The serious training begins…

Week 8, Day 5

Part of Group A getting ready for the range

Well, this was a strange and intense week. We are starting to get into the actual weapons portion of our training. We are going to the gun range and starting to get the feel of our weapons and what it is like to have live ammunition. No more “Dummy” rounds. So this is not only fun and exciting…it can be a little unnerving, because of the live ammo. We have split the academy class into two separate groups, which is also strange. We have trained as a whole group for the last 8 weeks and now we are split up. It’s good because we get more one-on-one instructor training, but still a little different to have only part of the class together. My group was first up on the range this week and we as a group did well. The instructors were impressed with how we started out and we will only get better. I guess all the practice I have had with the Army has some benefits…but it also has its negatives. I have some bad habits when it comes to technique, so I not only have to concentrate on what I am shooting at…but I have to re-train my brain to Jefferson County Sheriff Dept standards. But I still love it and weapons’ training has always been my favorite part of training.

We also started getting more into the arrest control portion of our training. This is the hands-on training that teaches us how to protect ourselves. It too, can be fun, exciting and REALLY unnerving. I say this because…if we as peace officers…have gotten into a situation that requires “Hands-on” then usually something has gone wrong. The instructors are really good at making sure we get that “Muscle Memory” with each technique and that we are doing them properly. We don’t want to cause undue injuries to anyone; we just want to maintain control until the situation is under control. These techniques are relatively easy to learn and practicing on each other, makes them stick into memory.

At what point do we tap out??

The instructor shows a new technique

I think my classmate gets the new technique

So we had a great week of training…until the Blizzard of 2009. We were in arrest control training on Thursday morning when the snow hit. Due to the amount of snow that was falling per hour, the Jefferson County Sheriff Dept went on emergency alert. This means…we got a snow day. I haven’t had a snow day since…I can’t remember when. We had to cut the training day short and head home, but I wasn’t complaining and I don’t think any of my classmates were either. Like I have said in some of my other Blogs…we work very hard in this academy and when we are not in class working, we are at home preparing for the next day. So an unexpected snow day…was a pleasant surprise. I used my snow day accordingly…I caught up on some much needed rest. Thank you, Mother Nature.

It looks like the training schedule will include arrest control and firearms, from now until May when we get into driving. So the training has now started to shift from just classroom lectures, to a little of both. I can honestly say I would rather be outside in the snow…then be in the classroom all day.