Houston-area law enforcement warned about safety problems with service pistols

Sig Sauer pistols prone to faulty firing lead to handgun upgrades for Houston police Sig Sauer pistols prone to faulty firing lead to handgun upgrades for Houston police Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston-area law enforcement warned about safety problems with service pistols 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer has notified the Houston Police Department it will replace hundreds of P320 pistols widely used by officers amid growing evidence the guns can fire accidentally if dropped, police officials said.

Concerns about the popular service weapon have already prompted the Dallas Police Department to suspend use of the pistols following complaints from police officers there that the P320 pistols failed "drop tests" by firing when they hit the ground.

For now, HPD and the Harris County Sheriff's Office issued warnings to their law enforcement officers to be careful when handling the weapons after local tests found similar drop-fires more than 10 percent of the time.

"It only happened a few times, but we can't have that happen at all," said Capt. Greg Fremin, who oversees HPD's training academy. "It could cost somebody's life. There cannot be any potential possibilities for a gun to misfire."

The video below from Omaha Outdoors shows that when dropped at a certain angle, the P320 would fire.

HPD recently designated the P320 as the primary service weapon for new officers, though previously it had allowed officers to use one of several firearms. The sheriff's office also advises new cadets to buy the Sig Sauer P320 pistols.

Officials with the New Hampshire-based manufacturer did not respond to a Chronicle request for comment. In a statement on Tuesday, however, the company acknowledged that "recent events indicate that dropping the P320 beyond U.S. standards for safety may cause an unintentional discharge."

The company is already facing at least one federal lawsuit over the P320s and could face the prospect of replacing or repairing tens of thousands of firearms used by law enforcement agencies across the country.

HPD firearms instructors and officials from the Houston Police Officers' Union tested the weapons recently and found that the gun drop-fired four times in 30 drops — or more than 10 percent of the time.

HPD's safety bulletin advises officers that "caution must be used when handling the Sig Sauer P320 models."

The Houston Police Officers' Union and the Harris County Sheriff's Office contacted Sig Sauer recently about officers' concerns.

HPOU officials said they were not satisfied with the company's initial response but said Sig Sauer officials ultimately agreed to exchange all P320s used by officers for revised models. The union has also asked Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo to identify other weapons for on-duty carry as backups.

"In the event that something like this happens again, HPD won't be hamstrung into only one firearm," HPOU Vice President Joseph Gamaldi said on his Facebook page.

Acevedo could not be reached for comment.

Sheriff's officials sent cadets a statement from the gun manufacturer explaining that the company would release details soon about a solution to the problem, said Jason Spencer, a department spokesman.

"We will evaluate that remedy to determine whether further action is needed to protect our deputies," he said in an emailed statement.

David Cuevas, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, said he'd not heard of any issues with the pistol from his members but said it was nonetheless a serious safety concern.

"That concern needs to be addressed by Sig Sauer and the department to assure that our deputies stay safe and the citizens we protect stay safe," he said.

Concerns about the weapon are outlined in a federal lawsuit filed Aug. 4 in Connecticut.

An officer from the Stamford Police Department's Special Response Team filed the suit claiming that he was shot in the left knee after dropping his pistol while he loaded gear into the back of his car. The gun fired as it hit the pavement, the suit says.

The suit cites 29 accidental discharges reported by the San Francisco Police Department, and said an accidental discharge killed a San Fernando police officer in 2002. The suit also cites questionable discharges in St. Louis, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York City.

The suit quotes a Dallas police memo saying that "Sig Sauer has identified that there is a defect in the P320 handgun that could cause the weapon system to go off when dropped."

The Stamford department has since shelved all P320s, according to the suit. The officer is seeking at least $7 million in damages and wants the gun manufacturer to recall the weapon or warn customers the gun is not "drop safe."

St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.