For those of you who have read Midnight Splash, you’ve met Detective Ignatius Ellison. I’ve tried to make him a person with relationships and depth before focusing on his job, but somehow, he focuses on his job more than his personal life.
Book 2 is only in the drafting phases, so there’s not much to tell. But one of my goals is to make sure it’s clear he has friends who aren’t other cops, lawyers, or anyone else he’d encounter daily during his job.
But from what I’ve learned, some off-duty officers still carry a weapon, or have one very close at hand. That off-duty officer enjoying dinner or a night out with friends – they may have a weapon. But you won’t see it until danger strikes and they need to react.
How do they carry these weapons? Some just stick them in their waistband unholstered. There are the typical external holsters worn on a belt. There are holsters that are worn under a shirt. And the one I found most interesting: the one that fits inside a waistband.
This wasn’t particularly a research rabbit hole – I went straight to a source: my dad. He gave me details about how it worked, whether or not it is comfortable or noticeable to the wearer, and whether or not it is noticeable by an onlooker. I described the very particular instance. He even went on to describe the kind of gun my detective might be carrying in that holster
It was a ten minute phone call resulting in a very clear and detailed answer, for a small mention in a single sentence in a currently 50,000+ word story.