Safariland makes duty holsters and law enforcement equipment, best known for the retention holster designs that became a standard in policing. Founded in 1964 by Neale Perkins, who started making holsters in his garage and named the company after safaris he took with his father, Safariland grew into a pioneer of the law enforcement market. Along the way it developed the first commercially viable concealable body armor, winning an early LAPD contract, and introduced the first Level III Retention duty holster, innovations that shaped officer safety and made the brand a fixture on duty belts worldwide.

The lineup covers duty and concealment holsters, including light-bearing and optic-cut models, along with duty belts, magazine and equipment carriers, and holster mounting systems. Safariland is known for its retention-graded holsters and its QLS and ELS quick-locking mounting platforms.

Safariland's defining contribution is holster retention. The company helped formalize the retention rating system that classifies holsters by how many deliberate steps it takes to draw, which matters because a duty holster has to resist a weapon takeaway while still allowing a fast, consistent draw by the officer. Its holsters are molded to specific firearm models, including versions cut for weapon lights and optics, and its mounting systems let the same holster move between a duty belt, a drop-leg platform, and a range setup. The combination of proven retention, exact fit, and a deep mounting ecosystem is why Safariland holsters are so widely issued.

Anchor a holster on a duty belt, add magazine pouches for reloads, and equip the firearm with a weapon light or optic.