Officer Robert Hindi

Hindi feels that important gear should be toward the
Front of the belt, and reachable with either hand.

S.A.F.E.T.Y. System

Developed over the many years he’s worked the streets and taught for Caliber Press at their famed Street Survival Seminars, Robert’s concept is called SAFETY System. The acronym stands for Safer Accessibility and Faster, more Effective Tactics for You.
Hindi puts heavy emphasis on ambidextrous access to all equipment. All manner of situations can tie up one of the officer’s arms, and gear that can only be reached with one hand is now out of action. Hindi strongly suggests spare magazines be carried to the weak hand side of the belt buckle, in a vertical position he feels enhances accessibility as well as taking up less space on the belt.

A master of the telescoping baton, Hindi urges the impact weapon be worn on the opposite hip, angled forward. This allows a draw-to-a-strike executed cross-draw with the dominant hand, and permits the non-dominant hand to either whip the baton out into its extended position back-handed, or to draw to a butt-strike. Hindi warns against carrying the baton behind the holster as it may interfere with holster function or secondary holster safety devices.

Gear to the Front!

Hindi is emphatic the back of the belt be kept clear, and vital equipment be carried at the front. That’s partly an accessibility issue, and partly to reduce the likelihood of back injury if the officer falls. Hindi’s collected aggregate of police experience can save cops from learning the hard way, and making sure they get the lesson in time. Like many, he suggests the one thing belonging at centerline on the back of the belt is the pouch for latex-type gloves. In this location, the soft glove pouch acts as a cushion spine area.
Reaching behind your back for cuffs can set you up for an armlock applied by an unseen suspect, and also slows your reaction time if you need that hand to block a sudden surge of violent movement. Hindi suggests the cuff pouch be placed at the front of the duty belt on the dominant hand side.

Mic Placement

One thing I got out of Robert’s presentation was the decision to move my radio mic. In uniform, I’d been keeping it clipped to the epaulet of the uniform shirt on the non-dominant side. In his training DVD titled “Hindi Duty Belt SAFETY System,” Hindi makes a strong argument for moving it to centerline on the uniform shirt. This gives keying access to either hand, and reduces an opponent’s ability to try to strangle you with the microphone cord. Center placement of the mic also prevents turning one’s side toward the offender, which can open up your body armor to the opponent. Yes, the hard mic does now lie on your sternum, but it’s where your body armor can shield you from impact.

Planning Beforehand

Robert Hindi’s duty belt system is a very well researched, and well thought out, body of information. Hindi has earned an excellent reputation as an instructor in a spectrum of officer survival/officer safety disciplines. As to the topic at hand, I can strongly recommend his DVD, “Hindi Duty Belt SAFETY System,” available on his Web site.

For more info: www.batoncap.com.

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