Milwaukee PD & S&W M&P Issue & Response

A P&S staff member received this memo which was directed to All District, Division and Bureaus of the Milwaukee Police Department from Assistant Chief Carianne Yerkes.

“During the armorer cleaning of department duty pistols this in-service session, the Range Staff has identified an issue with the frames of some of the Smith & Wesson pistols. A small, approximately 1/8″, crack in the polymer over molding on the right side of the pistol, to the rear of serial number plate, was noticed. The crack was only visible during a complete armorer
breakdown. The crack is in a thin part of the polymer behind the serial plate.

The internal stainless steel chassis runs through this area of the pistol and bears the stresses from the firing of a cartridge. The chassis is on both sides of the pistol and runs from the front locking block to the rear sear block of the pistol. Smith & Wesson was contacted regarding the issue and company engineers determined it will not affect the reliability and functioning of the pistol; the crack is in an aesthetic area on the frame. additionally, fully assembling the pistol supports the area. The range staff stress tested a pistol with a crack and did not encounter any malfunctions. The testing was conducted by firing hundreds of rounds in varying manners (including freezing the pistol overnight and firing it). This issue will continue to be monitored, with the manufacturer, for any change in the functioning of the pistols.”