Armor piercing bullets for police?

Question

Are regular patrol police allowed to carry armor piercing bullets in their service guns? If so, what do you have to do to carry them? If not, who can?

Answer 1

We don't carry them for the most obvious reason. Bullets don't magically stay inside human beings. If you shoot a person and the bullet goes through them, it still travels downrange. It doesn't throw it's arms up and say "I'm done! Think I'll just drop down behind this guy I just punched through".  Armor piercing is better suited for the military where collateral damage isn't as big of a concern on the battlefield.

Answer 2

Not generally, though it is available in some areas if needed.  The average patrol officer would most likely be carrying a standard hollowpoint, in order to minimize overpenetration.  Armor piercing would over-overpenetrate in most cases.  

Very few on-duty police officers are allowed to carry anything that isn't issued to them with their service weapon.