot during his career. He seldom used a holster "because bad guys never use one" and he didn't want to get "made." The habit just carried over into real life.

When I first got into law enforcement back in the late '80s it was not at all uncommon to see off duty LEOs carrying with their piece just stuck in their waistbands. IWB holsters can get really uncomfortable in this subtropical climate here on the Gulf. I carried that way myself for several years off duty, and on low profile assignments, and once UC ... then I wisened up. Rather we got a new policy that forbade carrying w/o a holster. Nothing like the phrase "diciplinary action" and "review of one's fitness to be a police officer" to change one's paradigm, eh?

It's not necissarily dumb to carry w/o one .. if you know what you're doing. I had an instructor demo to me how he could carry a J-frame S&W tucked into his waistband (appendix style) and do jumping jacks without it loosening (... but, yeah, there's always that what if, and that ONE time, isnt' there?). I think a holster is always best, though.

That said, toting a Glock w/o a holster and with a round chambered might not be the smartest thing ever done. Safety on the trigger and all that. Back when my backup/offduty piece was a Glock 26 I ... um ... might have partaken of such foolishness a time or two. But now ... um ... no, I'm older and I'll take a holster, thank you.

[JimC]

An old cop trick was to wrap rubberbands around the grip, which would keep it in place in yourr pants, but not give yourself away.

Back in the mid '70's, I carried a Colt DS this way for a long time until my department mandated that a holster be used which was a good idea.

[CCcop]

Good lord! I should not type on ambien. Spelling, grammar, and proper word usage severely suffer!

[jbaker]

Good lord! I should not type on ambien. Spelling, grammar, and proper word usage severely suffer!

i didn't notice anyhting , i read it just fine, what does that say

[jlottmc]

I go either way on this, I used to say not without mt holster, but then gave my good one for my 357 to my mother in law. I don't use one for that, and only about half the time do I use one with my 380, or anything but my 1911. The 1911 is ALWAYS in a holster.