Bare Bones
New member
SWMIKE: Sorry to say that I must agree with you as to the disparity of attitude seen in the ranks of most modern departments. Where I sort of disagree with you is that I would argue it is not necessarily a budgetary problem. Even with the money crunch, much can still be accomplished.
Where the problem exists, IMHO, is in the mid level command structure ( Sgt. FTO's Range officers, etc.). In the departments zeal to free up money, they made a conscious (sp) decision to release or early out many senior officers to free up money for more warm bodies. When they got these bodies, there was no one left to impart the needed education on the street. Not much later these became the mid level management. Hence, you have a situation where the uneducated are teaching the uninitiated. I know that this is an over simplification and not true in every case, but when you talk to young offciers andSgt. with three to four years in or, better yet, read their training schedules and their roll call instructions, it is realll inciteful.
A young officer, regardless of sex, can not be expected to perform better than the examples presented to them by their more experienced peers. This is, I think, the root problem that rears its ugly head when officers do not take pride in mastering the basic skill demanded of them. ie. shooting.
As to the department dead heads; every department has them and they are the bane of our existance. There is no known solution short of culling them during probation. Once on the job they are like pilot fish sucking the blood out of a living organism. Much contempt, but no solution.
There. That's the sermon. I freely agree that there are degrees of skills in regard to firearms across the board, both civilian and law enforcement. The obvious has been stated. Extreme efficiency is to be desired, but not expected, of all practioners. So get to the range whenever you can and practice those skills you find necessary, but don't assume that your accessment of "necessary" is mine.
Where the problem exists, IMHO, is in the mid level command structure ( Sgt. FTO's Range officers, etc.). In the departments zeal to free up money, they made a conscious (sp) decision to release or early out many senior officers to free up money for more warm bodies. When they got these bodies, there was no one left to impart the needed education on the street. Not much later these became the mid level management. Hence, you have a situation where the uneducated are teaching the uninitiated. I know that this is an over simplification and not true in every case, but when you talk to young offciers andSgt. with three to four years in or, better yet, read their training schedules and their roll call instructions, it is realll inciteful.
A young officer, regardless of sex, can not be expected to perform better than the examples presented to them by their more experienced peers. This is, I think, the root problem that rears its ugly head when officers do not take pride in mastering the basic skill demanded of them. ie. shooting.
As to the department dead heads; every department has them and they are the bane of our existance. There is no known solution short of culling them during probation. Once on the job they are like pilot fish sucking the blood out of a living organism. Much contempt, but no solution.
There. That's the sermon. I freely agree that there are degrees of skills in regard to firearms across the board, both civilian and law enforcement. The obvious has been stated. Extreme efficiency is to be desired, but not expected, of all practioners. So get to the range whenever you can and practice those skills you find necessary, but don't assume that your accessment of "necessary" is mine.
