Brentwood police begin review of duty firearms after safety concerns with SIG 320 model

The Brentwood Police Department has begun an initial review of new duty firearms after national reporting and agency advisories raised concerns about the SIG Sauer P320 family, the model the department currently carries, Chief Justin Doty told the Select Board on July 17.

Doty said the department is "starting, just very much introduction stages of getting new firearms." He described recent media coverage and studies by federal agencies raising concerns about the P320 and said the change is being considered for officer safety and to reduce potential liability. "It's simply just us looking out for our own well-being," Doty said.

The chief gave a preliminary cost estimate to outfit the department with a different duty firearm at roughly "$15 to $17,000." He said staff are looking at Glock, FN, and Walther models. Sergeant Saltzman has been assigned to the project and will run prospective replacements through dealers and range testing to "beat the brakes off of" them to ensure they hold up under duty use.

A resident with law-enforcement experience asked whether SIG's offered upgrade program had been completed; the chief replied that the upgrades "are not satisfying the issue" in his assessment. The board did not approve funding at the meeting; the chief characterized the discussion as an early warning that replacement and related budget requests may be coming to the Select Board for formal approval.

No purchase was authorized at the meeting; the chief and appointed firearms project lead will return with testing results and a formal cost request if the department recommends replacement.