Detecting a Concealed Weapon - Not Easy!

Detecting a concealed weapon or threat is not easy, even for experienced police officers.

Terrorist attacks and bombings at concerts, sporting events and airports underscore the need for accurate and reliable threat detection. However, the likelihood of a police officer identifying someone concealing a gun or bomb is only slightly better than chance, according to research conducted at Iowa State University (ISU) (August 2017).

It is clear that existing threat detection techniques are not working. The ISU study points to a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found indicators the Transportation Security Administration is using are ineffective at detecting airport security threats.

ISU researchers say there is no definitive cue of concealment, and several variables can complicate the issue.

One of the most important concepts of visual weapons screening is behavior clusters. For example, an individual who fails to swing his right arm may be armed and trying to avoid hitting his elbow on the weapon. But an individual who adjusts something under his clothing above the waistline, looks around very nervously and then walks away while not swinging his right arm when he spots an officer watching him is far more likely to be armed. The totality of circumstances will dictate the degree of likelihood of an individual being armed.

The following graphic shows some tips for spotting a hidden handgun that were published by Det. Robert Gallagher, NYC Police Department.

 

While the above tips from Det. Gallagher are valid, they are really only useful for spotting people who are either uncomfortable with a weapon or who are carrying it improperly. Most quality holsters that are designed to be concealed are very difficult to spot, and the people using them are used to carrying, and won't display the behavior and obvious tells shown above.

 

It is also important to note that carrying a concealed weapon (handgun) is legal in most states, which have laws requiring that they issue a conceal carry permit to any resident not specifically prohibited from possessing a firearm. See more about concealed carry on the Handgun Law web-site.