Cops, as an institution or body of workers, are a diverse lot. By the same token, they deal with a population ranging from the scum of the earth to the privileged elite — neither of which has respect for the law and those who enforce it.
Enforcing the law and public safety is complicated. Quite a few officers (and chiefs) have forgotten how to police. While some agencies engage in community outreach, others engage in useless intrusive revenue enforcement. These minions spend time enforcing petty ordinances, becoming yard police, and telling you which day of the week you may wash your car or mow your lawn.
Duties best reserved for environmental officers have been given to the police. The result is an erosion of respect and trust, as well as the cop’s work ethic. This is most often seen in municipal agencies, as sheriff’s departments in large counties have more work to do without such nonsense.
Not to mention the many speed traps operating as revenue agencies in small towns. These officers’ focus isn’t on crime — I realize traffic safety is very important — but most could not catch the flu in a blizzard when it comes to real crime. On the flip side, a radar unit can be a good tool for catching dopers and recovering stolen property.
As for answering the many calls flooding 911 dispatchers, cops spend more time wiping people’s nose than helping those who really need help. Not their choice, but this is how it is. Calling the cops because Junior won’t do his homework is common. Domestic tiffs often become violent.
Then, we have hard working investigators who are bull dogs, and don’t stop until a crime is solved. These men and women often wreck their health and home life while tracking down the most dangerous and deranged offenders.
After a lifetime of experience, including stints as a patrol lieutenant and active criminal patrol, it seems that the majority of police, perhaps 80% across the board, are decent sorts who will help citizens and catch criminals if they can. About 10% do much of the real work in accident reconstruction, felony cars, saturation squads, and drug task forces. The remaining 10% have no business wearing a badge. In some agencies, the percentages are reversed.
In truth, my assessment is not to besmirch any person or group of officers. We simply cannot ignore the fact that firearms are a small part of many officers’ job. There are a few very good instructors, very good trainers, and good shots. Some officers have a specialty. It may be drug interdiction or juvenile work. The time they spend on other training is reluctantly given.
Cops as Instructors
Some of the instructors who basically live on the range are very good shots. As an example, many years ago, a firearms instructor decided to teach us how to bounce the lead .38 Special load off the road and under a car to strike an adversary behind cover. He would draw and fire quickly at about seven yards, strike a concrete lane on the range, and bounce the bullet into the kill zone of the target — every time.
He practically lived on the range. If he liked you, he put you in a dank, hot room running a beautifully made Star loading machine knocking out .38 Special wadcutters. Suffice it to say, few ‘got it.’ Red was one of the finest shots ever. Few, if any of us, reach that level of skill.
However, we learned safe handling and had a trainer who illustrated what could be done with a handgun. Several of my fellow officers competed and won matches on a national level.
There would be no police training without the NRA and these NRA trained instructors were very good at their job. Many peace officers have a certain specialty such as traffic, drug interdiction, human trafficking, or homicide. The amount of time given firearms training or anything outside their sphere was given grudgingly.
Training is sometimes top notch and at other times, it is pathetic. As an example, my chief — who had a warped sense of humor — sent me to a driving school intended to improve my chase and safety skills. We didn’t tear up the roads. Instead, we sat through a boring three-hour video.
Firearms qualification is seldom difficult. Most agencies qualify with the handgun once a year, but some must qualify 3–4 times a year.
Some officers like to hold out their police experience as a qualification of an expert. Perhaps a forensic tech deserves that title. Teaching marksmanship and safety doesn’t make you are an expert. Promoting a particular gun and load based on your experience isn’t always valid.
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On the other hand, a police instructor must work with the firearms issued and realizes it is the shooter, not the gun, that wins a gunfight. There are quite a few officers who have been to many schools but have little practical experience. On the other hand, they have more experience than the many so called security experts who have never felt the slap of a fist, had a street fight, or dealt with a dangerous criminal.
I worked security at a large church for some time. Every part-time officer who helped with traffic flow and security had more experience than the independent security experts who had the good folks spend a fortune on card readers and cameras. Few officers make their 30 years without such an experience in dealing with dangerous felons. So, if the cop has some gray in his hair and a few scars, he just may have some experience worth sharing — beyond the NRA mandated training.
Higher Standard
Most cops’ firearms experience is limited to being issued a certain firearm, training, and some qualification. Learning to use a firearm safely is just following directions. Special teams and certain units are trained to a higher standard.
Every agency of any size has a point man or felony car. Some of these have a great deal of real life experience. When cops say they have seen things such as shootings, we most often mean that we arrived after the shooting was over. The victim is still running around screaming, or fighting, and hasn’t fallen.
Getting hurt or shot doesn’t make you an expert, but it is certainly part of the experience. The reasons people fight, kill, and get into legal trouble in the aftermath of a shooting or stabbing are also very important. So is understanding the areas of danger other than the firearm, such as blunt weapon attack.
No cop with more than a few weeks experience in a busy city would belittle the deadly effects of an edged weapon. I have yet to see an instructor with police experience quote the results of a so called stopping power study or secret goat shoot — he or she knows a hoax when they see one. A cop may simply load the ammunition that won the FBI contract and rest assured that it is reliable, clean-burning, accurate, and available. Perhaps we should do the same.
Compared to the military, individual fire is stressed over unit fire. The miliary has coordinated fire discipline, the cop’s experience is closer to your own. In other words, a cop’s skills are defensive in nature — as your skills should be.
Some officers relate well to the public, some don’t. I suppose that police society is insular. This is a type of psychological survival mindset. Some officers recommend their issue pistol over any other. The Glock is reliable and among the best beginner handguns for certain. I don’t scold students too harshly on firearms choice, if the pistol is safe, serviceable, and an appropriate caliber.
About half of my students show up with firearms that I would never trust. They range from bargain basement revolvers to 40-year-old Llama handguns. Most who buy cheap pistols could afford better, the shooter is simply a cheap skate. Some students have shown up without the key that unlocks the action on lockable pistols and others have shown up without a magazine for the pistol or left the spares and ammo at home.
The firearms instructor with police experience will regard these students as lacking a serious attitude and he is correct. Some of the instructors like guns and shooting. The safety and training are valuable when there is an intersection with real life experience.
Some will criticize the revolver for defensive use. Those people are dead wrong, but it depends on the shooter. Cops with any type of experience realize how useless small caliber (.22, .32, .380) pistols can be.
Cops, like any other firearms instructor, can teach the NRA line and do a very good job of it. But they have hard earned insights the others don’t. Cops also understand the rougher man’s way of life and offer good advice.
Hardly a class goes by that some moron doesn’t pronounce to the class that you may shoot a trespasser on the lawn at night. I waste no time in shooting them down (figuratively speaking). Although I had several difficulties during my career that resulted in serious injury, I never had a gun shoved into my chest until I became an instructor for the public.
Final Thoughts
In the end, despite my rantings about the various experience levels cobbled under the guise of being a “cop,” I highly recommend police experience among instructors. Meet the instructor halfway with your own knowledge and understand where he or she is coming from. Unlike the hobbyist instructor, the working cop’s background includes a wide range of danger and legal experience that goes beyond simple gun handling and safety.
Do you have experience as a LEO? Are you a firearms instructor? What qualifications do you believe a firearms instructor needs? Any real world experience? Share your answers in the comment section.