Fresno police buying Glock pistols as new duty weapons for officers

Fresno police will replace about 800 Beretta duty sidearms with Glock 9 mm pistols.

Police spokesman Jeff La Blue on Tuesday confirmed the decision, after the department reportedly considered several guns to succeed the Italian pistol Fresno officers had used since 2009.

In January, Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall said that the department needed to replace the .40 caliber Beretta PX4 Storm pistols carried by officers because the weapons were wearing out. Hall added that paying the Italian gunmaker to refurbish the firearms was not cost-effective. At the time, Hall said replacing the Berettas would cost about a half-million dollars, but the department hoped to offset the expense by selling the old guns to a law enforcement distributor.

Todd Frazier, of the Fresno Police Officers Association Association, said in January that problems with the Berettas included an inconsistent trigger pull that could endanger officers.

The plan to purchase new sidearms was criticized at the time by Councilmember Miguel Arias, who said the department needed to find a way to buy new weapons with money already allocated in its budget.

The Glock 45 is a new model for the Austrian gun maker, largely based on its model 19.

Glocks are in use by many U.S. police departments, including the New York Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Philadelphia Police Department, according to Tactical Life magazine.

Police forces across the nation are also following the lead of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in turning away from .40 caliber weapons. It is argued that 9 mm ammunition is cheaper for training purposes, has less recoil, and has a comparable stopping power.

This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 11:58 AM.