The Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) has selected the Heckler & Koch USA VP9 for issue to its sworn officers. The 1,100-officer department is currently in the process of transitioning to the 9mm-chambered HK VP9 as its official sidearm.
OKCPD previously issued a combination of several different handguns. This purchase represents a consolidation of those various products to a single model. As of late April, the gun manufacturer has already shipped more than 500 VP9s to the department and all new recruits are being issued VP9s as they graduate from the academy.
“I’ve gotta hand it to these guys, they really did their homework,” HK Law Enforcement Sales Manager Jason Whitten said. “Over the course of about a year, they thoroughly tested a variety of pistols from several different manufacturers. When it was all over, it was the VP9’s superior out-of-the-box accuracy and quality, and HK’s customer service that won out.”
The VP is HK’s best-selling law enforcement and commercial pistol design in its storied history and has a well-deserved reputation for being a pistol that helps users shoot better. The claim is backed by numerous reports from agencies of higher qualifying scores after adopting the VP9. “I have total confidence that we will get a similar report from OKCPD. I look forward to hearing all about it from them,” Whitten said.
In March several Connecticut police departments also selected the Heckler& Koch VP9. They include the Connecticut State Capitol Police in Hartford, the Brookfield Police, Clinton Police and New Haven Police.
The striker-fired VP9 was introduced to the public in 2014 after four years of development behind the scenes. The company has upgraded the standard 15-round magazine to a 17-round version since then. Today the pistol’s slide is factory cut to accept red-dot optics and it comes with side panels and backstraps to customize fit.
