I spent some time observing the ILEETA Iron Cop competition on Tuesday. I watched with particular interest as my colleague from the Street Survival Seminar for Women firearms and tactical instructor (and P1TV personality) Lou Ann Hamblin participated in the well-organized event run by James Di Naso of the Police Kinesiology Company.
The competition included multiple phases – all timed – in two different locations. Each competitor was equipped with a blue gun with a laser. The first phase involved officers having to crawl through a low hurdle course while managing their weapon in a safe manner. At the end of the first hurdle course the officers had to quickly get to their feet and immediately attack another course involving high and low hurdles while maintaining their laser on the target and then a run to the finish. If it sounds hard, it is!
The second phase involved the deployment of the collapsible baton, striking a somewhat realistic strike bag, and then rehosltering the baton – all while being timed. The next phase required the officer to run to a downed dummy, handcuff and double lock, and then lift the dummy and move it to the end of the room – once again, while being timed. The officer then moved to a small medicine ball and had to throw it in a “chest pass” manner for distance, testing their frontal plane explosive movement. The officer then had to re-acquire the dummy and move it back to the original location.
These courses and exercises measure agility, speed, and quickness as well as the officer’s ability to apply their tools under time constraints.
The final phase, held in an adjacent room, also involved speed, agility, and quickness plus foot/eye coordination and directional change with diagonal movement.
Officers using Airsoft technology were required to hurdle four strategically placed strike bags while again maintaining their weapon toward a target area. Participants had to maneuver through high/low hurdles, then a cone pattern and then engage the engage the target. The officers then must move backwards in a diagonal fashion until they hit a pivot cone, signaling them to move forward in the opposite direction until reaching the end of the course.
By late Tuesday afternoon, Lou Ann was leading the pack of men and women who dared to participate in this challenging event.
When the competition was over, she had won, taking home a nice trophy and a pistol she’ll auction off to generate proceeds that will help an officer who has become ill.
Tomorrow, the conference “officially” gets underway. Watch for more “News from ILEETA” here on Police1.
