Duty Arms Index
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What is the most common police patrol rifle?

The Colt AR-15 is the most common primary patrol rifle in the index: 63 of 175 agencies with a sourced primary patrol rifle issue it (36%), ahead of the Colt M4 Carbine (29) and the Smith & Wesson M&P15 (22). Generations and optic-cut variants are combined per model family. For every current rifle entry, including U.S. military-surplus (1033) rifles, see this ranking.

Data coverage: Based on 175 agencies in the Duty Arms Index with a current, sourced primary patrol rifle entry (one primary issue per agency; agencies that authorize several primaries count once for each). Counts include only current entries with a public source; agencies not yet in the index, or without a sourced entry for this item, are not counted, so treat shares as a picture of the Duty Arms Index, not of every U.S. agency. Data last updated Oct 9, 2026.

Primary patrol rifle ranked by agency count

Share is of 175 agencies with a sourced primary patrol rifle. Example agencies link to their full loadouts.

#Model familyAgenciesFor example
1Colt AR-155.56x45mm / .22363 (36%)Arcata Police Department, Ashland Police Department (Oregon), Atwater Police Department
2Colt M4 Carbine5.56x45mm / .22329 (16.6%)Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
3Smith & Wesson M&P155.56x45mm / .22322 (12.6%)North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Brooklyn Park Police Department, Chesterfield County Police Department
4SIG SAUER M4005.56x45mm / .2239 (5.1%)Department of Veterans Affairs Police, California Highway Patrol, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Law Enforcement Division
5Bushmaster XM-155.56x45mm / .2235 (2.9%)Braintree Police Department, Coalinga Police Department, El Centro Police Department
6Colt LE69205.56x45mm / .2235 (2.9%)Arvin Police Department, Glendale Police Department (California), Pacific Grove Police Department
7Colt LE69335.56x45mm / .2234 (2.3%)Bakersfield Police Department, Lodi Police Department, San Ramon Police Department
8Daniel Defense DDM45.56x45mm / .2234 (2.3%)Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Downey Police Department
9FN FN 155.56x45mm / .2234 (2.3%)Albany Police Department (Oregon), Lebanon Police Department (Indiana), Richland Police Department
10SIG SAUER MCX5.56x45mm / .2234 (2.3%)Cedar City Police Department, North Slope Borough Police Department, Placentia Police Department
11Bushmaster XM15-E2S5.56 NATO3 (1.7%)Memphis Police Department, Salem Police Department (Massachusetts), Topeka Police Department
12Colt M4 Commando5.56x45mm / .2233 (1.7%)Ann Arbor Police Department, Scott Township Police Department (Allegheny County), Taft Police Department
13FN FN 15 SRP G25.56x45mm NATO3 (1.7%)Michigan State Police, Louisville Metro Police Department, Nye County Sheriff's Office
14Heckler & Koch HK4165.56x45mm / .2233 (1.7%)Cedar City Police Department, Lehi City Police Department, Monterey Park Police Department
15Rock River Arms LAR-155.56x45mm / .2233 (1.7%)New York State Police, El Centro Police Department, Laguna Beach Police Department

By agency type

The top three primary patrol rifles for each kind of agency, with the share of that agency type.

Which agencies carry each

Colt AR-15 · 63 agencies

Arcata Police Department (CA) · Atwater Police Department (CA) · Barstow Police Department (CA) · Bear Valley Police Department (CA) · Beaumont Police Department (CA) · Blythe Police Department (CA) · Campbell Police Department (CA) · Carmel Police Department (CA) · Cathedral City Police Department (CA) · Chowchilla Police Department (CA) · Clayton Police Department (CA) · Clearlake Police Department (CA) · Corona Police Department (CA) · Covina Police Department (CA) · Cypress Police Department (CA) · Dinuba Police Department (CA) · El Centro Police Department (CA) · Eureka Police Department (CA) · Exeter Police Department (CA) · Folsom Police Department (CA) · Gardena Police Department (CA) · Glendora Police Department (CA) · Grover Beach Police Department (CA) · Humboldt County Sheriff's Department (CA) · Kensington Police Department (CA) · Kerman Police Department (CA) · La Habra Police Department (CA) · Lodi Police Department (CA) · Los Alamitos Police Department (CA) · Mammoth Lakes Police Department (CA) · Marina Department of Public Safety (CA) · Marysville Police Department (CA) · Montebello Police Department (CA) · Newark Police Department (CA) · Pomona Police Department (CA) · Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety (CA) · Sand City Police Department (CA) · Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office (CA) · Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office (CA) · Santa Clara Police Department (CA) · Seaside Police Department (CA) · Selma Police Department (California) (CA) · Sonora Police Department (CA) · Suisun City Police Department (CA) · Taft Police Department (CA) · Tracy Police Department (CA) · Turlock Police Department (CA) · Walnut Creek Police Department (CA) · Whittier Police Department (CA) · Yolo County Sheriff's Department (CA) · Honolulu Police Department (HI) · Twin Falls Police Department (ID) · Dixon Police Department (Illinois) (IL) · Quincy Police Department (Illinois) (IL) · Lebanon Police Department (Indiana) (IN) · Topeka Police Department (KS) · St. Michaels Police Department (MD) · Tompkins County Sheriff's Office (NY) · Ashland Police Department (Oregon) (OR) · Weber County Sheriff's Office (UT) · and 3 more

