Pistol lanyard?

[OccamsRazor]

Any of the armed officers (or former LE/armed security) here use those pistol lanyards that attach to your belt? I've never used one, never really felt the need, as I always use the level-3 holsters. I recently saw a guard with a really crappy local company carrying a wheel gun in an open top holster, but he also had the lanyard attached.

Does anyone here use them? If so, what are your likes/dislikes? How does it attach (I carry the Glock 22)?

Thx,

Brett

[EMTGuard]

I used them in the Army and liked them alot. Being a M1 Abrams Tanker I caried a 1911A1 .45 in a chest holster and it always had the lanyard attached. It never gave me any problems.
When I was armed in Corrections I didn't have them but wouldn't have a problem with them.
They are basically a throw back to the times before retention holsters where guns could just fall out of the pouch on your hip. They often snap onto the pistol via a small metal loop usually found on the handle of the weapon.
My Ruger P-89 9mm pistols and my Star B Series 9mm's all have lanyard loops.

[Tennsix]

I used them in the Army and liked them alot. Being a M1 Abrams Tanker I caried a 1911A1 .45 in a chest holster and it always had the lanyard attached. It never gave me any problems.
When I was armed in Corrections I didn't have them but wouldn't have a problem with them. They are basically a throw back to the times before retention holsters where guns could just fall out of the pouch on your hip. They often snap onto the pistol via a small metal loop usually found on the handle of the weapon.
My Ruger P-89 9mm pistols and my Star B Series 9mm's all have lanyard loops.

Lanyards can be a hindrance as it could potentially serve to strangle the officer (reason for clip-on ties). They serve no use in the event of a felonious assault.

[N. A. Corbier]

I thought about laynards, for about three seconds, for myself. (I wouldn't make someone else use one.) Tennsix points out a very real danger, you have given someone a coiled steel cord to use against you.

Laynards are good if you have the likelyhood of losing control of your weapon. Usually, this means your on a high-speed tactical team. Ie: Nuclear Security, or a Private Military Contractor. In those cases, its more important to keep posession of your weapon because you will not be "arresting" people. You will be engaging threats with lethal force to complete your mission objectives

They're good for the combat soldier, but like many things, we keep trying to take military technology and apply it from SWAT to patrol.

[ACP01]

Laynards are good if you have the likelyhood of losing control of your weapon. Usually, this means your on a high-speed tactical team. Ie: Nuclear Security, or a Private Military Contractor. In those cases, its more important to keep posession of your weapon because you will not be "arresting" people. You will be engaging threats with lethal force to complete your mission objectives

True. First gun thru the door and tripping over tanglefoots you damn well better have you firearm secured or at least retrievable. Crawling around feeling for your weapon is not good. (At least it happened during a training exercise)

I use a good retention open top holster that I keep adjusted.
I test it every time by shaking the living daylights out of it over an armchair (unloaded) to check it.

[Bill Warnock]

When I went through the Security Police Academy at Lackland AFB, TX, we were told the origin of the lanyard dated back to the French Army and was adopted by many other countries. The same goes for military rank, all of French origin except private.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[N. A. Corbier]

EMTGUARD,
I knew there was something funny about you, Soldier, YOU'RE A TANKER!!!!
I'll have to PM you some stories on how you boys saved my hyde on a few occasions.

Back to the issue at hand. I hate to just mirror everything Mr. Corbier already said, but he is really dead-on. Lanyards are much more for accountability than practical field use. As a Troop, we called em' "Dummy Cords," and everything that wasn't bolted to your body with skin was "Dummy Corded."

I can't think of one practical reason, other than extra loss-prevention, for a lanyard.

Thanks, JimmyHat. I'm not a combat soldier, just someone who wants to see the practicalness of everything you equip someone with. If I were being deployed to Iraq, I'd wear a laynard on my pistol. I would also have my K-Bar strapped to my MOLLE vest with rubber bands, and would do everything else in my power to prevent noise, as noise draws fire, and drawing fire makes everyone (who lives) hate you.

Thankfully, we're not in combat. We have to watch out, as do police officers, that the greatest invention to the military is actually applicable to patrol level security and police officers.

I read an article once on elements of Joint Task Force Six of the DOD training civilian SWAT operators back in the early days. It was written by both SWAT and Military personnel. And the biggest problem the SWAT operators had was that the SF teams, SEALs, etc, would teach them EVERYTHING, it was then up to the SWAT team to take away what was ethical, legal, and useful.

The best quote from the article was, "Ok, about this point, we call in 88mm mortar, or naval gunfire support, and level the entire village."

"TOC, this is Gold. Request Naval Gunfire Support," I don't think would of went over that well in LAPD SWAT in the 1980s.

[Huey County]

At my Department we do not use lanyards on our pistols for everyday patrol. They would only slow us down by getting caught on stuff. When we do raids or during "Tactical Situations" we may use them, but only if we would like to.
The Village I work for is higher class and we rarely have situations that call for the Emergency Service Unit, (Which I'm on.) Our instructor basically told us to use them if we are repelling, on the docks at the Marina, or boat patrol. Other than that we don't really need them.

Hope this helps...
"Huey"

[N. A. Corbier]

At my Department we do not use lanyards on our pistols for everyday patrol. They would only slow us down by getting caught on stuff. When we do raids or during "Tactical Situations" we may use them, but only if we would like to.
The Village I work for is higher class and we rarely have situations that call for the Emergency Service Unit, (Which I'm on.) Our instructor basically told us to use them if we are repelling, on the docks at the Marina, or boat patrol. Other than that we don't really need them.

Hope this helps...
"Huey"

All good reasons to have them. Having the weapon fall down onto the area your rapelling into, into the water at a marina, or into the water on a boat are bad things. The laynard is for retention of your weapon. It'll make sure it stays on you if it becomes separated from you, especially in places were you can't / don't have time to pick it up again.