How much training to police officers get? Range time?

[wacki]

Just wondering how much range time the average officer gets.

This article puts things in context:

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/169167/

Prof. Joseph Olson writes:

Civilian “combat shooters” who participate in IPSC or IDPA competitions practice, practice, practice, head shots to the bad guy while missing the hostage. Sometimes they do it after 10 push-ups or a 50 yard run (designed to induce physical stress). 99% of the time they miss the hostage and get the bad guy.

Regular street cops are allowed to carry guns but don’t get this level of training.

The student was killed because the city is too cheap to provide adequate realistic training.

 

[XD40scinNC]

Many cops haven't fired their firearm in months, and will usually practice a week or so before they have to qualify, which for many departments is only once or twice a year.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

My state only requires that we qualify annually. My employer has us qualify bi-annually. In good years, when there is extra money/ammo we are sometimes given the opportunity to shoot a day or two more.

 

[wacki]

ColtPythonElite,

About how many rounds do you think you get to fire a year? Practice time, at state expense?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

The round count a single range day to do a bi-annual qualification with a handgun is only about 200, another 50 or so for a rifle, and about a dozen for a shotgun.

 

[mister_murphy]

In NC for my dept and others close by for pistol its 50 day time and 50 night time, once every 12 months. No practice ammo either. Shotgun its 5 rounds buckshot daytime, 5 rounds slug daytime, and 5 rounds buckshot night time, 5 rounds slug night time. During qualification you shoot up last years ammo, and then whatever else is needed to meet the basics. If an officer must reshoot, cost is on the officer. Ammunition must be exact (except for lot number), since the dept doesn't want to pay for independent testing for ballistic equivalent ammo.

 

[9mmepiphany]

It varies a lot in the state from department to department.

When I started 30 years ago, we qualified 4 times a year and could practice with department ammo as much as we liked (on out own time)...our department was about 700 officers.

Over the years it declined to three times a year and then to twice a year (36 rounds)...the department (now up to 1200 officers) provides all qualification ammo; which is the same as duty ammo for liability reasons. Every other year, we spend half a day at the range and shoot about 200 rounds in scenario or tactics training.

At the other end of the scale, the local state college police used to qualify every month...but they only have 16 officers

 

[Thursday45]

All departments are different as are all officers. I would say that there is as much diversity within law enforcment in regards to range time as there is in the general public. Some will train often, others will only hit the mandatory range and quals. You can't look at a department's policy and say, "see, they only have to qualify twice a year therefore they only shoot their guns twice a year."

 

[CoyoteSix]

like what 9mmepiphany said...

My local college Leo program got 30,000 rounds of 9mm to train this year.

 

[Bill4282]

I worked at a range and, on average, the LEOs were the worst shots. My son is a LEO and he gets one box of ammo for training per year for his handgun. He can sometimes get an extra box of ammo, depending on the budget and number of new hires. All other practice ammo is courtesy of Dad who believes in proficiency. No training rounds for his shotgun and no shotgun quals.

 

[45_auto]

Carrying a gun makes a cop a shooter just like riding around in a car all day makes them a race car driver.

Local sheriff's department qualifies once per year when we do our annual 1 week of in-service training.

One day of firearms training. A shotgun scenario, a rifle scenario, a few handgun scenarios, then the POST qualification course that my 9 year old granddaughter can easily shoot expert on.

The department will issue each officer one 50 round box of ammo (to be shot at the training range) per month if they want to practice. Very few take them up on it.

The SWAT team practices MUCH more.

All of the regular competitors at the local IDPA, IPSC matches, etc, are MUCH better at shooting games than any of the cops. On the other hand, I've never seen them under any kind of situation where their actions can mean life or death for someone. I know a LOT of cops that I would prefer to have reacting to a situation rather than someone who's only skill would be escalating it with gunfire. I've haven't seen ANY shooter that NEVER misses.

 

[Robert]

This terrible event and those leading up to it are not really a topic for THR.