AnsomMag.com |

Brother’s The Police Store • Bronx, NY • Farmingville, NY

In 1990 when Vincent Odierno lost his job as manager and buyer for the firearms dealer Leslie Edelman, he decided to go into business for himself.

With his brother, Donald, a New York City Police detective, Vincent began a mail order company specializing in holsters. Sales proved so successful that the brothers began looking for a retail location.

In 1992, they opened Brother’s The Police Store at 3013 Webster Avenue in the Bronx, New York.

The business grew steadily and in 2004 they expanded to a second store at 644 Horseblock Road in Farmingville, New York on Long Island.

The times were right when the Odierno brothers entered the police supply market, Vincent explained. The New York City Police Department was in the process of switching from revolvers to automatic weapons and needed holsters to accommodate the new guns. Given the boost of a successful mail order business, the transition to general police merchandiser was not difficult to make.

Although Donald Odierno has been a partner in the business since its inception, he has worked in it full time only since retiring from the NYPD.

Today Donald manages the Bronx store and Vincent the Farmingville store.

Although Brother’s Police and Security has its origin in the firearms industry, neither store sells guns. Moreover, New York is one of a handful of states in which stun guns and Tasers are illegal. But Brother’s does a thriving trade in apparel, gear and footwear.

“We carry everything in police and security supplies except guns and ammo,” said Vincent. Inventory includes jackets, pants, shirts, uniforms, footwear, flashlights, holsters, duty belts, gloves, gun cleaning accessories and numerous other items. Distributors are among the top names in the police supply industry, including Blackhawk, Bates, Rocky, 5.11 Tactical, Magnum, Rothco, Smith and Wesson, Hiatt, Uncle Mike, Asp and Monadnock.

Brother’s welcomes the general public as customers for apparel, footwear and accessories, such as knives and flashlights. But the sale of any item with a police logo or any piece of specialized police equipment, including batons, handcuffs and automatic knives, is restricted to persons showing a law enforcement ID.

While the 2,000 square foot Bronx store is located in a heavily foot-trafficked area and enjoys a substantial walk in trade, the 1,000 square foot Farmingville store is off a four lane highway and is primarily a destination store.

Bidding plays an important part of the business, and Brother’s sells directly to several nearby police departments including those in the cities of Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle, New York.