Citizen Police Academy: week 7

Deep in Blue, originally uploaded by tal0w.

Shoot/don't shoot. That is the question we explored in this class, during our first simulated training exercise. Last week we got to handle a disassembled Glock and some different caliber bullets while discussing firearms safety. This week was a real hands-on experience, as we went through a training exercise that is used in the actual Police Academy.

We began with one-on-one classroom instruction with the Range Master. Using a laser training pistol, each student got a crash course in proper handling technique for a handgun. Next, we went individually into a dark room for a simulated police call. A filmed scenario played out on a giant screen on the wall in front of us, and we had to decide whether or not to pull the trigger. After the scenario was complete, it was played back (including a record of shots fired, if any) and our actions were evaluated.

I performed well on the my first solo situation: walking into a bar that was being held up, I coached the man into setting down his gun. Didn't have to fire. Disaster averted successfully. Then we replayed the scenario, but this time he turned the gun on me. I fired and scored a lethal hit with my first shot. Later, I did a partner scenario with a classmate. The setup here was that we were responding to an active shooter in a school. When the gunman walked around a corner, my partner took him out; I just fired without aiming and managed to squeeze off over a dozen shots, none of which hit. It was intense. The exercise was a small glimpse into the world that cops inhabit every day.