Editing Police (section)

==Equipment==

===Weapons===
[[File:OTB Salinas070.jpg|thumb|Police officers and [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals]] deputies conducting an arrest in [[Salinas, California]], carrying a variety of weaponry]]
In many jurisdictions, [[Police firearm use by country|police officers carry firearms]], primarily [[handgun]]s, in the normal course of their duties. In the United Kingdom (except [[Northern Ireland]]), Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Malta, with the exception of specialist units, officers do not carry firearms as a matter of course. New Zealand and [[Norwegian Police Service|Norwegian police]] carry firearms in their vehicles, but not on their duty belts, and must obtain authorization before the weapons can be removed from the vehicle unless their life or the life of others are in danger.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 January 2009 |title=Easy police access to firearms |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/36854/Easy-police-access-to-firearms |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=www.stuff.co.nz}}</ref>

Police often have specialized units for handling armed offenders or dangerous situations where combat is likely, such as [[police tactical unit]]s or [[authorised firearms officer]]s. In some jurisdictions, depending on the circumstances, police can call on the [[military]] for assistance, as [[military aid to the civil power]] is an aspect of many armed forces. Perhaps the most high-profile example of this was in 1980, when the [[British Army]]'s [[Special Air Service]] was deployed to resolve the [[Iranian Embassy siege]] on behalf of the [[Metropolitan Police]].

They can also be armed with "non-lethal" (more accurately known as "less than lethal" or "less-lethal" given that they can still be deadly<ref>{{Cite web|last=Szabo|first=Liz|title=Rubber bullets can kill, blind or maim people for life, but authorities continue to use them.|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/03/rubber-bullets-less-lethal-weapons-can-kill-but-still-used/3134019001/|access-date=2020-06-08|website=USA Today|language=en-US}}</ref>) weaponry, particularly for [[riot control]], or to inflict pain against a resistant suspect to force them to surrender without lethally wounding them. [[Non-lethal weapon]]s include [[Baton (law enforcement)|batons]], [[tear gas]], [[Riot control|riot control agents]], [[rubber bullet]]s, [[riot shield]]s, [[water cannon]]s, and [[electroshock weapon]]s. Police officers typically carry [[handcuffs]] to restrain suspects.

The use of firearms or [[deadly force]] is typically a last resort only to be used when necessary to save the lives of others or themselves, though some jurisdictions (such as Brazil) allow its use against fleeing felons and escaped convicts. Police officers in the United States are generally allowed to [[police use of deadly force in the United States|use deadly force]] if they believe their life is in danger, a policy that has been criticized for being vague.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Starkey|first=Brando Simeo|date=2017-06-28|title=The words 'I thought my life was in danger' allow police to kill black people without fear of reprisal|url=https://andscape.com/features/the-words-i-thought-my-life-was-in-danger-allow-police-to-kill-black-people-without-fear-of-reprisal/|access-date=2020-06-08|website=[[Andscape]]|language=en-US}}</ref> [[South Africa]]n police have a "shoot-to-kill" policy, which allows officers to use deadly force against any person who poses a significant threat to them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Cops-must-shoot-to-kill-20100325 |title=Cops 'must shoot to kill' |access-date=1 July 2010|date=2010-03-25 }}</ref> With the country having one of the highest rates of violent crime, President [[Jacob Zuma]] stated that South Africa needs to handle crime differently from other countries.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8357482.stm |title=SA minister defends shoot-to-kill |access-date=1 July 2010 | work=BBC News | date=November 12, 2009}}</ref>

===Communications===
Modern police forces make extensive use of two-way [[Police radio|radio]] communications equipment, carried both on the person and installed in vehicles, to coordinate their work, share information, and get help quickly. Vehicle-installed [[mobile data terminal]]s enhance the ability of police communications, enabling easier dispatching of calls, criminal background checks on persons of interest to be completed in a matter of seconds, and updating officers' daily activity log and other required reports, on a real-time basis. Other common pieces of police equipment include [[flashlight]]s, [[whistle]]s, [[police notebook]]s, and "ticket books" or [[summons|citations]]. Some police departments have developed advanced computerized data display and communication systems to bring real time data to officers, one example being the NYPD's [[Domain Awareness System]].

