The Police Positive Special was intended primarily for sale to law enforcement agencies and enjoys the distinction of being Colt’s most widely produced revolver design, with over 750,000 built.

[4] Very popular with law enforcement officers due to its light weight, the Positive Special went through a number of series or “issues”.

Built on Colt’s “D” frame,[2][3] it was offered in four-, five-, and six-inch-barreled models,[5] weighing a scant 23 ounces in the four-inch.

Intended to address deficiencies of earlier models such as the Single Action Army, Colt's Positive Lock prevented an accidental discharge even if the lowered hammer was struck or the pistol was dropped, allowing the revolver to be safely carried with all six chambers loaded.

[7] Although some historians disagree, it is believed that somewhere between forty and two hundred Fitz Specials left the factory, made from various Colt revolvers, by Fitzgerald himself.