Tag Archives: police training

A Few Long Range Pistol Shots

Wednesday was the annual SWAT Qualification Day and I made time to attend.  Although I am retired from the Team, they graciously let me join them.  After the physical requirements and marksmanship quals were completed, we had additional ammunition for shooting drills. The 100-yard range was open and a few of the guys were testing out some pricey long guns brought by a SWAT medic.  These included an FN SCAR and an FN FS2000.  While the shooters hammered away at distant silhouette paper targets, I decided to give them some friendly competition–with my handgun. On an adjacent shooting bench, I ceremoniously unlimbered my Sig P226 and rested it on a … Continue reading

Posted in Firearms, SWAT | Tagged , | 4 Comments

VHS, the YouTube of Yesterday

Back in 1987 (the year I was sworn in), sending out a hundred training tapes on VHS was the equivalent of something going viral today.  A traffic stop in Los Angeles that year prompted this sarcastic training tape. According to lore, the LA Police Department sent out a roll call safety brief stating that gang members may be using former LA County Sheriff’s Department Chevrolet Malibu’s for criminal activities.  LAPD Harbor Division cops end up stopping a “suspicious” unmarked Chevy Malibu on felony traffic.  The Malibu contains–two sworn LASD deputies!  Despite being in full uniform, the deputies are taken down at gunpoint by the PD officers and detained until an … Continue reading

Posted in Humor | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Video Games Can Aid Police Training

Do you wander around your house, punching out your finger-gun from the low ready, practicing room clearing?  Sure you don’t; neither do I.  And I’ve only been embarrassed about it a couple of times.  I think many of us seek out opportunities to practice our skills whenever we can. First-Person Shooter video games take us on exciting missions in exotic locales.  The danger is not real, but the format is much like a simulator for teaching search techniques.  While not a scenario trainer like, say, a FATS machine, an FPS game can give you reps in considering tactical angles and problem solving. In the confines of a video game, you … Continue reading

Posted in SHOT Show, Street, SWAT, Tactics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Police Training

We sometimes focus too much on technology and equipment in the law enforcement profession.  Real officer safety starts in the brain. In the wake of a critical incident earlier last year, my department decided to send a group of officers to Crisis Intervention Team training.  In a nutshell, the forty-hour CIT training block provides a unique insight into mental illness and how law enforcement can more effectively deal with those in crisis. After taking the CIT course, I can attest to its resolute commitment to officer safety.  From the outset, the instructors stressed that officer safety is of primary importance in dealing with mentally ill persons, and this course was … Continue reading

Posted in Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment