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By Police1 Staff
What if you had an extra 24 hours for some skills refreshers and police training updates? Well this year, you do. Commit now to make February 29 your #policetrainingday. Pencil in some time at the firing range, schedule an hour in the gym for some upper and lower body conditioning or download some law enforcement podcasts to catch up on current best practices in police operations.
“It is important to understand the difference between training and practice,” writes Police1 columnist Duane Wolfe. “Training is what gives you the foundation of a skill. Practice is taking that training forward by dedicated repetition of those skills. Motor skills must be practiced on a regular basis or the ability to perform them will diminish and disappear over time.”
We hope you will make the following police training tips from Police1 columnists and contributors part of your training calendar this year.
1. Integrate training weapons into your drills
Buy and use training weapons for the tools you carry on duty. Why training weapons? Because in the history of law enforcement no one and nothing has ever been shot by a training weapon, but a lot have been by weapons that were “unloaded.” Practice drawing your duty pistol and backup gun regularly. I suggest 10 draws at the beginning of every shift to ensure your motor skills stay sharp. Can you access and deploy each weapon with either hand? If not, you may want to reconsider the location or holster to accomplish that task. Remember, you don’t get to pick the fight, the fight picks you. The same thing goes for your duty knife, TASER and baton. – Duane Wolfe
2. Practice tool transition training
Transition and malfunction drills aren’t just for firearms. Practice moving from one level of force to another, both up and down. Have a pre-practiced response if the tool you choose fails: TASER to baton, OC to TASER, TASER to empty hand, etc. – Duane Wolfe
3. Practice retention techniques
Train and practice your retention techniques for ALL the tools on your duty belt: gun, TASER, baton, OC, radio, etc. Practice using those tools to retain your other equipment at the appropriate level of force. Routinely practice empty hand weapons retention techniques for all your tools, as well. – Duane Wolfe
4. Engage in multi-skills training
Verbal de-escalation and defensive tactics go hand in hand. Being good at one without the other is not being fully prepared to handle the challenges faced by law enforcement. Spend time training and sharpening your skills in each area. For the absolute best results, participate or conduct training scenarios that might require you to use both. – Tyson Kilbey
5. Be defensive when you drive
Defensive driving is a critical component of officer safety. Taking a few extra moments to scan the roadway, breathe and see the big picture around you when driving in emergency operation mode could mean the difference between safely arriving to an emergency, or creating an entirely new tragedy. – Tyson Kilbey
6. Practice concealed carry draws
Off duty and retired officers carrying concealed need to practice two draws while wearing clothing for each season. You should be able to draw and shoot quickly and accurately if you are in immediate danger, and you should be able to draw stealthily and keep your weapon out of sight to be prepared for a situation that may go south. – Ron LaPedis
7. Improve community awareness
If you have a fixed patrol area, take the time to learn about the people in it. Maybe you have citizens who are autistic or mentally challenged, mentally ill, have fiery tempers or are homeless. Learn how to talk to and deal with them. When a situation develops, having a relationship already in place can help you de-escalate a situation. – Ron LaPedis
8. Understand the role of de-escalation
De-escalation is a very important concept for law enforcement, but it cannot be viewed in a vacuum. Understanding why we are de-escalating and for whose benefit (safety priorities) will help clear up indecision and speed up your decision-making process. – David Pearson
9. Embed the safety priorities into training
Many law enforcement officers can recite the safety priorities or priorities of life (hostages, innocent citizens, LEOs, subject/suspect). Learning how to use the safety priorities every day on “average calls” can make you smarter, safer and more efficient in your job. – David Pearson
10. Don’t Spar with Anyone Except in Training
If you train regularly in defensive tactics or in martial arts, then part of your training is sparring. I have been called to fights where I have observed on approaching some highly trained martial artists who have found themselves in a situation where they needed the skills they have practiced for years in a justifiable self-defense situation, but who out of habit, “sparred” with their real attacker. Don’t make that mistake. When the time comes and it is justifiable to impact on an attacker, don’t spar with them. Concentrate on using your best technique, focusing your impact on a vulnerable target and striking with every erg of energy you can generate. – Dan Marcou
11. Rehearse your follow through
When you complete a course of fire during training, take the time to mentally rehearse your “follow through” including:
- Movement to cover;
- Scanning for additional threats;
- Assessing your weapon’s condition and readiness;
- Communicating with the suspect, your partner, the crowd and dispatch;
- Caring for injuries to yourself or other officers.
Some of the most difficult jobs begin after the shooting stops, so use the opportunity to practice the skills, even if only in your mind. – Mike Wood
12. Train with fully engaged retention devices
Don’t get lazy with retention devices on your holster during training. Make sure that they’re fully engaged for every draw you make during training. You don’t want to build lazy habits on the range, which could cost you valuable time on the street, as you fumble to disengage a device under stress. – Mike Wood
13. Practice crisis rehearsal daily
Many times, things happen right in front of you giving you little or zero time to absorb the event. Training of crisis rehearsal over a period of time helps the mind control the body when thinking might not be possible or when you just don’t have the time to analyze the problem. And keep this in mind, things happen when you are tired, in the rain and after that horrible meeting in the chief’s office. – Marty Katz
14. Go through the “What ifs?”
What if I must draw my firearm or any other weapon with my nondominant hand? Can I reach my knife with either hand if needed? Do I know where everything is located on my duty belt and can I find it or return it without taking my eyes off the problem? Can you change a flashlight bulb in the dark and do you even have a spare bulb? Where is everything in the patrol car’s trunk and can you get to a specific item in the dark? – Marty Katz
15. Don’t underestimate the value of dry fire
If you’re serious about improving your firearm skills, don’t underestimate the value of dry fire. Dry fire will improve your draw, reloads, marksmanship, target transitions and ability to see your sights quicker. – Chrystal Fletcher
16. Prepare your family
Train your family for two responses to an active shooter event. FOLLOW ME means physically link up and grab my belt, as I will be leading us to safety. CALL 911 means I am getting involved in the fight, so your spouse or eldest child will take over and issue the FOLLOW ME command and lead your family to safety while calling 911 with the details of your description and “good guy” status. – Richard Fairburn
17. include Transitioning in defensive tactics training
A single arrest can sometimes require several different types of force – for example, strikes to a takedown followed by ground control to prone handcuffing. To better train for how we use force in the field, defensive tactics sessions should include more than one type of force and transition from one to the other. Think of having a pool of defensive tactics knowledge instead of a series of separated silos. To get the most out of your warmups, use the same movements that will be employed in that session. Common examples are shrimping, bridging and body rotations that include weight transfer consistent with effective striking. This practice warms up the specific body parts to be used, primes the students for better performance and increases repetitions of the same psychomotor programs. – Andrew Heuett
18. Be a student of behavior
The public expects police officers to know when a person being contacted has autism, deafness, limited English proficiency, or mental health impairment and make allowances in the interaction. The police are also supposed to know when somebody was going to turn their life around tomorrow or had a bad day. Until the capacity for mind-reading becomes a POST requirement, officers can only be good students of behavior and navigate accordingly:
- Time is the best friend for calming since it takes time for a person’s adrenaline to diminish enough for panic to subside;
- Don’t over negotiate. If a person needs to be restrained immediately and you can articulate why, get it done effectively and quickly;
- Interact from a position of safety. It’s easy to start feeling like you are winning the encounter and forget that you need a plan B. Empathy should never override tactical superiority. – Joel Shults
19. integrate officer wellness awareness into training
For the third straight year, America saw more officer suicides than felonious homicides. We must learn to care for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in law enforcement. In 2020, we need to transform our agency cultures and implement officer wellness techniques into in-service training that will get us from hire to retire. – Christopher Littrell
20. Seek training outside your department
Your department can only afford to provide a minimum amount of training. If you want to pursue excellence, be willing to spend your own time and money to make yourself better. Invest in you. – Todd Fletcher
What are your top police training tips for 2020? Email editor@policeone.com for your chance to be included in a future article.