Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 25, 1992 TAG: 9201270235
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BEING OUTGUNNED IS A FACT POLICE MUST ACCEPT
It's usually just talk when a brash teen-ager boasts that his semiautomatic pistol is bigger and better than the .38-caliber revolvers that Roanoke police officers carry.But R.W. Rowland, a nine-year veteran on the police force, knows that it's true.
"We hear that all the time," Rowland said. "They tell us they have something bigger than what we have."
As it confronts a criminal population increasingly armed with 40-shot semiautomatics, assault rifles and Uzis, Roanoke police will soon do what other departments nationwide have already done - switch its standard sidearm from the old .38-caliber six-shooter to modern semiautomatics.
"Obviously, there are more guns on the street," said George Snead, Roanoke's director of administration and public safety.
Snead was involved in studying a proposal - recently approved by City Council - that will provide each city police officer with a new Glock .40-caliber semiautomatic. With the new guns, patrol officers will be able to shoot 16 times without reloading.
Police officers should have their new sidearms by June. None too soon, some say.
Although it has the most violent crime rate in the Roanoke Valley, Roanoke has been more reluctant than other localities to engage in an arms race with gun-toting teens. In fact, state police, Roanoke County, Salem and even tiny Vinton already have made the switch.
For at least several years, some city police officers have complained that they no longer feel safe with the .38's. But by waiting, Snead said, the city has had the opportunity to study what has worked for other departments.
Escalating gun violence was not the only reason for the switch, Snead said. Because they have double-action features that eliminate cocking, the new Glock semiautomatics are actually safer than the .38's, he said.
The committee also studied new technology in reloading speed and ammunition capacity. But ultimately, Snead said, "the police officer safety issue was the most critical factor."
For Rowland and other police officers who patrol the city's open-air crack markets, the change will give them some peace of mind.
"You try to be real cautious, but it's something that's always there," he said.
"All we can do is just do our jobs and not dwell on the fact that no matter what kind of weapons we have, we'll always be outgunned."