Key Takeaways
- Staccato, formerly STI, announced on October 13, 2020, that more than 250 law enforcement agencies had approved its pistols for duty use. By April 2025, the company claimed more than 1,600 agencies, a total that combines agencies that issue the pistol with those that only permit officers to carry one.
- On June 6, 2023, Ontario, California, police staff recommended that the city council authorize an agreement with Staccato 2011, LLC for a “Staccato Weapons System.” The package included pistols along with a lifetime warranty, annual inspections, and armory and transition courses.
- Several agencies issue other pistols but authorize officers to buy and carry a Staccato. The Garden Grove Police Department, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office all require inspection, training, or qualification before an officer can carry one on duty.
Staccato 2011, LLC of Georgetown, Texas, is the company formerly known as STI, the maker best known for the double-stack “2011” pistol that dominated competition shooting. After a change in ownership, the company renamed itself Staccato. It moved away from its earlier business of selling frames and parts to custom gunsmiths and began producing complete pistols for law enforcement, concealed carry, and competition. Its principal duty model, the Staccato P, is a 9mm pistol with a 4.4-inch bull barrel. It is offered with a steel or aluminum frame and with or without an optic-ready slide [1].
Law enforcement adoption of the pistol appears in two kinds of record. The manufacturer publishes cumulative approval figures. Individual agencies record their own decisions in council agenda reports, written firearms policies, and statements to the press. The agency records show three distinct forms of adoption: department issue, authorization of officer-purchased pistols, and limited purchases for evaluation and specialized units.
The Manufacturer’s Count
On October 13, 2020, Staccato announced that more than 250 law enforcement agencies had approved its pistols for duty use. The company’s chief executive, Nate Horvath, stated that its first law enforcement relationships had been formed less than two years earlier. The release named the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and the Long Beach Police Department. It also quoted Sgt. Patrick Dougherty, who took part in Long Beach’s year-long evaluation of the pistol. The company’s own description in the release listed the U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group, the Texas Rangers, and LAPD Metro among its users [2].
The count grew quickly. By December 2022, Police Magazine reported that Staccato pistols were either issued by or approved for carry by more than 650 agencies [1]. In June 2023, a City of Ontario staff report stated that more than a thousand agencies had purchased from the company [3]. In April 2025, the company’s website claimed more than 1,600 agencies [4]. These figures come from the manufacturer. They combine agencies that issue the pistol with agencies that only permit officers to carry one [1].
Department Issue: Ontario, California
On June 6, 2023, the Ontario City Council received a consent-calendar agenda report from its police department, presented by Chief of Police Mike Lorenz. The report recommended that the council authorize the city manager to execute a goods and services agreement with Staccato 2011, LLC for what it called the “Staccato Weapons System.” It proposed funding the purchase from the city’s Department of Justice asset seizure fund [3].
The report described the system as a package of equipment and services rather than pistols alone. The package included a lifetime warranty, annual inspections, and replacement of parts or firearms at no additional cost. It also included an armory course and a firearms transition course for the department’s range armorers and firearms instructors. Staff cited reduced recoil and consistent improvement in qualification scores and groupings, and recommended the agreement unanimously [3].
Written Authorization Lists: Garden Grove, California
The Garden Grove Police Department’s published firearms policy, Policy 306, shows a different model. The department issues Glock pistols. The policy also authorizes uniformed personnel to carry the Staccato P, XC, C2, and C as primary weapons. Any Staccato used as a department weapon must have a trigger weight of 4 to 4.5 pounds. Detectives and other non-uniformed personnel may also carry the Staccato CS and HD C3.6. Staccato appears on the list of approved manufacturers for backup and off-duty handguns as well [5].
The policy places these pistols within a longer tradition. Officers who qualified before September 1, 2009, may continue to carry 1911-style pistols by Colt, Kimber, or Para-Ordnance with 4- or 5-inch barrels. An officer who chooses a personally owned duty firearm needs written approval from the chief of police or a designee. The firearm must pass a rangemaster or armorer inspection, and the officer must qualify with it. The officer must also give the rangemaster the pistol’s make, model, color, serial number, and caliber, and the rangemaster keeps that information on file [5].
Officer-Purchased Carry: San Mateo County and Jacksonville
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office in California issues the Glock 45. Its written policy dated November 12, 2025, also preapproves deputy-owned sidearms in five categories, one of which is “Staccato 9mm or 2011 Platform 9mm.” Deputies who choose one buy and maintain it themselves. The rangemaster must inspect the pistol, and it must carry a red dot optic. Deputies carrying a single-action pistol such as a 1911 or 2011 must score 90 percent to qualify, compared with 80 percent for striker-fired pistols. Deputies who want to carry a Staccato must also complete an eight-hour in-house transition course. A September 2026 account reported that 217 personnel carried the Glock 45, 19 carried the Staccato 2011, and eight carried other authorized sidearms [6].
In Florida, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office told WJXT in April 2025 that it was not replacing its issued Glocks with Staccato pistols. The agency said it had bought some Staccatos for testing and evaluation and for its SWAT unit, and that its Firearms Training Academy staff had been trained on the pistol. Officers may buy a Staccato at their own expense. Once trained and proficient with it, they may carry it on duty in place of the issued Glock. The agency said that authorizing employee-purchased firearms had been its practice across multiple administrations [4].
In San Mateo County, a deputy who does not reach the 90 percent standard gets one immediate retry. A deputy who fails that second attempt is issued a Glock 45 and cannot carry the Staccato on duty [6].
Frequently Asked Questions
Staccato 2011, LLC of Georgetown, Texas, makes Staccato pistols. The company was formerly known as STI, the maker best known for the double-stack 2011 competition pistol.
On October 13, 2020, Staccato announced that more than 250 law enforcement agencies had approved its pistols for duty use. Its chief executive said the company had formed its first law enforcement relationships less than two years earlier.
The City of Ontario, California, did so in a June 6, 2023, consent-calendar agenda report presented by Chief of Police Mike Lorenz. The report recommended an agreement with Staccato 2011, LLC, funded from the city’s Department of Justice asset seizure fund.
Uniformed personnel may carry the Staccato P, XC, C2, and C as primary weapons, and non-uniformed personnel may also carry the CS and HD C3.6. Any Staccato used as a department weapon must have a trigger weight of 4 to 4.5 pounds.
At the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, deputies carrying a single-action pistol such as a 2011 must score 90 percent to qualify, compared with 80 percent for striker-fired pistols. Deputies who want to carry a Staccato must also complete an eight-hour in-house transition course.
Sources
[1] Butts, Andrew. “Firearms Review: Staccato’s 2011 P Pistol.” Police Magazine, December 20, 2022.
[2] Staccato 2011, LLC. “Staccato 2011® Pistols Approved for Duty by Over 250 Law Enforcement Agencies.” PR Newswire, October 13, 2020.
[3] City of Ontario, California. Agenda Report: A Goods and Services Agreement with Staccato 2011, LLC. Item No. 6, Consent Calendar, City Council meeting of June 6, 2023.
[4] Minor, Tarik. “JSO Allows Officers to Carry Personal Staccato Handguns Instead of Department-Issued Glocks.” WJXT News4JAX, April 22, 2025.
[5] Garden Grove Police Department. Policy 306: Firearms. Garden Grove Police Department Policy Manual, n.d., pp. 1-7.
[6] LaPedis, Ron. “Beyond Choosing the Gun: How to Manage a Duty Pistol Transition.” Police1, September 1, 2026.
