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This gets at the big problem with arming TSA agents. Even well-trained police officers with decades of range practice screw up from time to time.
by mkr-hn 13y ago
This gets at the big problem with arming TSA agents. Even well-trained police officers with decades of range practice screw up from time to time.
- Zak 13y agoThe belief that police officers are necessarily well-trained is overstated. I wanted to be a cop for a while and I went through police training. I'm sure it varies by jurisdiction and that many agencies have their own stricter standards, but basic standards for police marksmanship aren't very high. Based on the training I experienced, I'd expect the average police officer to be able to hit a stationary, isolated man-sized target with a pistol most of the time from up to 75 feet.
- mkr-hn 13y agoI didn't say all police officers are well-trained.
- Zak 13y agoI know. It's just a widespread belief that police officers are usually skilled marksmen who are vastly more skilled in the use of firearms than say... the average civilian gun owner. I want to make it clear that this is not the case; police firearms training is usually fairly basic.
- teddyh 13y agoI would have thought that the quality of police is measured not in their ability to shoot and hit something, but in their ability to refrain from doing so. Your equaling of “well-trained police” with “police marksmanship” is a bit frightening.
- Zak 13y agoWell, in this case, I meant "well-trained in marksmanship", but your point is valid. Training in marksmanship was inadequate; training in verbal de-escalation was almost nonexistent.
- talkingstove 13y agoHow is that frightening? Knowing the proper situation to use a firearm is obviously paramount, but I'd rather cops also be accurate after the decision to use a gun is made.
- Amadou 13y agoEven well-trained police officers with decades of range practice screw up from time to time. And those officers are basically mythical creatures. The average cop spends very little time at the range. For example, in Florida it is typically twice a year, averaging less than 15 hours annually. http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/3738401-Police-firearms-training-How-often-should-you-be-shooting/ http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/3738401-Pol...