NCJ Number
74328
Journal
Police Product News Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1981) Pages: 55-58
Date Published
1981
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This second article of a two-part series on the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy discusses survival techniques for police officers caught in shootouts.
Abstract
The Fun House and Blood Alley are two shooting courses which offer practical experience for officers with intensive range training and classroom instruction in the proper use of cover and the principles of movement under fire. Only the author had 'survived' the Fun House at the time of the article. Unusual and highly effective approaches to the basics of police gunfighting are used. Cover and its proper use are stressed. Officers are taught not to lean against their street barricade, but to crouch away from it for greater mobility and better protection from angle shots. The nightshooting program illustrates what is and what isn't visible in the dark, explains the pros and cons of three different flashlight techniques, and recommends hardware for a better edge in the dark. Recommended weapons include the Colt .45 automatic for law enforcement and the .38 Special hollowpoint revolver. Firing techniques include an emphasis on the two-hand point hold to increase the ability to get the first solid hits, the frontsnap, and the high tuck. Application of this classroom advice can save the police officer's life.