I think I'm responsible for the concern over drop-opening the heavier Spydies. I'd seen a Mariner and a Police that sheared their locking bars off and thought that this was the cause. Sal said that it was more likely due to flicking the knives open inertially - he says they do discourage this because great force is required to overcome the lockback tension, but they don't discourage the drop method.
It's an excellent opening method, too. Very fast
As a utility knife the Police has a few drawbacks. It has very little belly and a very shallow hollow grind. Sal explained that this was because a straight edge was preferred for one specific task - seatbelt cutting. The Police grew out os an LEO request for "Mariner with a tip." The tip it got is needle-like and can take about a 1.5" false edge if you like, covered by the handle. It's a bit brittle, as slim tips will be.
The steel-handled model is notoriously heavy, over 5oz. It's also slippery. The titanium, uncoated aluminum, and TufRam-coated aluminum models all improve weight, but are just as slick (and all are hard to find). The new G-10 model is the lightest ever (3.3oz) and pleasantly grippy - but I do find its light weight makes "drop" opening a bit trickier. It also sports a full flat grind on the newer versions, much better cutting geometry but perhaps a bit weaker.
Old Police models are in G-2 (later GIN-1), which is tough, has good corrosion resistance, easy resharpening, and mediocre edge-holding. Titanium models have ATS-34 blades - better edge-holding but corrode more easily and are substantially harder to sharpen, as well as a bit brittle. All new models (steel and G-10) have ATS-55 blades, a bit easier to sharpen than ATS-34 but roughly similar.
It is a classic design and still a solid performer. For utility I'd definitely favor a Military or Calypso due to their better blade shapes and steels. I don't feel the Police is a good defensive knife because it has very little guard, so a thrust into hard material carries substantial risk of sliding the hand onto the blade. For pure slashing, the Civilian is a much better alternative. What does the Police have going for it? It's slim, it's comfortable, and it's time-tested. I own two (Ti and G-10), but they don't get as much pocket time as the Civilian, Military, or AFCK.
-Drew
