If you carry a patrol rifle, consider buying yourself a “battle bag” to keep up front with you. These come in several brands, shapes and sizes but the basic design is that they have several pouches and pockets and sling over one shoulder (right shoulder in my case, I’m right handed) and rest on or around your opposite hip.
Suppose you get a hot call, hot enough to warrant that when you jump out of your unit, you will deploy your patrol rifle. In addition to your rifle you now have a battle bag stocked with critical gear you can grab quickly.
Consider carrying the following in your bag :
Spare magazines for your rifle, at least one with armor piercing/full metal jacket rounds in case you have to fire through a heavy barricade:
- spare handgun magazines
- knee & elbow pads
- medi-paks
- spare radio batteries
- small binoculars or a monocular
- a snack or energy bar
- a flash bang or OC/grenade if possible
and so on.
The reason I listed spare mags and knee and elbow pads is because I learned their value firsthand. I responded to a call involving an Officer down/shot where the suspect ran into a public building. I grabbed my rifle and jumped out and ended up crouched beneath a unit riddled with bullets for 45 minutes before SWAT arrived. I could barely walk when I got up. Knee pads would have been a huge advantage.
Remember, SWAT has great tools and training, but line Officers will always be first on scene and most likely you will not be able to double back to your unit for any other gear. What you have with you had best be what you need.