All Colt AR-15 agencies with sources →
Colt M4 Carbine · 29 agencies

Paradise Valley Police Department (AZ) · California City Police Department (CA) · Chowchilla Police Department (CA) · El Centro Police Department (CA) · El Monte Police Department (CA) · Fresno Police Department (CA) · Hawthorne Police Department (CA) · Mountain View Police Department (CA) · Orange County Sheriff's Department (CA) · Pleasant Hill Police Department (CA) · Richmond Police Department (CA) · Santa Barbara Police Department (CA) · Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office (CA) · Seaside Police Department (CA) · Signal Hill Police Department (CA) · South Pasadena Police Department (CA) · Torrance Police Department (CA) · Tracy Police Department (CA) · Honolulu Police Department (HI) · Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (LA) · Braintree Police Department (MA) · Grand Rapids Police Department (MI) · Concord Police Department (North Carolina) (NC) · University Police Department, Southern Command (Nevada) (NV) · Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Fed) · Drug Enforcement Administration (Fed) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Fed) · Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (Washington) (WA) · Oshkosh Police Department (WI)

All Colt M4 Carbine agencies with sources →
Smith & Wesson M&P15 · 22 agencies

Chula Vista Police Department (CA) · Gustine Police Department (CA) · Madera County Sheriff's Department (CA) · Menifee Police Department (CA) · Pacifica Police Department (CA) · Simi Valley Police Department (CA) · Tehachapi Police Department (CA) · Twin Falls Police Department (ID) · Garden City Police Department (Kansas) (KS) · Topeka Police Department (KS) · Melrose Police Department (MA) · Detroit Police Department (MI) · Brooklyn Park Police Department (MN) · Faribault Police Department (MN) · Hennepin County Sheriff's Office (MN) · Concord Police Department (North Carolina) (NC) · North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NC) · Norman Police Department (OK) · Chesterfield County Police Department (VA) · Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (Washington) (WA) · Marathon County Sheriff's Office (WI) · Milwaukee Police Department (WI)

All Smith & Wesson M&P15 agencies with sources →
SIG SAUER M400 · 9 agencies

California Highway Patrol (CA) · Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Law Enforcement Division (KS) · Elkton Police Department (MD) · Albany Police Department (New York) (NY) · Schenectady Police Department (NY) · Franklin County Sheriff's Office (Ohio) (OH) · Charleston County Sheriff's Office (SC) · Department of Veterans Affairs Police (Fed) · Vermont State Police (VT)

All SIG SAUER M400 agencies with sources →
Bushmaster XM-15 · 5 agencies

Coalinga Police Department (CA) · El Centro Police Department (CA) · Braintree Police Department (MA) · Melrose Police Department (MA) · Oshkosh Police Department (WI)

All Bushmaster XM-15 agencies with sources →
Colt LE6920 · 5 agencies

Arvin Police Department (CA) · Glendale Police Department (California) (CA) · Pacific Grove Police Department (CA) · Shafter Police Department (CA) · Rochester Police Department (NY)

All Colt LE6920 agencies with sources →
Colt LE6933 · 4 agencies

Bakersfield Police Department (CA) · Lodi Police Department (CA) · San Ramon Police Department (CA) · Clay County Sheriff's Office (Missouri) (MO)

All Colt LE6933 agencies with sources →
Daniel Defense DDM4 · 4 agencies

Downey Police Department (CA) · Santa Ana Police Department (CA) · Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division (GA) · Tennessee Highway Patrol (TN)

All Daniel Defense DDM4 agencies with sources →

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