Coppinger: Lynn Police to review gun holsters

LYNN – Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said the department was researching new gun holsters after a report that – while finding an officer justified in using lethal force in a September shooting – concluded the victim was able to grab a weapon from another police officer’s holster.This is the second incident in three years where a person has died after managing to wrestle a gun from a Lynn Police officer’s holster.”If there’s a better holster that we could have, it’s a priority for our officers to have one,” Coppinger said Tuesday in an interview.Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett concluded in a report issued Tuesday that a Lynn Police officer was justified in fatally shooting Denis Reynoso, 29, after Reynoso wrestled a gun from the holster of another officer and shot the weapon twice at officers during the ensuing struggle.The report notes, however, that the State Police armorer examining that gun and holster found the holster was missing a tension screw.”He found the gun was loose while in the holster and that it could be removed easily with all safety devices engaged,” the report notes.Coppinger’s comment echoes a comment the chief made to the Daily Item in October 2010 after a man attacked an officer on a private detail in City Hall Plaza. The assailant wrestled a weapon from the officer’s holster before using the weapon to commit suicide.Coppinger said this incident and the Reynoso incident were very different, however.”We know how each (incident) occurred, and in this one, the tension screw was missing,” Coppinger said. He said he did not believe this was the case in the 2010 incident.Coppinger explained that holsters have a tension screw that can be adjusted to contract around the gun to make the weapon secure. Holsters for guns with additional attachments – such as the flashlight attachment on the gun over which Reynoso and officers wrestled, according to Blodgett’s report – have two tension screws, however, Coppinger said.The report states that the inside tension screw – the one on the side of the holster which would be facing the wearer’s leg – was missing and the holster “somewhat worn.”Coppinger said nobody had realized the screw was missing, and the other tension screw was intact.However, he said questions over whether another kind of holster might have more durable tension screws, a more durable construction, or might be able to better withstand violent struggles for a weapon were being investigated.He said the training unit had presented a preliminary report on the subject, but no decision had been made. If a decision were made to purchase new holsters, he said he would plan to submit the request with the upcoming budget.But Coppinger said there needed to be “a balancing act” in choosing a holster.”You have to have the firearm securely in the holster so that other people cannot get it, but officers have to be able to access (the firearm) quickly if need be,” Coppinger said.Meanwhile, the chief said all officers have been instructed to review their holsters and ensure they are in good working order.