Weapons add realism to training
By Bobbi Mlynar
Originally published 09:26 a.m., October 5, 2007
Updated 09:26 a.m., October 5, 2007
Law enforcement officers in the city and county will have better, and more realistic, training as a result of a cooperative purchase by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department and the Emporia Police Department.
Sheriff Gary Eichorn and Acting Police Chief Mike Lopez got together earlier and decided to share in purchasing pistols and rifles that can be used to train officers in Lyon County under simulated circumstances that can happen when officers are on-duty and dealing with the public.
On Sept. 28, sheriff’s officers trained in 11 different dangerous scenarios they could face when performing a routine car stop.
“The best practices in law enforcement training indicate that we need to do something more than have policemen shoot at paper targets,” said Undersheriff Richard Old. “The best training comes from putting the officer into as realistic a situation as he’s likely to encounter on the street.”
The combined departments had considered several brands and types of simulated munitions and settled on one fired by compressed air, rather than one ignited by an explosive powder charge, like those used to shoot lead bullets.
The new pistols and rifles are the same as those issued to officers, Old said, with one major exception.
“They shoot a 43-caliber little plastic sphere full of powder that, when it hits you, breaks open and marks your shirt, trousers, whatever portion of your anatomy happens to be in the line of fire at the time,” he said. “It doesn’t do as much damage to Sheetrock and it isn’t as hard to clean up afterwards as (other brands) and it’s much less expensive per shot.”
Old said that the cost is 1.8 cents a shot, compared to 50 cents a shot for other brands that serve similar purposes.
“It doesn’t have as high a velocity, but then most all law enforcement shootings occur at less than seven yards, anyway,” he said.
The equipment was purchased with drug forfeiture money.
“It didn’t cost taxpayers a penny,” Old said. “It’s great when you get the bad guys to pay for it. That’s half the battle.”
The training last week was held at the police department’s shooting range. Deputy Lane Ryno has been designated simulated munitions trainer. Ryno, who currently is assigned to the courthouse security team, formerly was a detective and firearms instructor with the Emporia police.
“There were 11 scenarios in what could happen in stopping a car,” Old said.
Although he could not reveal the context or content of the scenes that played out because remaining officers also need to experience the surprises in subsequent trainings, Old said that the training the officers went through last week would help them function better and more safely when they are on-duty.
“It’s much better for the officers to get shot in this situation with a paintball gun than it is to have them get shot out on the street,” he said. “This training was a real eye-opener for all of the guys that went through it. ... It really gets them on their toes and makes them realize just how quickly things can go bad.”
Old had no problem finding local actors to play the “bad guys.” He enlisted the help of four Senior Patrol volunteers.
“They thought that was great,” he said. “They get to shoot at the cops and they get to jump and run. They had a simulated fight in the car when they had the stop.”
Training through the sheriff’s department is expected to be done in four sessions a year, with car stops, domestic incidents and other potentially dangerous situations used as scenarios for deputies and officers from other agencies when they are available.
“Sheriff (Gary) Eichorn has always been big on cooperation, so we’ve invited the guys from Americus police department and the university (police), and we’re putting them in on the days we do training,” Old said. “We’re trying to make the equipment available to all the law enforcement agencies in the county.”
Combined training promotes cohesiveness of the combined departments, which may be called at any time to work together.
“If something bad happens, we’re all going to be in this together,” Old said. “...The more we train together, the better we’ll work together when it comes down to it.”