Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Deputy Shot When Jacket Toggle Tangles With Trigger(update on Salem Deputy)
KOIN ^ | 7/29/2005 | KOIN

Posted on 07/31/2005 10:05:59 PM PDT by DuckFan4ever

No Mishandling, Negligence Involved

SALEM, Ore. -- Investigators say they now know how a Marion County deputy was accidentally shot in the leg Wednesday night by his own gun. Steven Cooper was on duty, getting out of his unmarked squad car when his Glock handgun discharged inside his holster.

The bullet went through his lower right leg, causing "substantial" injuries to major blood vessels and arteries, as well as to his tibia. The bullet was lodged in the bone.

An investigation determined that the firing was not the result of mishandling of the handgun or other form of negligence by Cooper.

The deputy was wearing a jacket with drawstrings and toggles to adjust the waistband. It is believed that one of the plastic toggles worked its way into the gun holster and became entangled in the trigger guard.

When Cooper extended his arm to push open the car door, his coat became taut and the waistband pulled up. The drawstring tightened enough to pull the trigger.

Cooper, a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's office, is assigned to a bicycle patrol officer and is a member of the Marion County Interagency SWAT Team.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: banglist; donutwatch
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-5051-72 next last
Sorry this guy got lampooned as a modern day Barney Fife last time. Hope he recovers quickly.
1 posted on 07/31/2005 10:05:59 PM PDT by DuckFan4ever
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever

Don't they use the safety?


2 posted on 07/31/2005 10:14:42 PM PDT by DB (©)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DB

What safety?


3 posted on 07/31/2005 10:17:35 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (When a Jihadist dies, an angel gets its wings)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici

I would personally prefer a big bore revolver.

I also think policemen should be allowed to have a weapon they choose personally, not a single, standard department issued weapon for all officers...


4 posted on 07/31/2005 10:22:01 PM PDT by Sir Francis Dashwood (LET'S ROLL!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever

As one wit said... Having the safety on the trigger is like having a brake on top of the accelerator.


5 posted on 07/31/2005 10:27:20 PM PDT by Monterrosa-24 (Where is our Charles Martel? Who will be our hammer against Islam?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DB

yea, what about the safety?

Sounds like a goof to me.


6 posted on 07/31/2005 10:30:43 PM PDT by dila813
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: dila813; DB

Glocks don't have a standard safety, I can't really explain it. look here. http://www.glock.com/_safe_action_.htm


7 posted on 07/31/2005 10:44:23 PM PDT by Bostton1 (Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns have!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Bostton1

defective?


8 posted on 07/31/2005 11:05:28 PM PDT by dila813
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Bostton1
Glocks won't AD (Accidental Discharge) on their own if dropped with a round in the chamber. But if something/someone gets to the trigger, within the trigger guard, and the trigger is pulled/forced back...KA F***in BOOM!

They're designed to operate like a cop's Double Action revolver's trigger does, without the need to disengage the safety of a traditional SemiAuto Pistol like a 1911 Colt, during life and death situations. If a cop allows clothing and such to get into his carry rig and engage the trigger...? ND (Negligent Discharge) might be noted on a report??? Type of holster???
9 posted on 07/31/2005 11:11:33 PM PDT by CaptSkip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: CaptSkip; Squantos; Eaker; river rat; Mulder
You can't compare a Glock's standard trigger to a revolver's DA trigger pull.

A Glock is more like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer back on a chambered round, with the safety off.

Both the Glock and the 1911 with the safety off are "perfectly safe," so long as nothing touches the trigger.

But as long as humans are humans, they will make mistakes....

That's why John Browning put a safety on side of the 1911, and not on top of the trigger.....

10 posted on 08/01/2005 1:13:46 AM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici; DB
The new Taurus utlralight 38 SPs don't have a safety, just a trigger lock. Perhaps the gun in question was of a similar design.

Then again, Glocks are automatics, and the T38SP is a revolver.

Someone tell me, are Glocks the most prominent weapon in use by LEOs or not? I'm curious because just about all of the accidental mifirings I read about are Glocks.

11 posted on 08/01/2005 2:39:26 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Democrats.. Socialists..Commies..Traitors...Who can tell the difference?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Right....
When carrying the 1911...in unhappy places, we ALWAYS racked to charge the chamber, thumb safety UP to the ENGAGED position and hammer pulled to full cock position, in THAT ORDER!

One need only pull the piece - bring the thumb down to a natural position and start firing..8 man stopping rounds.

It was as natural and safe as brushing your teeth...
Never witnessed or heard of any Marine having an accidental discharge.

I've never bought any Semi-Autos that were NOT based on the 1911 scheme....with Thumb and Grip safety.....too damned old to get fail/safe reliable and comfortable with a new platform....

Purely personal opinion and biased at that - but I think KIMBER produces the best affordable line of 1911s on the market..

Semper Fi


12 posted on 08/01/2005 2:39:43 AM PDT by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
A Glock is more like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer back on a chambered round, with the safety off.

If you think that's bad, check out an S&W 990L.

It is a Walther P99 QA derivative, with a very tight trigger, no safety (ok), and no decocker. It is fun to shoot, but I wouldn't dare carry it. It struck me as really dangerous. Compared to it, the Glock is a paragon of safety, with the trigger safety and a longer pull.

13 posted on 08/01/2005 4:16:08 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
You can't compare a Glock's standard trigger to a revolver's DA trigger pull.

I'm not a fan of Glock pistols for that reason, and the fact that there is no external hammer.

When holstering a semi-auto, I like to press my thumb on the back of the hammer "just in case" the trigger catches on a piece of clothing or the holster.

Even though the DA/SA trigger on Sigs/H&Ks, etc... is tougher to master than something like a Glock (which has the same trigger pull for each round fired), the heavy DA pull on the first round does sort of function like a safety.

And if you need to make a precision shot, it's simply a matter of cocking the hammer to get to a nice 3-4 pound trigger.

14 posted on 08/01/2005 5:38:53 AM PDT by Mulder (“The spirit of resistance is so valuable, that I wish it to be always kept alive" Thomas Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Mulder

I won't go into the reasons I'll never own nor shoot another Glock pistol but one of the reasons I'm turned off is that it doesn't have a double strike capability and the fact that they KB quite a bit.

There are much better and safer handguns out on the market... In this case, I don't know if having a different brand of gun would have helped or not... the deputy was obviously less than observant and probably shouldn't be armed in the first place.

Mike


15 posted on 08/01/2005 5:46:22 AM PDT by BCR #226
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Mulder

I used to hate Glocks ... till I bought one.

I've bought all used and, coincidentally, all had had the triggers modified.

They have got to have the sweetest triggers ever. Comparable to a slicked-up S&W trigger but not nearly as long.

And if anyone gets the willys from carrying one because of no mechanical safety, one can buy a "trigger block" that's shaped to fit in behind the trigger when carrying and flicked out by a finger when the gun is drawn.

I still can't picture how this article is describing this AD happened.


16 posted on 08/01/2005 5:49:08 AM PDT by VeniVidiVici (When a Jihadist dies, an angel gets its wings)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: river rat
racked to charge the chamber, thumb safety UP to the ENGAGED position and hammer pulled to full cock position, in THAT ORDER!

What brand of 1911 was that? All the ones I have seen and the two I own can't do it in that order because the hammer stays back full cocked when you rack them.
17 posted on 08/01/2005 8:57:18 AM PDT by TalonDJ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: TalonDJ

I was up too late last night...

Semper Fi


18 posted on 08/01/2005 9:48:28 AM PDT by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

A bunch of our bang list friends have responded to my call for info on .45 handguns for concealed carry. A couple of people I respect suggested a Glock 23 in .40 but this is exactly the situation I'm worried about with a Glock.

Obviously thousands of people carry these things every day without any incidents, but it's still something I'm thinking about in the back of my mind.

You're the only person who didn't respond to my FR-mail, so what do you think?

PS, my dad likes your book, good luck with the next one. I know that's what you've been busy with!

regards!


19 posted on 08/01/2005 9:57:51 AM PDT by t_skoz ("let me be who I am - let me kick out the jams!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: TalonDJ

By the way.... I forgot to congratulate you on a "good Catch"...

I'll try to quit posting after 2am and a few "adult beverages"..

Apparently -- at my age, I can't function like a young man anymore...

Semper Fi


20 posted on 08/02/2005 2:08:44 PM PDT by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

"A Glock is more like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer back on a chambered round, with the safety off."

Actually its less safe than quoted above because the 1911 still has the grip safety.


21 posted on 08/02/2005 2:15:40 PM PDT by ampat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: ampat
It is guns designed like that that make for confusion about carry safety. I have gotten into messy debates with people that think carrying with one in the pipe is unsafe. For a 1911 while it is not the safest POSSIBLE way to carry it is widely accepted to be a safe condition in a holster.
22 posted on 08/02/2005 2:21:16 PM PDT by TalonDJ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: river rat

You might want to check out the new Taurus 1911. Bells, whistles, and less than $700. I love my various .45 ACPs and the Kimber is a sweetheart.


23 posted on 08/02/2005 2:27:37 PM PDT by TEXASPROUD
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: ampat

Good point, I forgot the grip safety.


24 posted on 08/02/2005 6:00:20 PM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
I pinned mine shut, like John Browning's later design on the same platform used.
25 posted on 08/02/2005 6:04:06 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid (Semper Fi!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
A Glock is more like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer back on a chambered round, with the safety off.

