Glossary of Police Equipment Terms & Acronyms

ALS The Safariland Automatic Locking System is often called a thumb release or lever, and it sits to the inside of the body of the holster against the user. The system uses an internal locking mechanism that secures the gun in all directions simply upon re-holstering. To release the firearm from a positive lock, the operator must press the lever back. Once the device is released, the firearm can be drawn straight out of the holster with no twisting or other motion required. On Duty Rated Holsters, the ALS provide Level 1 retention. More Information

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Cant/Cantable 'Cant' refers to the angle of which your holster is positioned on the belt loop adapter. Cant is typically boiled down into three sub-categories; Forward cant (Positive cant), neutral cant (Zero-degree cant), and backwards cant (negative cant). Also depending on the belt loop adapter, the degree at which your holster is canted can vary based on user preference.

CSI Acronym for Crime Scene Investigation. A unit of forensic investigators are trained to solve crimes by seeking, examining and processing evidence.

CUBL The Safariland Cantable Universal Belt Loop allows the user to choose the cant position (angle) on their holster based on their preference.
CUBL Link and Adjustable Belt Loop Link

CR123: A compact 3-volt long-life lithium battery commonly used in tactical flashlights. More Information

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DO Doctor Optic. Doctor Optic is an electronic sight manufacture that led the way for others to join the industry. A majority of the market share is taken by other manufactures such as Sig Sauer, Trijicon, Leopold, and Holosun just to name a few.

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EDC Common term to mean Every Day Carry. This term can apply to anything you typically carry every day, but oftentimes refers to knives, flashlights and firearms but also can refer to your key(s), phone, pen, watch, ring(s) and even medical equipment. EDC Items

ELS Equipment Locking System works in a similar fashion as QLS, except ELS is smaller and specifically designed for accessory or equipment hence ELS being Equipment Locking System. ELS is primarily used by competition shooters so they can change their belt set-up on the fly to meet the specific match requirements they are shooting. ELS also has two parts, a fork and a receiver plate. The fork is ELS34, which it attached directly to tactical thigh rig pouches that have 2-stud mounting pots rather than traditional belt loops. The corresponding receiver plate is ELS35, which similar to QLS22 can be mounted anywhere a user would like to place the pouch. As previously mentioned, ELS is popular with competition shooters, so much so that Safariland actually makes a competition belt (Model 032) with copious amounts of holes throughout the belt so the user can attach ELS35 plates where the want/need them. Some ELS Examples

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GLS Grip Locking System, is another firearm retention system that Safariland produced. GLS latches onto the trigger guard of the firearm as it is inserted into the holster. To draw, the user grips their firearm, and in doing so their middle finger naturally lands on the GLS release leaver. With a simple bump/push of the middle finger as you acquire your shooting grip, the GLS mechanism is deactivated and your firearm can be drawn from the holster. Some GLS holster examples

GSR Acronym for Gun Shot Residue. During the discharge of a firearm, escaping gases from the weapon deposit gunshot residue (GSR) on the skin of the shooter’s hands, on the clothing of the shooter, and on other objects located in close proximity to the shooter. There are forensic tests agailable to determine if a subject has GSR on his hands or person. A kit is used to collect and preserve residue. The collectors are bagged, sealed than then sent to a certified laboratory for confirmation. GSR collection kit example

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MLS MOLLE Locking System is designed to attach holsters and other pouches to MOLLE bags, belts, and ballistic carriers. MLS has multiple members of the grouping, but the most common are the MLS15 and MLS16. The MLS15 is the long fork version designed to mount directly onto holsters so they can be woven onto MOLLE compatible locations. The MLS16, on the other hand is the smaller fork version and it is designed so accessory pouches can be attached to MOLLE compatible locations. The MLS16 can be utilized along with the TMA to allow holsters to be mounted and be canted to user preference with 360 degrees of selectable cant. Safariland also produce MLS17 and MLS18, which are the receiver plates for MLS 15 and MLS16, so similar to QLS having the QLS22 for the QLS19, except the MLS 17 and MLS18 have been discontinued due to redundancy as a QLS22 can be attached to both MLS15 and MLS16 so the user can still utilize their QLS equipped holster(s) without having to change mounting systems. Some MLS Examples

