Knives - Officers are authorized to possess and use knives on-duty. It is recognized that an officer may have many needs for such a tool while on-duty, for both general work and as a last-ditch defense of life. While not considered to be a weapon of choice in a lethal force situation, officers may, under extraordinary circumstances, use a knife to defend himself/herself or others from serious physical harm or death. Examples of such extraordinary circumstances include, but are not, limited to:
- When an officer is disarmed of his firearm
- When an officer is injured in such a manner that he cannot utilize his firearm
- Weapon retention situations when an officer does not believe he/she can maintain control of his firearm
- Lethal force attacks where an officer cannot draw his firearm because of being in an adverse physical position
- Other means of defense are not available to the officer
Officers may carry folding or fixed blade knives as the individual prefers. The blade length (as defined as the sharpened edge of the blade) of any knife carried on-duty shall not exceed four inches (4”). The blade shall not be double-edged, although a sharpened clip portion of the blade, not to exceed two inches (2”) is permitted
All knives carried on-duty by uniformed and/or non-uniformed officers must be carried as unobtrusively as possible. The knife must be carried in one of the following manners:
- A fixed-blade knife should be carried in a sheath and be concealed so that the blade is not visible and the knife is not generally recognizable to the public
- A folding-blade knife should be carried:
- in a closed sheath (carrier) on the belt. This sheath must be consistent in color with other items carried on the belt, or
- securely clipped to the inside of a pocket or inside the waistband so that only the pocket clip and a small portion of the handle are visible, or
- if the folding knife is carried in any position other than described above, it should be concealed
Officers assigned to special duties such as undercover, search and rescue, SWAT, SRT or other assignments authorized by the chief or sheriff, may carry longer bladed knives, cutting or entrenching tools as approved by their chief administrator or authorized designee
Any knife that is carried off-duty does not fall under this on-duty policy, but must conform to local and state law applicable for such devices