Duty knives: Practical or just “tacticool”

Knives have been around, in some way, shape or form, for literally all of human existence. Humans made primitive knives out of sharpened flakes of stone or wood. There is even evidence that suggests hominids used the sharp edges of broken stones as knives. So, millions of years later, why do so many of us carry knives on us on a daily basis — or “EDC” (everyday carry), for those of you who may be more “tacticool” than others?

The answer is simple: When you need a knife, you need a knife. Sure, there are substitutes and alternatives; however, they really never work as well as a simple knife would. Cops carry knives for a myriad of reasons. Some of these knives are meant to be utilized as an emergency tool to save their life. Other knives are carried simply to cut things. Let’s take a look at some of the knives we see cops carrying, where they are carrying them and the reasoning behind both.

There needs to be a compromise between maximizing accessibility for you and minimizing accessibility for anyone else.

Types of knives

Cops typically carry multitools, fixed-blade knives, folders or automatic knives. Hopefully, no one is carrying a multitool in hopes of deploying it as a weapon. Everything about the ergonomics of most multitools prohibits them from being deployed in a manner that would be efficient in a life-or-death situation. That being said, Dan carries a Gerber multitool in his right cargo pocket every shift. He finds it useful to have a scissors, needle-nose pliers and a blade he doesn’t mind cutting things with. It is also useful for gaining entry to certain types of doors without damaging them. However, it is most definitely not carried with the intention of ever being used as a weapon. 

A fixed-blade knife, especially a quality fixed blade with a full tang, definitely beats the autos and the folders in reliability and speed. There are literally zero moving parts and the knife is always open. There is no second step. You can deploy the knife as fast as you can pull it out. There is no button to push, no stud or hole to push while you flip your wrist — it’s just there and ready to go. The drawback to fixed-blade knives is that they are hard to conceal and even harder to conceal comfortably. For specialized units, there is not an issue having a fixed blade sheathed on your vest. However, for fully uniformed patrol officers, if you cannot resist the urge to carry a fixed blade on your vest, we recommend something like a Benchmade SOCP Dagger. The exposed portion of the knife does not look like a traditional knife and partially conceals itself. A pro for carrying an SOCP Dagger on your vest would be the ability to place it “midline,” or to the center of your body, making it accessible to both of your hands.

Folding knives are the most common type of knife carried by law enforcement. They are less expensive than an automatic knife of similar quality and they fold in half, making them much easier to conceal. There are some folders with “spring assist” features, which are OK at best. They have more moving parts than a traditional folder, with less speed than an automatic. Essentially it is the worst of both worlds. If you are looking for a folder designed to be deployed quickly, look into Emerson Knives and check out their “wave” feature. When deploying this knife, a “wave” on the blade catches against your pocket and the knife opens as you are deploying it. Yes, this can take a little practice to perfect, but once you’ve got it down, it is undoubtedly faster and more reliable than an auto. You get the best of both worlds, a faster folder with no additional moving parts. 

For automatic knives, there are several brands that make decent autos and there are several more that make excellent autos. Benchmade, Gerber and Microtech are the most common brands of autos we have run into. When looking at an auto, the first decision is what its primary purpose will be and how it will be used daily. If you plan to carry it daily and never use it other than as an emergency tool to save your life, you will have very different requirements than someone who plans to use the knife for everything they need to cut. There is also consideration to be given to how the knife opens, either OTF (out the front) or a traditional side opening. If you are looking into an OTF knife, there is also the choice of single or double action. Single action refers to the knife opening automatically and closing manually, while double action opens and closes automatically. The pros to an automatic knife are that they are generally faster than a folder while being more concealable than a fixed blade. The con to an automatic knife is that they are just inherently less reliable. Don’t get us wrong — especially if you buy a quality auto, they are plenty reliable; however, scientifically the more moving parts something has, the less reliable it will be.

Knife placement

The other thing to consider when looking at a knife for duty use is placement. Placement can dictate the type of knife you carry, or the type of knife you carry can dictate placement. The primary focus when placing a knife is accessibility. There needs to be a compromise between maximizing accessibility for you and minimizing accessibility for anyone else. To achieve this, you need to decide if you want your knife accessible to one hand or both hands. Then you need to seriously recall every fight you have ever been in. Remember where your hands were. Chances are, they were just about everywhere, but they spend more time in some general regions than others. Anywhere from mid-chest to just below your duty belt should give you reasonable accessibility. However, a “Rambo” knife in your boot will most likely not do much good. We have seen a few other officers carry knives around their necks, with the idea that in a fight, they can reach under their vest carrier and deploy it. Deep concealment measures like that are generally not the safest. Producing a knife from a position where the knife can only cut you is never a good idea. 

Lauren carries a folding knife in both front pockets. She typically utilizes the knife on her left side (strong side) for cutting things and reserves the right side (support side) for an emergency-use tool that could save her life. For the most part, cops are hard on gear, including knives. It’s important to realize that using your knife will inevitably dull your knife. The dulling will vary depending on the hardness of the steel, the quality and bevel of the edge, and, of course, how it is used and what you are using it for. 

Dan carries his multitool we talked about earlier, a folding knife in his vest that he uses for everything from cutting things to prying things to opening doors. This knife is typically a “junk knife” (costs less than $20). He also carries a folder in his right-side (support-side) pants pocket for emergency use and does not use it for anything else. 

In the end, there is no wrong way to carry any knife, and there is no wrong style of knife to carry. Just be sure that whatever you choose to carry, you can carry it comfortably, you can depend on it, it does not violate the laws of your jurisdiction or the policy of your agency, and you can deploy it and defend it effectively. Most importantly, always remember: Friends don’t let friends carry gas-station knives.