The standard-issue duty pistol for the Los Angeles Police Department is the FN 509 MRD-LE, a striker-fired 9mm handgun the LAPD began issuing to new recruits in January 2022. Officers who were trained on earlier platforms can keep carrying them, so on any given shift you’ll also see Glocks, Berettas, and Smith & Wesson semi-automatics across the force.
The FN 509 MRD-LE
The LAPD adopted the FN 509 MRD-LE in August 2021, with the first shipments reaching new recruits and firearms instructors the following January. It’s a polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm with a 17-round magazine, a 4-inch hammer-forged barrel, and a flat-faced trigger that breaks between 4.5 and 6 pounds. The pistol uses FN’s Low-Profile Optics Mounting System, which lets an officer attach a red dot sight directly to the slide without a bulky adapter plate.1FN America. FN 509 MRD-LE
The optics-ready design was a significant factor in the department’s choice. Red dot sights help officers acquire targets faster and shoot more accurately under stress. During selection, candidate pistols went through a 20,000-round endurance test with both current and legacy duty ammunition, and the FN 509 MRD-LE ran reliably with few malfunctions.2Police1. Inside Look: Why the LAPD Chose the FN 509 MRD-LE as Its New Duty Weapon
Legacy Duty Pistols Still Carried
Not every LAPD officer carries the FN 509. Officers originally issued or trained on older platforms may continue carrying them. Officers who started on Glocks can keep using Glock semi-automatics, and officers issued Berettas may carry Beretta or Smith & Wesson decocker-type semi-automatics.
Glock pistols have been on the LAPD’s authorized list since September 2003, when selected Glock models in 9mm, .40 caliber, and .45 caliber were approved for all personnel as primary, backup, and off-duty weapons.3City of Los Angeles. Office of the Inspector General’s Investigation of the Department’s Procurement Practices The department later approved Glock’s newer M-series and Generation 5 pistols in the same models and calibers previously allowed on Generation 3 and 4 frames.4Los Angeles Police Department. Uniform and Equipment Committee Notice
Officers may also purchase firearms from the approved list at law enforcement pricing, as long as the weapon is inspected and registered with the Department Armory.3City of Los Angeles. Office of the Inspector General’s Investigation of the Department’s Procurement Practices
Authorized Calibers and Ammunition
The LAPD authorizes three calibers for duty handguns: 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. Each caliber has a specific approved duty round:
- 9mm: Winchester Ranger 147-grain SXT
- .40 S&W: Winchester Ranger 180-grain SXT
- .45 ACP: Federal Premium 230-grain HST
- .38 Special (revolvers): Speer Gold Dot +P 135-grain GDHP
Those are the rounds listed in LAPD training materials.5Los Angeles Police Department. Stand Alone 7 – LD 35 Firearms Session No. 2 – Nomenclature and Functioning Speer Gold Dot G2 was added as an approved duty round in 9mm and .40 S&W in 2019, and was used alongside Winchester SXT during FN 509 MRD-LE testing.2Police1. Inside Look: Why the LAPD Chose the FN 509 MRD-LE as Its New Duty Weapon Officers are prohibited from carrying unauthorized ammunition on duty.
Backup and Off-Duty Guns
LAPD officers may carry a backup handgun and an off-duty firearm, but both must come from the approved list, pass inspection at the Department Armory, and be registered in the officer’s personal firearms file. The most common backup is a five-shot, two-inch-barrel revolver. Any revolver carried must be modified to fire only in double-action mode.6Los Angeles Police Department. LD 35 Firearms Session No. 41 and 42 – Back-Up
Officers who want to carry a .380-caliber semi-automatic as a backup or off-duty gun can do so, but they must qualify with it using department-approved .380 ammunition through the same course of fire.6Los Angeles Police Department. LD 35 Firearms Session No. 41 and 42 – Back-Up Off-duty firearms must be concealed when carried.
What SWAT Carries
LAPD SWAT runs a different sidearm. After testing around 2002, the unit selected the Kimber Custom II chambered in .45 ACP, a 1911-pattern pistol. SWAT requested only two modifications to the base gun: tritium night sights and frontstrap checkering. The commercially available version is sold as the Kimber Custom TLE II, and the two are often confused; the department’s own pistols are Custom II guns with serial numbers starting “KLA114,” a nod to SWAT’s radio call sign.7Police Magazine. Kimber Custom II Pistol
How the Lineup Got This Way
The LAPD carried revolvers for most of the 20th century, moving from the Smith & Wesson Model 10 after World War II to the Model 15 Combat Masterpiece through the 1960s and 1970s. The 1980s brought the shift to semi-automatics, with the Beretta 92 as the new standard. The 1997 North Hollywood bank shootout, in which two heavily armored gunmen outgunned responding officers for nearly an hour, pushed the department to authorize .45 ACP semi-automatics including the Smith & Wesson Models 4506 and 4566. Glocks joined the approved list in September 2003 and quickly became the most popular choice among officers,3City of Los Angeles. Office of the Inspector General’s Investigation of the Department’s Procurement Practices a position they held until the FN 509 MRD-LE took over as standard issue in 2022.