So yesterday had to report for annual firearm requalification. Always an exercise in patience and shooting skill (or lack there of). Did good, qualified with a 296 cold on the practice round. Granted it's not the most challenging course. But it will make you grind your teeth and shake your head at the number of people who struggle to draw their weapons, freeze on a malfunction, or struggle to shoot the minimum.

Of course there is usually the old "you don't want to shoot a high score if you ever have to go to court" argument plus the "I don't have time to live at the range" argument.

It just ticks me off for the excuses. In the past 2 months I've had a total of 6 full days off. With 15 -12 hour shifts, plus mandatory and optional OT, municipal, state and superior court appearances, mandatory and optional training, part time jobs, and actually spending time with my wife and family, I've Ben able to go the range twice and maybe put a hundred rounds down range. I hear the same arguments for going to the gym. I understand you're busy. I don't expect them to spend every waking hour they're not working or sleeping at the gym or range. But I would like to know if the SHTF you can reasonably have my back or even make it to me without having a heart attack or arriving so spent you're more of a hindrance than an asset. It's the same arguments at every class or qualification and nothing is better.

Rant over.

It is good to hear from certain deputies and training cadre that they'd want you at their back.


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Of course there is usually the old "you don't want to shoot a high score if you ever have to go to court" argument

I'm not cop, but when I hear excuses like this, it sounds like sour grapes from people who are both butthurt that you're better at a fundamental skill, and too lazy to get better at it themselves.

Why is a high score a bad thing in court?

Because people rationalise that if you demonstrate your skill as being "too good", if you ever have to shoot someone to stop them and they are accidentally killed in the process; apparently there is a belief that the lawyers will go back to your perfect score and say you could have shot to wound/disable, yet purposefully chose to maliciously kill the person or suspect.

I hear you don't want perfect scores because if you throw a shot and strike an unintended target in real life somehow that will be used against you.

A qualification score is generally a minimal test merely to show proficiency. Most qual courses aren't challenging if you are a good shooter.

The reason you see people not practicing is the average patrol cop has about a 1 in 100 chance of being in a shooting in 20 years of a career. The pistol is just another tool. But as I like to say everything's good until it isn't...

Just for comparison a K9 cop has a 1 in 15 chances of being involved in a shooting.


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Wow! 

Why the disparity? I never would have thought canine units would be in so much more danger compared to other cops.

It's a very high risk assignment. Think about it...a K-9 unit isn't called out unless there's already a serious problem in the works and tracking a fleeing suspect is always living on the edge

Wow! 

Why the disparity? I never would have thought canine units would be in so much more danger compared to other cops.

Sarge pretty much hit it.  K9s go to pretty much every high risk low frequency call that come out for the whole city. They're responding to search for known dangerous felons.  They respond to search for people who ran and you don't know why. Those can actually be more dangerous then chasing the known felon. We look for people who have fought the cops, ran, and are hiding.

K-9 and SWAT have historically been the most likely to be involved in shootings because they are responding to the high risk calls

15 years ago and a career change ... I was Wackenhut CPO.  (same uniform as this guy)



I always dreaded going to yearly Quals.
Not only have I been barrel flagged by coworkers,
I've also been asked to 'help' a newbie ... put a few in their target's 10 ring, so they can pass minimums and get put to work.
to top things off, when I was first hired, I turned down the first three revolvers they tried to issue me, because of crappy condition. 
The S/W mod 65 I did take, even after a good field cleaning ... I had a ND when I closed the cylinder on live rounds.
the internals of the gun were SO gunked up, that the safety bar and hammer pin didn't work properly....  and I missed it until too late.


you want horror stories of Qual Day?  I've got Seven years worth that'll give you a 10 year fright.

This is the Kansas C-POST mandated yearly qual course.  Every LEO in Kansas has to shoot and pass this course at least once per training year. The only tricky part on this one is ammo management.

(as side notes,  we despise this course as lame, and only do this one the required 1 time a year.  The other courses we use are more challenging, we shoot on average 6 times per year, with at least 2 night / dim light shoots.  also the KS C-POST course passing is 70%.   our dept minimum passing is 80% and hits touching the line DON"T COUNT.  the hit has to be fully inside the target to count. We also do our courses Cold Barrel.  No practice, no warm ups.)


COURSE OF FIRE

Stage 1

    3 yard line
        Beginning on the 1 1/2 yard line, shooter will draw and fire 3 rounds as they are stepping backward and moving laterally one step. Shooter will re-holster and repeat the procedure again on command.
        2 strings of 3 (6 rounds total)
        3 seconds per string

Stage 2

    5 yard line
        Shooter will draw and fire 3 rounds from a two-hand supported grip. Shooter will reholster and repeat this procedures on command.
        2 strings of 3 (6 rounds total)
        5 seconds per string

Stage 3

    7 yard line
        Shooter will fire 2 rounds from the threat ready position with weapon in strong hand, supported by the weak hand. The weapon is then transitioned to the weak hand and supported by the strong hand for the final 2 rounds.
        1 string of 4 (4 rounds total)
        10 seconds
    7 yard line
        Shooter will fire 3 rounds from threat ready, strong hand only, one-hand shooting grip.
        1 string of 3
        4 seconds
    7 yard line
        Shooter will fire 3 rounds from threat ready while moving laterally one step, using the two-hand supported grip. Reholster and repeat on command.
        2 strings of 3 (6 rounds total)
        4 seconds per string

Stage 4

    10 yard line
        Shooter will draw and fire 4 rounds using the two-hand supported grip. Reholster and repeat on command.
        2 strings of 4 each (8 rounds total)
        5 seconds per string

Stage 5

    15 yard line
        Shooter will draw and fire 4 rounds using a two-hand, supported grip.
        1 string of 4 (4 rounds total)
        6 seconds
    15 yard line
        Shooter will draw and fire 3 rounds using a two-hand, supported grip.
        1 string of 3 (3 rounds total)
        5 seconds

Stage 6

    25 yard line
        Shooter will draw and fire 5 rounds from a two-hand, supported grip around a barricade in a standing position.
        1 string of 5 (5 rounds total)
        15 seconds
    25 yard line
        Shooter will draw and fire 5 rounds from a two-hand, supported grip around a barricade in a kneeling position.
        1 string of 5 (5 rounds total)
        15 seconds

I requalified in November.  I'm glad every year when nobody is killed.  Our is pass/fail.

I think I have to do mine next month. I hate it. Which is sad. I used to love it now I hate it so much that I hardly practice at all because it feels like well I should go get some practice for work done but, I hate work and ammo is expensive. So then it becomes real easy to not hit the range especially with my limited free time. As a result I hate to say it but I don't shot nearly as well as I used to. I really need to go more. Once I get shooting I usually enjoy it, it is just getting over that mental block. As well I have plenty of those horror stories that I have aqumulated over the years.

It baffles me why they would want a LEO out on the street that couldn't qualify. Have them practice and get some training so that they can actually hit the target. Do you know why they pushed them through? Maybe they needed more officers on the street?

It sounds to me like they should have someone there to make sure that each officer actually qualified, instead of having a few officers qualify for them. 

Wackenhut is a private security company.

Kansas C-POST is the standard FBI Q target.  which we generally use for most of our other shooting since we keep a bunch on hand. some courses call for a 6 inch paper plate,  some for a post it note 3x3,  others, colors or shapes.

other places, other courses, other targets.   some use the old huge upper torso, others  just use a bullseye. 

What is the target size on the Kansas C-Post?

What are target sizes for other Qual's?