Duty Arms IndexWhich police departments use the Colt AR-15?
Data coverage: Based on 80 agencies in the Duty Arms Index with a current, sourced Colt AR-15 entry, any role except SWAT/tactical-unit listings (entries the source lists as a Colt AR-15 (Colt's LE6920-series carbines and the M4 Carbine have their own pages)). Shares are of 200 agencies with a sourced primary patrol rifle. 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 agency. Data last updated Oct 10, 2026.
How agencies issue it
Each agency counted once, under its highest role for the Colt AR-15.
- Primary duty66 (82.5%)
- Other / authorized14 (17.5%)
By agency type
- Local police71
- Sheriff's office9
Variants and generations
As named in each agency's source.
- Colt AR-1580 agencies
Colt AR-15 agencies by state
Every agency with a current, sourced Colt AR-15 entry, largest first. Each links to its loadout, sources and history.
- California66 agencies
Alameda County Sheriff's Office · Humboldt County Sheriff's Department · Inyo County Sheriff's Department · Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office · Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office · Yolo County Sheriff's Department · Arcata Police Department · Atwater Police Department · Banning Police Department · Barstow Police Department · Bear Valley Police Department · Beaumont Police Department · Belmont Police Department · Blythe Police Department · Campbell Police Department · Carmel Police Department · Cathedral City Police Department · Chowchilla Police Department · Clayton Police Department · Clearlake Police Department · Cloverdale Police Department · Corona Police Department · Covina Police Department · Cypress Police Department · Dinuba Police Department · El Centro Police Department · Eureka Police Department · Exeter Police Department · Folsom Police Department · Gardena Police Department · Glendora Police Department · Grover Beach Police Department · Hemet Police Department · Hermosa Beach Police Department · Hillsborough Police Department · Kensington Police Department · Kerman Police Department · La Habra Police Department · Lodi Police Department · Los Alamitos Police Department · Mammoth Lakes Police Department · Marina Department of Public Safety · Marysville Police Department · Montebello Police Department · Newark Police Department · Palm Springs Police Department · Placentia Police Department · Pomona Police Department · Port Hueneme Police Department · Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety · San Ramon Police Department · Sand City Police Department · Santa Clara Police Department · Sausalito Police Department · Seal Beach Police Department · Seaside Police Department · Selma Police Department (California) · Sonora Police Department · Suisun City Police Department · Taft Police Department · Tracy Police Department · Turlock Police Department · Tustin Police Department · Union City Police Department · Walnut Creek Police Department · Whittier Police Department
- Illinois2 agencies
Dixon Police Department (Illinois) · Quincy Police Department (Illinois)
- Utah2 agencies
Weber County Sheriff's Office · West Jordan Police Department
- Hawaii1 agency
- Idaho1 agency
- Indiana1 agency
- Kansas1 agency
- Maryland1 agency
- Missouri1 agency
- New York1 agency
- Oregon1 agency
- Virginia1 agency
- Washington1 agency
Frequently asked
- Which police departments use the Colt AR-15?
- 80 law enforcement agencies in the Duty Arms Index currently issue the Colt AR-15, including Honolulu Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Humboldt County Sheriff's Department and Inyo County Sheriff's Department. 66 of them carry it as their primary patrol rifle. The list covers entries the source lists as a Colt AR-15 (Colt's LE6920-series carbines and the M4 Carbine have their own pages).
- How common is the Colt AR-15 in police service?
- 66 of 200 agencies with a sourced primary patrol rifle (33%) issue the Colt AR-15 as that primary, making it the #1 patrol rifle family in the index.
- Which states have the most agencies using the Colt AR-15?
- California (66), Illinois (2), Utah (2) and Hawaii (1). Agencies in 13 states have a sourced Colt AR-15 entry. State counts follow where the index has the most sourced agencies, so they are not a census.