The Best Gift Ideas for Cops

Every cop needs a good knife. In fact, most officers appreciate knives more than firearms. A good tactical knife is an indispensable tool of the trade.

Knives have plenty of practical, everyday uses in law enforcement, from cutting crime scene tape to cutting right through a seat belt to save a trapped motorist in an emergency situation. Look for folding knives with serrated blades. You can even find knives with built-in seatbelt cutters and window punches—a great all-in-one tool for day-to-day police work.

A police officer's patrol car is their office. And just like any office, it can get cluttered really fast if it's not properly organized. A good officer will be concerned about how their car looks. It's an extension of their professionalism.

They'll want to have access to the stuff they need to do the job: traffic citations, arrest affidavits, policy manuals, flashlights, extra cuffs, and ammunition magazines. All of this has to go somewhere—preferably someplace where it's easy to find and access. A good seat organizer will have a place for everything so your favorite cop can grab what they need quickly.

Ask anyone who has ever worn body armor in the summer and they'll tell you it's hot—really, really hot. The sweat builds up and the vest and uniform can get uncomfortable very quickly. 

The Cool Cop Body Armor Air Conditioning system provides fast relief with a hose contraption that channels cool air from the patrol car's AC and sends it under the officer's vest while they're sitting in the car. There's even a Cool K-9 system for your favorite K-9 officer and their partner on paws. 

It's no secret that cops love their coffee. In fact, that popular police stereotype about cops and doughnut shops was never about the doughnuts. It was about where to get a good cup of coffee.

Sometimes an officer's duties take them away from their beloved cup o' joe prematurely, leaving it to get cold. A good electric travel mug can fix that for your favorite cop by keeping their java nice and hot throughout their shift. It will be ready for them to take a satisfying sip whenever they need it.

There's an old joke that says a good police officer never gets wet. If that were true, there would be a lot of bad officers running around on the streets. Police work doesn't stop when the weather gets a little dicey. In fact, when the rain hits, so do traffic accidents.

This means more paperwork and more mess, at least without the right pen and paper. Waterproof pen and paper sets can help your favorite cop jot down the information they need no matter what the weather. 

Unfortunately, handcuffs are a huge part of any cop's job. Police departments issue cuffs to their officers, but no cop would turn down another good set. And hinge cuffs add another layer of safety that the standard-issue chain-and-swivel cuffs don't offer.

Hinge cuffs make it harder for prisoners to maneuver their hands, so they can't get them in front of them. This makes escape that much more difficult. If the officer makes a lot of arrests, they'll really appreciate a nice set of hinge cuffs to add to their duty belt.

Any handcuffs you purchase will come with a set of keys, but standard-issue handcuff keys can easily be lost or misplaced. They can also be difficult to fish out of your pocket when you need them the most.

A nice, large key, especially one that can be carried in their breast pocket like a pen, is a must-have for a high-activity officer. The ability to get to their handcuff key quickly when trying to cuff someone who is less than accommodating will be greatly appreciated.

Searching people is part of an officer's job, whether it's during an arrest or a stop-and-frisk. It's rarely a pleasant experience, and it can be made much less so by the grooming standards—or lack thereof—of some suspects. This isn't even to mention the grime and disarray found in some vehicles. 

There can also be hazards associated with searching people and cars due to the possibility of needles and other objects that can hurt an officer. Add to that the importance of keeping fingerprints off the evidence, and you can see how important a good set of search gloves can be.  

The ability to communicate with the citizens they serve can be indispensable if an officer works in a ​culturally diverse area. 

Speaking another language isn't a requirement for the job, but it sure can make the job easier. Plenty of software programs can help officers learn a language quickly, and their ability to speak a second language can make them more marketable should they want to seek another career, such as a federal law enforcement job.

A cop is a cop 24 hours a day. The job doesn't necessarily stop just because their shift is over. A lot of officers carry their duty weapons with them wherever they go, even when they're off duty, so they're ready to take action whenever necessary. But they don't like to advertise that fact.

Off-duty and plainclothes cops appreciate ways to carry their weapons discretely. Concealed carry clothing offers just that ability, with secret pockets and holsters sewn right into the shirts and pants to make carrying off duty practical and comfortable.

Even those who aren't police officers know that sinking feeling when their expensive phones slip from their grasp and hit the concrete. It's more likely to happen to a cop, however, given the pace and events of the average day on the job.

You can prevent this disaster with the right case. Even if the phone wasn't expensive, you don't want an officer to be out of communication until their phone can be replaced. Good cases can be waterproof, dustproof, or shatterproof these days—or all three. 

Cops carry a lot of gear, and they want it at the ready. Whether it's equipment they must secure in their home or in the trunk of the car when off duty, greater portability is a must for the active patrol officer.

Tactical duty gear bags have compartments for just about everything an officer might need to get through a day's work, and they can make starting and ending a shift—or swapping cars—a breeze.

Yes, it will happen at some point. Your police officer will be jarred from sleep to respond to an emergency—not in five minutes, but five minutes ago. Groping around their home to find keys, cellphone, and other necessary odds and ends can eat up valuable time.

A simple bedside organizer can take care of that problem. They can close their eyes knowing that everything they might need to get out the door in a hurry is right there within easy reach on the bedside table. 

Law enforcement is a stressful career. Between the dangers of fatigue and the possibility that law enforcement jobs can lead to poor health, your favorite neighborhood police officer has to find a way to unwind. 

It doesn't necessarily have to be golf. One of the best things you can do for that special someone in your life who happens to be a cop is to encourage them to find a hobby outside of work. Help them find an enjoyable way to shed the stress and the rigors of the job.