NCJ Number
67880
Journal
Police Product News Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1980) Pages: 32-37
Date Published
1980
Length
6 pages
Annotation
THE COMBAT-ORIENTED POLICE SCHOOLS (COPS) SYSTEM OF POLICE HANDGUN SHOOTING IS DESCRIBED. IT IS BASED ENTIRELY ON INSTRUCTION WITHOUT THE USE OF SIGHTS FOR GREATEST NIGHT ACCURACY.
Abstract
TRADITIONAL POLICE HANDGUN TRAINING RELIES HEAVILY ON THE USE OF GUN SIGHTS, WHICH ARE USELESS AT NIGHT. FBI STATISTICS REVEAL THAT MOST POLICE SHOOTOUTS OCCUR AT NIGHT WITHOUT WARNING AND AFTER PURSUIT, AND THAT THE OFFICER WILL FIRE AN AVERAGE OF 2.2 ROUNDS USUALLY WITHIN A RANGE OF 50 FEET. THE COPS SYSTEM EMPHASIZES PRECISE CONCENTRATION ON A SMALL TARGET AREA AND IS BASED ON A FOUR-PART PROGRESSION: (1) THE MIND CONTROLS THE EYE, (2) THE EYE CONTROLS THE HAND, (3) THE HAND CONTROLS THE GUN, AND (4) THE GUN CONTROLS THE BULLET. THE 12-HOUR COURSE ENCOMPASSES 2 CLASSROOM HOURS AND 10 HOURS OF TARGET SHOOTING. ALL SHOOTING IS DONE WITHIN 7 YARDS OF A STEEL-PLATED, MAN-SHAPED TARGET COVERED WITH WHITE GREASE TO SHOW WHERE THE BULLETS ARE HITTING. STUDENTS MUST SHOOT FROM ALL POSITIONS WHICH COULD ARISE IN POLICE SHOOTOUTS, AND CONCENTRATION IS EMPHASIZED. THE COURSE HAS BEEN USED TO TRAIN OFFICERS IN U.S. AND CANADIAN POLICE DEPARTMENTS, THE U.S. BORDER PATROL, THE CUSTOMS BUREAU, AND THE WASHINGTON STATE LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD.