Sounds like a MAJOR screw-up by the range safety officer.
Deputy's death prompts call for weapons review
Two former SWAT commanders in Clackamas County say policy changes may result statewide
By Clifton R. Chestnut of The Oregonian staff
OREGON CITY -- Two former SWAT commanders for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office called Thursday for a thorough review of weapons policies after a deputy was killed during SWAT training this week.
"I think there will be some changes throughout the state. This will cause everybody to pay a little more attention," said Capt. Don Vicars, who ran the SWAT detail from 1976 to 1990. "If a mistake is made, it can be fatal."
Other law enforcement agencies locally and nationally, including the Oregon State Police, take other precautions to ensure the safety of officers during training exercises.
An autopsy performed Thursday showed that William "Bill" Bowman, a six-year veteran, died instantly Tuesday after being shot in the head by a single small-caliber, high-velocity round.
A fellow deputy shot Bowman, 35, during the SWAT team's annual training at Camp Rilea, a National Guard training compound north of Seaside.
Capt. Neal Butler, who served as SWAT team commander from 1990 until last year, now is in charge of operations, which includes oversight of the SWAT team. "We will not be training again until we have gone through a total review," he said.
Why the deputy's gun was loaded with real ammunition remained a mystery. The deputy, who has not been identified, thought his rifle was loaded with blanks, said state police Lt.
Gregg Hastings.
The sheriff's office has used AR-15 and.308-caliber sniper rifles in training, which take both real ammunition and blanks, said Sgt. Damon Coates, who runs firearms training for the sheriff's office. Sheriff's officials could not identify Thursday which type of rifle was used.
Law enforcement officials say they make every attempt to ensure no one gets hurt by live ammunition during training. Bowman was the first sworn officer to die in Oregon during training.
State police troopers use simunition, which has a plastic tip instead of a metal projectile, in 90 percent of their training exercises, Hastings said. Simunition causes welts similar to being hit by a paintball.
A simunition gun also provides additional protection, Coates said. "You can't chamber a live round into a simunitions weapon," he said.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and the Portland Police Bureau designate one person to serve as safety officer for firearm training operations.
The safety officer is solely responsible for inspecting officers, their weapons and ammunition.
The officer routinely pats down officers and checks their pockets when they enter the training area to ensure they are not carrying live ammunition, training officers said.
The Nebraska State Patrol made a number of changes after Trooper Mark Wagner, 37, was shot to death in March 1999 by a fellow trooper during an exercise that was supposed to involve only unloaded handguns. As a result, troopers now use barrel plugs, which prevent rounds from exiting the gun, said Mike Meyer, a spokesman.
Vicars and Butler said vigorous checks were done each time deputies entered the simulated village at Camp Rilea.
Butler said deputies were responsible for loading rounds into their own magazines once they reached Camp Rilea but before they entered the village. They would then put the magazines into their own guns.
Once deputies entered the village, a supervisor would check the label on each magazine to make sure it was loaded with blanks but would not check individual rounds inside the magazines.
Butler said the sheriff's office uses real rifles instead of simunitions weapons because a greater variety of weapons can be interchanged with blanks or live ammunition.
"There has never been a problem," Butler said. "If the sergeant is inspecting all the magazines that you have, there wouldn't be any other place for live ammo to be."
Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian staff
contributed to this story.
Copyright 2000 Oregon Live.
Deputy's death prompts call for weapons review
Two former SWAT commanders in Clackamas County say policy changes may result statewide
By Clifton R. Chestnut of The Oregonian staff
OREGON CITY -- Two former SWAT commanders for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office called Thursday for a thorough review of weapons policies after a deputy was killed during SWAT training this week.
"I think there will be some changes throughout the state. This will cause everybody to pay a little more attention," said Capt. Don Vicars, who ran the SWAT detail from 1976 to 1990. "If a mistake is made, it can be fatal."
Other law enforcement agencies locally and nationally, including the Oregon State Police, take other precautions to ensure the safety of officers during training exercises.
An autopsy performed Thursday showed that William "Bill" Bowman, a six-year veteran, died instantly Tuesday after being shot in the head by a single small-caliber, high-velocity round.
A fellow deputy shot Bowman, 35, during the SWAT team's annual training at Camp Rilea, a National Guard training compound north of Seaside.
Capt. Neal Butler, who served as SWAT team commander from 1990 until last year, now is in charge of operations, which includes oversight of the SWAT team. "We will not be training again until we have gone through a total review," he said.
Why the deputy's gun was loaded with real ammunition remained a mystery. The deputy, who has not been identified, thought his rifle was loaded with blanks, said state police Lt.
Gregg Hastings.
The sheriff's office has used AR-15 and.308-caliber sniper rifles in training, which take both real ammunition and blanks, said Sgt. Damon Coates, who runs firearms training for the sheriff's office. Sheriff's officials could not identify Thursday which type of rifle was used.
Law enforcement officials say they make every attempt to ensure no one gets hurt by live ammunition during training. Bowman was the first sworn officer to die in Oregon during training.
State police troopers use simunition, which has a plastic tip instead of a metal projectile, in 90 percent of their training exercises, Hastings said. Simunition causes welts similar to being hit by a paintball.
A simunition gun also provides additional protection, Coates said. "You can't chamber a live round into a simunitions weapon," he said.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and the Portland Police Bureau designate one person to serve as safety officer for firearm training operations.
The safety officer is solely responsible for inspecting officers, their weapons and ammunition.
The officer routinely pats down officers and checks their pockets when they enter the training area to ensure they are not carrying live ammunition, training officers said.
The Nebraska State Patrol made a number of changes after Trooper Mark Wagner, 37, was shot to death in March 1999 by a fellow trooper during an exercise that was supposed to involve only unloaded handguns. As a result, troopers now use barrel plugs, which prevent rounds from exiting the gun, said Mike Meyer, a spokesman.
Vicars and Butler said vigorous checks were done each time deputies entered the simulated village at Camp Rilea.
Butler said deputies were responsible for loading rounds into their own magazines once they reached Camp Rilea but before they entered the village. They would then put the magazines into their own guns.
Once deputies entered the village, a supervisor would check the label on each magazine to make sure it was loaded with blanks but would not check individual rounds inside the magazines.
Butler said the sheriff's office uses real rifles instead of simunitions weapons because a greater variety of weapons can be interchanged with blanks or live ammunition.
"There has never been a problem," Butler said. "If the sergeant is inspecting all the magazines that you have, there wouldn't be any other place for live ammo to be."
Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian staff
contributed to this story.
Copyright 2000 Oregon Live.