Whoa. I DA pull on a glock takes much more pressure than a 1911 in SA. I don't see how you can even compare them!
26 posted on 09/30/2005 1:09:22 PM PDT by andyk (Go Matt Kenseth!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: andyk
I DA

= The DA

And, I know that the action is not techincally DA, but the pull on a Glock's trigger is very much like the pull on a DA handgun.
27 posted on 09/30/2005 1:11:17 PM PDT by andyk (Go Matt Kenseth!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever

This is my major complaint about Glocks. No positive safety, and the trigger pull is NOT like a DA revolver, it's exactly like a SA semi-auto, which it is.


28 posted on 09/30/2005 1:18:17 PM PDT by ozzymandus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: andyk; Squantos; Shooter 2.5; Eaker; planekT; Mulder; river rat

How many pounds of pressure are required to fire a standard Glock?

How man pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical revolver, DA?

How many pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical 1911?

Get back to me when you have the answers.


29 posted on 09/30/2005 11:39:25 PM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever; humblegunner; TheMom

Simple answer.

If you cannot understand that a Glock is a "Big Boy" gun have your wife carry it. Then go get yourself a gun with so many safeties that it won't fire unless the Governor is there with a special key.

I am a "Big Boy".

I don't need the Governor or a safety. I have been trained and have trained others.

Glocks are for serious grown-ups. Other than that need not apply.

If you so desperately need a safety then maybe you don't need a handgun.


30 posted on 10/01/2005 4:53:17 AM PDT by Eaker (My Wife Rocks! - I will never take Dix off of my ping list as I have been asked to do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever
The deputy was wearing a jacket with drawstrings and toggles to adjust the waistband. It is believed that one of the plastic toggles worked its way into the gun holster and became entangled in the trigger guard.

Pure BS. No retention holster or any holster that I know of except maybe an Uncle Mike has room for a "toggle" to work its way into it.

A toggles main driving force is gravity. A toggle doesn't work its way anywhere.

31 posted on 10/01/2005 4:57:56 AM PDT by Eaker (My Wife Rocks! - I will never take Dix off of my ping list as I have been asked to do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Eaker

These are almost as bad as the wal-mart threads.


32 posted on 10/01/2005 5:06:02 AM PDT by bad company ( Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: CaptSkip

The A75 Astra works the same way. Decocker, no safety, trigger is like a double action for the first shot.


33 posted on 10/01/2005 5:10:20 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever

Sounds like the holster design didn't adequately protect the trigger against this type of occurrence.


34 posted on 10/01/2005 5:15:46 AM PDT by Hardastarboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bad company

Bingo!


35 posted on 10/01/2005 5:27:40 AM PDT by Eaker (My Wife Rocks! - I will never take Dix off of my ping list as I have been asked to do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: The KG9 Kid

I have yet to figure out why anyone would have to pin the grip safety. If you take the safety out of the pistol, all you have to do is break off the tap which stops the trigger. Without the tab, the trigger can't be blocked.

Unless, you don't like the movement when the grip safety toggles up and down.

Most people don't shoot the 1911 with the high hold, thumb on the thumb safety. Unfortunately, when the high hold is used, the palm of the hand "cups" the grip safety and the safety isn't pressed down. The solution is going back to the original flat mainspring housing.


36 posted on 10/01/2005 5:40:01 AM PDT by Shooter 2.5 (Vote a Straight Republican Ballot. Rid the country of dems. NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Eaker

Eaker, possessions aren't the measure of a man. Just because they pluck the money down on something, doesn't make them better or worse than the next guy. There have been a lot of wealthy people who died alone.


37 posted on 10/01/2005 5:53:38 AM PDT by Shooter 2.5 (Vote a Straight Republican Ballot. Rid the country of dems. NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Shooter 2.5

Huh?


38 posted on 10/01/2005 6:17:22 AM PDT by Eaker (My Wife Rocks! - I will never take Dix off of my ping list as I have been asked to do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
Is this a loaded question? :-)

How many pounds of pressure are required to fire a standard Glock?

Trigger pull for the Glock is 5.5 pounds. However, I found an article that said Glock measures from the tip of the trigger. When they put the scale in the middle of the trigger in the article it measured 8 pounds.

How man pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical revolver, DA? Haven't found any data on that yet, but since most of the trigger scales only go up to 12 pounds, so I'd say not more then that. My best guess? Around 10 pounds.

How many pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical 1911?

Around 4.5 to 5 pounds.

39 posted on 10/01/2005 7:37:22 AM PDT by planekT (Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: planekT
Oops. Forgot to turn the italics off. Should have looked like this.

How man pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical revolver, DA?

