American Cop’s 2025 Christmas Gift Guide

Hopefully, you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. And that means Christmas and Hanukkah are just around the corner. If you have finished your shopping, awesome. If you are concerned because you haven’t done that yet, this article is for you.

Low Light

 

Many officers, regardless of agency, end up working in low light. I have come across a few useful products for that environment. If you are worried about recovering any objects you might drop in the dark, look at Glow Rhino’s offerings. They make tritium vials with key ring attachments. The vials come in different colors and a variety of housings – plastic and metal. I have put them on several handheld lights and my key ring.

Glow Rhino Glow Fobs

 

Another add-on is the coin-cell-sized LED lights. You can attach them to a zipper pull on your jacket or armor. I always had one with my handcuff key. One significant advantage is a little bit of light when you need to see a lock, rather than a whole lot of light you don’t need. The red and green LEDs have worked great for me; I buy them from Amazon, but there are several other options.

 

 

Modlite has been very successful over the past few years, gaining a strong foothold in the law enforcement market. Their original products were all Made In The USA, which I completely support. That can adversely impact individual and agency purchases, as domestic law enforcement lacks its own version of the Berry Amendment. Modlite created their Noxon line to address this. While the components are manufactured overseas, the lights are assembled and tested here in the U.S. The Noxon line includes handheld & weapon-mounted lights. Like Modlite, they have heads with a combination of high candela output.

Modlite’s Noxon line

Firearms?

Buying firearms as a gift is a whole lot of difficult. If you are considering buying your loved one something in that category, check whether the store offers gift cards or certificates. That keeps all involved away from potential federal firearms violations. And it allows the recipient to get a firearm that “works” for them.

You could, however, go with the Ace Virtual Reality shooting simulator. You can buy it with or without the Meta Quest headset. Headsets that replicate the Sig P320 & 365, Arctus, Staccato P, and HD-P, Shadow Systems’ MR920, and Sand Viper pistols. If you aren’t sure which one to buy, they are advertising a gift certificate option.

Ace VR Shooting

Accessories

 

Slip2000 is a California-based company making some exceptional gun cleaning products and lubricants. The biggest benefit? The smell or, more accurately, the lack of smell. We have all used cleaning products that, too, stunk and had a horrible chemical odor. Having used their 725 Cleaner & Degreaser and extreme weapon lubricants for as long as I can recall, I have never smelled anything objectionable from them. They sell complete cleaning kits as well as up to agency-size quantities of the cleaning fluids and lubricants.

Slip2000

 

Battery Storage

Between handheld and weapon-mounted lights, we need and are using more batteries more often. Regardless of what kind of batteries you are using, it would be a good idea to have some with you.

Thyrm makes two different offerings. First, there are single- and double-cell versions of the Cell Vault that can be mounted to an external vest carrier. Second, they make the CellVault-5M, which holds a variety of batteries – 18350, 18650, CR123, and coin cells.

Thyrm CellVault

 

 

There is also the Stretchable Battery Thing from The Wilderness Tactical. I bought two for my range bag. One holds CR-123 batteries, and another takes AAAs. Both are made from their proprietary, durable, and thick elastic.  

https://thewilderness.com/product-tag/stretchable/

 

While we are talking batteries, those CR2032 coin cells that power many of our optics have a couple of issues. One is the bitterant coating to prevent kids from eating them. Second, if they come into contact with another battery, their service life plummets due to rapid power loss. Keep them out of physical contact with other cells. If you are going to carry them, keep them in the individual circular blister pack. 

 

Hearing Protection

 

It’s difficult to have enough hearing protection, even if you do own suppressors. Over the last year, I have been using in-ear electronic protection from OTTO Engineering. Specifically, the NoizeBarrier Micro. This type of ear pro comes in a protective carrier that doubles as a charging station.

Instead of the original foam plugs, I have been using replacement foam from Skull Screws. I do not use these when shooting handguns and shotguns outdoors. Admittedly, I do not use them with rifles or indoors.  

OTTO NoizeBarrier

 

Snivel Gear

 

There is no good way to be cold, actually cold. But the suck factor can be minimized. One way is with comfortable, insulated clothing. For the past several years, I have been wearing two different Helion jackets from Defense Mechanisms, a U.S. company. Since moving to the mountains, I have most often used their hooded, pull-over style – the Helion type B pull-over.

There are men’s and women’s versions, including pull-over and zippered styles, with or without hoods, and with or without loop tape panels on the sleeves.

 Defense Mechanisms

Final Thoughts

I hope that you, your loved ones, and your co-workers have a peaceful holiday season. But I know better. Please stay focused. And remember – WIN! What’s Important Now.
Everything above has been proven — by myself or a trusted peer — to be a practical, reasonably priced piece of gear applicable to the working road deputy or street cop world, as well as to those working in peripheral fields.