Know your gear and practice at home

[Gary D.]

One of the things I insist of my team is knowing their gear better than anything else they deal with. Not the repair or maintenance, but using it.

Try this drill.
Have a buddy take all your gear into another room and lay it out on the floor. In total darkness go into the room, put it together and then put it on ready to dive. See how long it takes and how many mistakes were made.

Practice it every so often and your speed and accuracy will increase dramatically. Doing it once in a while will keep skills honed and you will do whatever with your gear by instinct.

If you go to a pistol range watch the shooters put the sidearm back into the holster. Unsure shooters will look at the holster before replacing the weapon. Good shooters will not look and not miss when replacing it. Same principle, Practice, practice, practice.
Several cops have died looking at the holster and not a suspect when returning their weapon. Practice, practice, practice.

Skydivers practice on land prior to flying a trick. Good thing because they could be a big mess on the windshield.

Practice your SCUBA skills at home and you might be surprised on how much you improve with every aspect of diving. Not having to worry about your gear leaves you time to think about the dive it self and enjoy it more.

Gary D.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

If you go to a pistol range watch the shooters put the sidearm back into the holster. Unsure shooters will look at the holster before replacing the weapon. Good shooters will not look and not miss when replacing it. Same principle, Practice, practice, practice.

Several cops have died looking at the holster and not a suspect when returning their weapon. Practice, practice, practice.
Gary D.

That's because most cops have very poor shooting skills
as a result of not practicing AND assuming "nothing will
ever happen".

 

[Gary D.]

That's because most cops have very poor shooting skills
as a result of not practicing AND assuming "nothing will
ever happen".

So very true.

Peactice is a wonderful gift we have been given. One just needs to use it.

Our department is very serious about practice and qualifing. If you fail to qualify after two attempts your car sits and your gun and ID are pulled at the range.

Your on Admin days with no legal powers at that point and are given a ride home. Then it is shooting 101 all over again until you can qualify. You get two more attempts and if you fail them you can be given walking papers.

It should be like that all over.

Gary D.

 

[pipedope]

Several cops have died looking at the holster and not a suspect when returning their weapon. Practice, practice, practice.
Gary D.

Simple practice won't help unless the procedures are correct.
What were these officers doing putting away their weapons before the suspect was completely under control?

I was not a police officer but when I pulled my weapon, somebody died. If the situation is dangerous enough to pull a weapon then it is not safe enough to put the weapon away until things are wrapped up.

My point is, "Practice makes PERMENANT"
"Only PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT"

 

[Gary D.]

Simple practice won't help unless the procedures are correct.
What were these officers doing putting away their weapons before the suspect was completely under control?

I was not a police officer but when I pulled my weapon, somebody died. If the situation is dangerous enough to pull a weapon then it is not safe enough to put the weapon away until things are wrapped up.

My point is, "Practice makes PERMENANT"
"Only PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT"

A suspect is never totally under control until they are at the jail and sometimes that is even questionable.

We don't pull our guns and "Kill someone". Last night, for example, in the 10 hours of a reasonably quiet shift I had my weapon out 11 times. If I had killed 11 people I'd be on death row right with the dirt bags.

Only two of those were actually on a person that another deputy arrested. I was the cover unit. The other 9 times were on prowler calls and building searches.

We normally work alone. We have 1400 sq miles to cover and last night we had 4 on and we rarely saw each other. Keeping that in mind, we have to verbally control someone first. Once we "Think" that person will comply we cuff them and transport.

Now if the situtation meant we had our weapon out, for what ever reason, that weapon has to be secured prior to cuffing or in some cases fighting with the suspect.

Some suspects will be compliant and wait for an officer to make a mistake prior to making an attack. Looking at that holister is a major mistake giving him the 3/4 of a second he needs to take you out.

The majority of the USA is not like you see on COPS. They are small town departments where LEO's work alone. COPS just has to show the most exciting BS we deal with. How many times do they pull a weapon and kill someone?

OK, I forgot to say make sure your doing it right first. That's just common sense.

Gary D.

 

[lairdb]

That's because most cops have very poor shooting skills
as a result of not practicing AND assuming "nothing will
ever happen".

True... but, and I think this was Gary D.'s original point, familiarity and practice build skills.

Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect: In California, the CHP training for reloading had the shooter eject the empty shells from the cylinder into the right hand and pocket them. This was for the convenience of the range staff, who then didn't have to sweep up all the brass. This practice was revised when a patrolman was killed while stuffing his expended brass into his pocket during an exchange of gunfire after a traffic stop gone bad. Under stress, you will do what you practiced.

--Laird

 

[lairdb]

Simple practice won't help unless the procedures are correct.
What were these officers doing putting away their weapons before the suspect was completely under control?

I was not a police officer but when I pulled my weapon, somebody died. [...]

Different circumstances, different answers. The officer is there to apprehend.

You have drawn your weapon; the suspect has surrendered, and is now in whatever compliance position you've ordered him into (e.g. facing away, on knees, fingers laced on top of head, palms up.) Now you need to handcuff suspect. Neither practical nor safest to do so with your weapon still drawn.

This has gone pretty far off-topic; suggest we let this go.

--Laird