Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
"Training should be like a bloodless battle so that battle is just like bloody training." (A maxim of the Roman Legion.) Some time back I wrote an article about firearms training and how many agencies simply don't approach it correctly. Many focus on meeting and documenting their ability to meet whatever minimum state standards have been set. Instead, in my humble opinion, they should be focusing on instilling maximum skill in their officers.
Now I know - that's easy for me to say, and it is neither cheap nor easy to accomplish. However, when you think about it, the concept applies to virtually all training we give our officers today. Trainer Ken Good wrote a paper about
training to the lowest common denominator. In his article he makes an excellent point about the fact that your student officers will perform to the standard you set: If that's a low standard, then that's what you get. If it's a higher standard, you may be surprised to see how many of them put forth the effort to attain those higher goals.
What we all seem to forget is that
minimum standards are exactly that: MINIMUM. Nothing, anywhere, ever says we can't set HIGHER standards. Again, doing so may cost the agency a few extra dollars and will certainly cost more in labor hours paid. But consider the gain...
The accompanying poll question on the Officer.com homepage is about how many times each year your agency mandates firearms qualifications. Please take the time to answer it. Then, on your own, consider this: do you go to the range more than the agency requires? If not, why not? I know bullets aren't cheap and there is always something better to do with our time off, right? I actually enjoy going to the range and I love to shoot, so I'd rather be there far more than at home, say mowing the lawn or helping with laundry. Of course, for some officers, training time cuts into social time and heaven knows we don't want to sacrifice any of that precious time we spend bending our elbows tipping a few 12 ounce weights, right?
We need to rethink this... seriously. In Maryland, where I've been an officer, the state sets minimum standards for firearms qualifications and for in-service training hours each year. I challenge every Chief that I do training for to budget and authorize DOUBLE the state minimum. Most of them have stepped up to the plate. Those who simply can't, due to budgetary restraints, have at least provided officers necessary equipment and supplies to perform the extra training on their own time.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Is there such a thing as too much training? Not enough?
Let me know. Stay safe!
