Politics
Federal Judge Orders CPD to Ban Gun Union Says is Likely to Misfire
A Sig Sauer P320 pistol. (TexasWarhawk / Wikimedia Commons)
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Chicago police officers should “immediately” stop using a gun while on duty that police union leaders believe could accidentally discharge, according to the federal judge overseeing the effort to reform the Chicago Police Department.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said in a written order issued Monday that she agreed with leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 that officers who have an alternative service weapon that “meets appropriate standards should be required immediately to use that alternative weapon.”
Pallmeyer said city officials did “not fully answer” her questions about on-duty officers’ continued use of the Sig Sauer P320, a popular weapon with police officers and members of the military that has been the subject of dozens of complaints that it can fire without the trigger being pulled.
A 2023 investigation by The Trace and The Washington Post identified dozens of unintentional shootings involving the P320. Several law enforcement agencies banned the gun after officers suffered serious injuries, according to the news organizations.
Pallmeyer’s order came at the request of the police union, whose leaders had asked Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling to immediately ban the use of the gun, which was listed as the primary service weapon for 10% of CPD’s officers.
“It is incredibly fortunate that to date, no officer or citizen of the city of Chicago has been injured by an unintentional discharge of a P320,” union leaders told Pallmeyer, urging her to act. “If such an injury were to occur, and the injured party discovered that the incident could have been avoided by removing this known hazard and prohibiting officers from carrying the P320 on duty, this will certainly create expensive and unnecessary litigation for the city (and potentially for the officers involved).”
Union President John Catanzara Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Representatives of CPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The gun maker’s website said that while the Sig Sauer P320 “meets and exceeds all U.S. safety standards,” the company is offering “a voluntary upgrade program” that will equip the weapon with an “enhanced, upgraded trigger and slide.”
Testing “confirmed that usually after multiple drops, at certain angles and conditions, a potential discharge of the firearm may result when dropped. Although it is a rare occurrence, with very specific conditions” the gun may discharge without the trigger being pulled, according to the firm’s website.
CPD’s arsenal committee voted unanimously in April to phase out the use of the Sig Sauer P320 because of “safety concerns,” CPD Range Master Sgt. Wasim Said told Pallmeyer in an affidavit filed with the court.
Approximately 1,540 CPD officers were given until July 14 to purchase a new service weapon and notify department officials, Said told Pallmeyer.
As of Sept. 15, 756 officers have registered a new service weapon with department officials to replace the Sig Sauer P320, according to Said’s affidavit.
Another 780 officers have purchased a new weapon but have not yet completed the transition process because of “holster availability or scheduled firearm pickup,” according to Said’s affidavit.
Twelve officers, all of whom have been stripped of their police powers, suspended or are on an approved leave of absence, have yet to comply with the order, according to Said’s affidavit.
That means “these 780 officers may still be carrying the P320 on active duty,” Pallmeyer wrote in her order.
“The Lodge contends that any officer who is in possession of an alternative weapon that meets appropriate standards should be required immediately to use that alternative weapon. The court agrees,” Pallmeyer wrote, giving lawyers for the city seven days to tell her how many officers are currently carrying the Sig Sauer P320 while on active duty, and when all CPD officers will cease the use of that gun while on duty.
The police union tried several times to prevent the consent decree from taking effect in 2019 and leaders have been harshly critical of its provisions, which includes a requirement that officers are provided with safe and effective equipment.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