===Vehicles===
{{Main|Police transport}}
[[File:Eastwood police station and vehicles - Flickr - Highway Patrol Images.jpg|thumb|[[New South Wales Police Force]] vehicles outside a police station in [[Eastwood, New South Wales|Eastwood]], [[Sydney]]]]
Police vehicles are used for detaining, patrolling, and transporting over wide areas that an officer could not effectively cover otherwise. The average [[police car]] used for standard patrol is a four-door [[Sedan (automobile)|sedan]], [[Sport utility vehicle|SUV]], or [[Crossover (automobile)|CUV]], often modified by the manufacturer or police force's fleet services to provide better performance. [[Pickup truck]]s, [[off-road vehicle]]s, and [[van]]s are often used in utility roles, though in some jurisdictions or situations (such as those where [[dirt road]]s are common, [[off-roading]] is required, or the nature of the officer's assignment necessitates it), they may be used as standard patrol cars. [[Sports car]]s are typically not used by police due to cost and maintenance issues, though those that are used are typically only assigned to traffic enforcement or [[community policing]], and are rarely, if ever, assigned to standard patrol or authorized to respond to dangerous calls (such as armed calls or pursuits) where the likelihood of the vehicle being damaged or destroyed is high. Police vehicles are usually [[Livery|marked with appropriate symbols]] and equipped with [[Emergency vehicle equipment|sirens and flashing emergency lights]] to make others aware of police presence or response; in most jurisdictions, police vehicles with their sirens and emergency lights on have [[Traffic#Passage Priority (right of way)|right of way]] in traffic, while in other jurisdictions, emergency lights may be kept on while patrolling to ensure ease of visibility. Unmarked or undercover police vehicles are used primarily for traffic enforcement or apprehending criminals without alerting them to their presence. The use of unmarked police vehicles for traffic enforcement is controversial, with the state of [[New York (state)|New York]] banning this practice in 1996 on the grounds that it endangered motorists who might be pulled over by [[Police impersonation|police impersonators]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dao |first=James |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E1DB1E39F93BA25757C0A960958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/R/Roads%20and%20Traffic |title=Pataki Curbs Unmarked Cars' Use  |newspaper=New York Times |date=1996-04-18 |access-date=2009-06-21}}</ref>

[[Police motorcycle|Motorcycles]], having historically been a mainstay in police fleets, are commonly used, particularly in locations that a car may not be able to reach, to control potential public order situations involving meetings of motorcyclists, and often in [[police escort]]s where motorcycle police officers can quickly clear a path for escorted vehicles. [[Police bicycle|Bicycle]] patrols are used in some areas, often downtown areas or parks, because they allow for wider and faster area coverage than officers on foot. Bicycles are also commonly used by riot police to create makeshift barricades against protesters.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Jason|date=2017-06-15|title=The new horsemen: how American riot police embraced the bicycle|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/15/the-new-horsemen-why-american-riot-police-embraced-the-bicycle|access-date=2020-06-08|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

[[Police aviation]] consists of [[helicopter]]s and [[fixed-wing aircraft]], while [[police watercraft]] tend to consist of [[Rigid inflatable boat|RHIBs]], [[motorboat]]s, and [[patrol boat]]s. [[SWAT vehicle]]s are used by police tactical units, and often consist of four-wheeled [[Armoured personnel carrier|armored personnel carriers]] used to transport tactical teams while providing armored cover, equipment storage space, or makeshift [[battering ram]] capabilities; these vehicles are typically not armed and do not patrol and are only used to transport. [[Emergency operations center|Mobile command posts]] may also be used by some police forces to establish identifiable command centers at the scene of major situations.

Police cars may contain issued [[long gun]]s, [[ammunition]] for issued weapons, less-lethal weaponry, riot control equipment, [[traffic cone]]s, [[Flare|road flares]], physical [[barricade]]s or [[barricade tape]], [[fire extinguisher]]s,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/car-fire-rescue-caught-on-tape/|title=Car Fire Rescue, Caught On Tape|quote=My partner grabbed the fire extinguisher and I ran to the car. We didn't know somebody was in there at first. And then everybody started yelling, 'There's somebody trapped! There's somebody trapped!' And, along with the help of a bunch of citizens, we were able to get him out in the nick of time. | work=CBS News | date=October 19, 2005}}</ref> [[first aid kit]]s, or [[Automated external defibrillator|defibrillators]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/police/defibrillation/ |publisher=City of [[Rochester, Minnesota]] |title=Early Defibrillation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701195919/http://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/police/defibrillation/ |archive-date=July 1, 2010 }}</ref>