“It’s been by my side for 26 years,” Officer Paul Sulzbach said as he exchanged his revolver for a 9 mm handgun. By Craig Ruttle Special to amNewYork Updated June 1, 2018 9:28 AM Click for original article and videos. A well-worn leather holster holds a revolver hanging from the gun belt of NYPD Officer Paul Sulzbach as he patrols in midtown. That gun and holster will soon become a relic of the past, replaced by a modern 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and holster, made of modern synthetic materials. Sulzbach, 49, on the force since 1992, is one of 29 officers who have retired their service revolvers this week while training at Rodman’s Neck gun range in the Bronx, after being certified with a 9 mm semiautomatic. With some apprehension, Sulzbach spent this week at the gun range to get accustomed to his new weapon. Referring to the revolver, Sulzbach said, “You become attached to it. It’s been by my side for 26 years.” Moments after speaking about the former service revolver on Wednesday, Sulzbach joined more than two dozen fellow officers as they loaded, reloaded, fired dummy rounds and did more to familiarize themselves with the new weapons. “Today, we have one of our last scheduled classes of a three day transition from the .38[-caliber] revolver to 9 mm semiautomatic pistol,” said Richard G. DiBlasio, inspector and commanding officer of Firearms and Tactics Sector. “We have 29 students today, our last group. Because Commissioner O’Neill cares about the safety of the police officer and police department, he wanted this transition over.” By Aug. 31, all officers will be transitioned to the semiautomatics, which were first introduced into the force by former Commissioner Bill Bratton when [...]