MOLLE An acronym for MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. Is an acronym used by the US and other NATO allies as a means of attaching items to their bags, belts, and ballistic armor carriers. Some MOLLE examples

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PRD Pinch Retention Devise is another form of retention that Safariland has on a few of its holsters. The PRD secures the holstered firearm by clamping on to both sides of the trigger guard when the firearm is fully seated. Some PRD examples

Presumptive Test Usually in reference to field testing suspected narcotic material. A positive presumptive test may allow an investigation to move forward, but a conviction may only be optained after confirmation by a certified laboratory. Some Narcotic Test Kit Examples

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QLS Quick Locking System was developed by Safariland to allow the user to have options when it comes to holster placement, and the ability to utilizes multiple holsters on one belt loop adapter. QLS is comprised of two parts. The first is QLS19, which is commonly referred to as a fork due to its design. The QLS19 mounts to any Safariland holster utilizing the standard 3-hole pattern. Holsters can come from the factory with a QLS19 attached, and the way this is denoted is after the finish/draw hand code an additional series of information will be listed as "-MS19". MS stands for Modular System, which is the over aching name for QLS, MLS, and ELS.

The second part of QLS is the QLS22, AKA the receiver plate. QLS22 will mount to any UBL utilizing the 3-hole pattern. QLS22 has a variant called QLS22L, which has an additional locking feature. The additional locking feature is two posts that protrude from the receiver plate and require the tines of the QLS19 to be lifted over them in order to facilitate the removal of the QLS19 from QLS22. UBLs can come from the factor with a QLS22 already installed, and the way this is denoted is by having "-MS22" after the model number; i.e. 6070UBL-2-MS22 is a mid-ride 2.25" belt loop with a QLS22 attached. When a holster comes with both a QLS19 and QLS22, this will be denoted as with the QLS19 after the finish/draw hand code as "-MS30". Some QLS Examples

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RDS Red Dot Sight. RDS is an industry standard term to refer to a weapon mounted optic; typically, on pistols but it can also refer to optics for rifles/long guns/shot guns. While the term RDS is generally only for those optics with a red dot, it can also refer to those with green dots because while they are made, GDS just doesn’t have the same name recognition as RDS.

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SLS The Safariland Self Locking System utilizes a rotating hook mechanism, which provides greater protection against attempted firearm takeaways. To unlock the SLS security mechanism, the user first pushes down, and then rotates the hood forward to the unlocked position. Once the hook is in the open position, the firearm can be drawn from the holster. Duty rated holster with only SLS have a Level II retention

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Tactical Light Key On Streamlight weapon mounted lights such as the TLR-1, TLR-1HL, TLR-2, and TLR-2HL, a specially molded piece of plastic is used to ensure proper fit and placement of the light when attached to firearms via the integrated accessory rail or a SureFire MR11 adapter. This plastic piece is called a key, and as there are different form of accessory rail types, Streamlight include multiple options so the end user can decide which is best for their particular set-up. The standard accessory rail on most firearms is the M1913 picatinny rail, so to ensure the best fit, the key that shows 1913 should be inserted into the light. Examples Here

Thumb Break or Thumb Snap Thumb Break (or Thumb Snap) traditionally refers to leather holsters that have a backstrap used for securing the firearm. To draw the firearm, a user would obtain their shooting grip and them drive their thumb down thus breaking the snap which would allow for the firearm to be drawn from the holster.

TMA Tactical MOLLE Adapter is an adapter piece that Safariland developed to allow holsters to be mounted to a MLS16 with 360 degrees of available cant when compared to the MLS15 where holster placement is semi-fixed. Some TMA Examples

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UBL Universal Belt Loop Adapter. UBLs are an essential part of Safariland holsters, as this is how the holster is attached to your belt. UBLs come in many shapes, sizes and colors because this is an over-arching term to categorize all methods of attaching Safariland holsters to the wearer. Typical examples of a UBL is the model 6070UBL, which is the mid-ride belt loop which accommodates a 2.25" duty belt. Another example of a belt loop is the model 568BL, which is the concealment paddle used on the 6378 or 7378 holsters. Some UBL Examples

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