Haven't found any data on that yet, but since most of the trigger scales only go up to 12 pounds, so I'd say not more then that. My best guess? Around 10 pounds.

40 posted on 10/01/2005 7:49:28 AM PDT by planekT (Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: DB
Glock's have no true manual safeties
You pull the trigger and it goes BANG which is why the so called " New York trigger" was designed ( increase the trigger weight )
Even with that the pistol needs a holster that really blocs entry to the trigger area
Still sometime S*** happens
41 posted on 10/01/2005 8:04:29 AM PDT by 1903A3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Shooter 2.5
I have a steel mainspring housing on mine, like you said. It came off a vintage blued 1911, but was Parkerized before I bought it out of an orphaned parts bin at a show.

The Thumb Safety is a modified smoothed aftermarket version that sits flush with the frame.

42 posted on 10/01/2005 8:13:23 AM PDT by The KG9 Kid (Semper Fi!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

From the same article that measured the Glock trigger pull, I read it a little more closely and it stated that typical DA revolver pull is 12 to 14 pounds.

Does that sound about right?

Here's a link to the article.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_50/ai_n6209982


43 posted on 10/01/2005 8:13:56 AM PDT by planekT (Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: DuckFan4ever
Same old poop all over again. If you don't pay attention, you will get bit.

The cop either:

A. Holstered his weapon with the coat caught in between the holster and weapon, thus his error, or:

B. Holstered his weapon with his finger on the trigger, again, his error.

No jacket zipper or "toggle" can work it's way into a quality holster, or for that matter, a cheap holster that covers the trigger.

And before Glocks were king of the hill for police weapons, the leader of the bunch for ND's was the 1911. I've seen several holes in a gunshop from cops unholstering their 1911's. Nothing new there.

I state again, if you don't pay attention, you will get bit.

44 posted on 10/01/2005 8:17:14 AM PDT by Double Tap
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Eaker
Pure BS. No retention holster or any holster that I know of except maybe an Uncle Mike has room for a "toggle" to work its way into it.

Exactly.

45 posted on 10/01/2005 8:20:47 AM PDT by Double Tap
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Double Tap
"... B. Holstered his weapon with his finger on the trigger, again, his error."

That's the way ADs during holstering always happen, isn't it?

46 posted on 10/01/2005 8:40:43 AM PDT by The KG9 Kid (Semper Fi!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: The KG9 Kid
I went with all flat mainspring housings and ambi safeties because I'm left handed. The Ed Brown safeties are a little better than the others because they recognize the need for a larger right side safety for us "other handed" people. I don't mind the Glocks for the safety issue. I don't like them because life's too short to shoot ugly guns.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Bone grips on my son's[now my] ported Champion.

47 posted on 10/01/2005 8:46:21 AM PDT by Shooter 2.5 (Vote a Straight Republican Ballot. Rid the country of dems. NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: planekT
Sorry for all the posts, but that article skips around on some different trigger setups they measured for the Glock. Here's the relevant paragraph of what they found on a stock Glock 22.

The five-pound connector mated with the standard trigger spring is what comes out of the box when a private citizen buys most models of Glocks. It is said to have an average pull of 5.5 pounds. In measuring this combo on my G22, Dave got four pounds, 1.5 ounces when the gauge was hooked to the toe of the trigger, and six pounds on the nose when he attached it to the center of the trigger.

A supposed 5.5 pound trigger, which measured from the toe actually was just over 4 pounds in this instance, and from the center, 6 pounds.

Note that the pull measured on this particular gun was a pound and a half lower then the factory spec. Interesting eh?

48 posted on 10/01/2005 9:41:29 AM PDT by planekT (Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee; Squantos; Shooter 2.5; Eaker; planekT; Mulder; river rat
How many pounds of pressure are required to fire a standard Glock?

Any Glock I'm familiar with has a minimum of a 5lb trigger pull.

How man pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical revolver, DA?

We're not talking about revolvers here, but that is some dang fine obfuscation.

How many pounds of pressure are required to fire a typical 1911?

DA or SA?! You appear to think they're the same, so I'm probably wasting my time here. This was the whole point of my response. You were comparing a Glock to a 1911 with the hammer back. That's SA, FYI.

Get back to me when you have the answers.

<sigh>

Just in case you're interested, this is exactly what I was responding to:

A Glock is more like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer back on a chambered round, with the safety off.

You are explicitly comparing the SA trigger pull of a 1911 to the trigger pull of a Glock. So, your questions about trigger pull on a DA revolver or 1911 are purposely misleading.

If you had said that a Glock is like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer forward on a chambered round, with the safety off, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
49 posted on 10/01/2005 1:37:34 PM PDT by andyk (Go Matt Kenseth!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: andyk

"we" weren't part of this discussion.....


50 posted on 10/01/2005 1:49:13 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-5051-72 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson