Training for real-life situations is necessary

I have mentioned in the past that people must prepare for the worst and then hope for the best. We have been conducting active shooter training in schools, and recently had every deputy participate in simulator training designed to help a deputy learn when to shoot and when not to shoot. We train with every aspect of deadly force, stopping a violent person and protecting innocent people, but there is one part of training that is surprisingly non-existent in most law enforcement agencies, the actual shooting!

I heard a story once about a man who was so focused on making sure he did everything right when his wife went into labor that he did not realize until he was at the hospital that he left his wife at home! Sometimes it can be easy to overlook the obvious and focus on everything besides the most important ones. According to some studies nationwide, 80 percent of law enforcement officers only fire their guns once a year for training when it is mandated by their department, and many times that training is simply firing their weapon at a target while they are standing still.

How often do law enforcement officers practice firing their weapon with gloves on? The answer, is not many at all. And yet how often do you see law enforcement dealing with a situation while wearing gloves? Some departments include a nighttime qualification on the range, which is very important because many shootings that take place are at night, and firing a weapon in the dark is very different from firing one in the daytime. Even most of the training in the police academy is done while standing still in front of a target, but in real life this is very rarely how a shooting takes place.

I watched a video not long ago of a deputy that made a traffic stop on a vehicle involved in an armed robbery. From the dash cam in the car you can see the passenger jump from the car and start shooting at the windshield of the deputy's car. The deputy did not even have time to get his seatbelt off. As the gunman walked toward the deputy's car still shooting, the deputy had to draw his gun and fire back at the gunman from inside his car. I am guessing that is something he had never done in training before.

Another video I watched during some training I attended showed an officer trying to shoot at a gunman while running. The gunman, who had just killed several people, was shooting at the officer while running away. The officer was able to stop the gunman, but said later in an interview that he had never fired his weapon while running and out of breath.

The Sheriff's Office has developed training schedules that will allow deputies to receive actual training with their firearms in real life scenarios, and with special pricing on ammo made available to the Sherriff's Office, deputies will now be able to train with their firearms throughout the year so they will truly be prepared for the worst as we hope for the best.