SAN DIEGO — The number of San Diego police officers removed from field duty after failing firearms qualifications has nearly doubled this year, raising concerns about officers’ access to additional training, NBC 7 reported.
An analysis of nearly 500 pages of qualification logs obtained by NBC 7 Investigates found 25 officers failed their first five handgun qualification attempts in 2026, compared with 13 in 2025.
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The failures represent about 1% of the force. Officers who fail all five attempts are assigned to desk duty and required to complete remedial firearms training.
San Diego Police Officers Association President Jared Wilson attributed the increase to training barriers following the 2022 closure of the department’s outdoor shooting range over lead exposure concerns.
Officers now use a private range in Poway, where the department shares one range instead of the four available at its former facility. Wilson said the distance and limited space make additional practice harder to access.
“It’s a perishable skill. You actually have to keep up on that,” Wilson told NBC 7.
Capt. Michael Ramsay, who oversees the department’s Training Division, told NBC 7 that the department has not determined why failures increased. He said training has remained consistent and cautioned against calling one year’s increase a trend.
The department maintains that available practice time has not changed, averaging about 60 hours a month. However, officers need approval from their commands to attend additional training, and Ramsay acknowledged staffing can complicate scheduling.
Wilson is pushing for a new department-owned range. Ramsay told NBC 7 he is working with city officials and the chief’s office to explore other range options.
