Lanyard

In the early 1880s, there was a problem of pistols being dropped. As a result, Superintendent W. M. Herchmer, in April 1886, wrote to the commissioner with his solution, sending a sample of the lanyard he had developed for his division. This lanyard was approved and all divisions were quickly outfitted with this piece of equipment.

On June 18, 1886, the divisions were instructed to order enough cod line to outfit all members, stain the line with coffee, and have pistol lanyards made for every man in their division. The lanyard was worn with a large loop over the left shoulder and under the right arm. By 1905, the coffee staining technique was abandoned for a plain white lanyard, and in recent times, new materials such as nylon have replaced the cod line. However, in 1964, the lanyard was restricted to Review Order when the pistol was being worn.