In the wake of the Haywood Hendricks shoot-out I posted a question about patrol rifles to Twitter but got this reply from the official Richmond Police Department account:

RichmondPolice @richmondguns We appreciate your interest, but we don't discuss tactics or tactical plans because of their sensitive nature.

Fair enough. I researched it on my own, but didn't find much. Based on a forum post at a police community site, it seems that "tactical" police officers, i.e. SWAT team members, have M-16A rifles, and that the Richmond Police Department is seeking to outfit more officers with M-16As over time.

Why is this important? For one thing it's much safer for police officers to have access to rifles when they have an expectation that they will be confronting a violent offender. One police officer and writer has this to say about patrol rifles:

It’s simple: Only a fool will knowingly take a handgun to a gunfight. In the event you haven’t figured it out, we in law enforcement carry handguns not because they’re effective, but because they are portable. While the police handgun can bring about rapid incapacitation, this type of effectiveness is a direct result of shot placement, which is difficult to achieve during the fluid, rapidly changing activity commonly known as a gunfight. I have spent my entire adult life studying the art of gun fighting, and I’m convinced long guns are far superior to handguns.

It's also safer for law-abiding citizens. The longer a gun battle continues in a densely populated area, the more likely it is that a bystander will be struck by a stray round. And as anyone can see from the WTVR shootout video, gunfights conducted with pistols can last for a while and put a lot of lead in the air. Given the number of armed conflicts that have occurred between Richmond Police and armed bad guys this year, it would seem like a good idea for the RPD to expedite placing rifles in patrol cars.

One option might be for the Richmond Police Department to purchase non-military carbine rifles, which compared to the M-16A are often cheaper, and require less maintenance and training. There's an excellent article on the police carbine here.