In my case I had a hand gun and an officer with a rifle. Also being around inmates that close that's just they way we operated. Over watch is always chamberd.In the two prison comments, why were the shotguns not loaded?
When I was a bus driver I drove a lot of state prisoner transportation.
When a C.O. had a gun it was ready to shoot.
You hear lots of stories about the impact of racking a shotgun, it's mostly theater except in prison. I have seen small riots instantly stop with the racking of a shotgun. Just another step on continuum of force. A useful one at that.
Your CO isnt on a moving bus with a chambered shotgun or rifle in hand. That's just stupid. Just like in police cars long guns are full mags empty chamberd. Hand guns are different of course.
When transporting inmates on buses and we couldnt unload in a Sally port the shot gun officer usually chamberd a round, sometimes on the bus to phuck with them. Otherwise it's full mag empty chamber. A pump gun can be loaded faster than you can shoulder it.
Chain gangs had officers on horseback and they usually chamberd rounds, for us anyways but they were way far from the inmates, 100 yards or so. Even working perimeter patrol I kept my shotgun with a loaded mag empty chamber.
Even tactical units and the DART teams I commanded kept shotguns empty chamberd till we advanced. Everyone is puckered up pretty tight going into a riot. One guy tripped and fired a round in the chow hall. Luckily it was rubber ball buck and it hit the ground first.
I'm sure some place probably does it different.