Recently completed my LEOSA quals. Live in Maryland and the Maryland Police and Corrections Training Commissions site in Sykesville is my only option for qualifying. This marked my ninth (9th) cycle via the MPCTC, and there were some changes this time.

New: Minimum qualifying score has been raised to 75%.
"Unsafe" shooters are remanded to "ban camp." B-27 "white back" targets are used. White surely helped for night fire course. "NRA competition scoring method" is used. Absolutely no foreign manufactured ammo is permitted. Some personnel have had to cancel due to their inability to procure ammunition.

We shot the same courses of fire that are used by active duty MD police officers. "Night" fire is facilitated via the use of welding goggles...yes, very dark, indeed. All firing is timed and with turning targets. Shooting was from the 3, 5, 7, 15, and 25 yard lines. 50 rounds for "day" fire; 30 for "night." Included kneeling and standing barricade positions.

I was the sole revolver shooter. There were some interesting holsters. One shooter had an pistol I could not identify in a thigh holster apparently homemade. A bit strange looking but worked for him.

Safety is a recurrent theme. And one shooter was removed from the line following multiple missteps. He will not shoot again. (He was an elderly former cop who simply was incapable of safely handling a gun. Instructor noted afterwards the shooter knew he was no longer capable of qualifying but wanted to try.)

Oh, I qualified with 230/250 "day" and 147/150 "night." Passed the written test, too, so good to go for another year.

The MPCTC and staff do a fabulous job...kudos to them!

Be safe.

there is no certified police firearms instructor doing it privately in maryland?

In Kansas, the retiree's department is to provide the qualification, or the state law enforcement training center for orphans and/or federal agents. No private instructors allowed to conduct the quals. It is interesting, and good that Maryland requires a night qualification in addition to the day course.

this is in conflict with LEOSA then. look at subsection 2B

"or a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State to have met--"

that was added to LEOSA in 2010.

Here is the part of the section it comes from.




d) The identification required by this subsection is--

(1) a photographic identification issued by the agency from which the individual separated from service as a law enforcement officer that identifies the person as having been employed as a police officer or law enforcement officer and indicates that the individual has, not less recently than one year before the date the individual is carrying the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found by the agency to meet the active duty standards for qualification in firearms training as established by the agency to carry a firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm; or

(2)(A) a photographic identification issued by the agency from which the individual separated from service as a law enforcement officer that indicates the person as having been employed as a police officer or law enforcement officer; and

(B) a certification issued by the State in which the individual resides or by a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State that indicates that the individual has, not less than 1 year before the date the individual is carrying the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found by the State or a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State to have met--
(I) the active duty standards for qualification in firearms training, as established by the State, to carry a firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm; or
(II) if the State has not established such standards, standards set by any law enforcement agency within that State to carry a firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm.

Regarding the questions about instructors, in Maryland the only certified instructors are those certified by the MPCTC and thus they are they only ones who can offer LEOSA quals. I am not aware of any who are not employed by a LE entity and thus are not "private."

In addition, it might be a bit difficult for them to issue the appropriate documentation. Here that consists of a laminated photo i.d. with all appropriate LEOSA info.

Trust this clears up things a bit.

Regarding the "night" fire component, active duty personnel in MD must do it thus retirees must, too. IIRC, that began to be a requirement in 2009 or so. Prior to that we could qualify with both a revolver and a semi-auto but time constraints now with the additional component preclude both.

we have qualified police firearms instructors who are employed by an agency who do the LEOSA qualifications for retirees on their own time. They also issue plastic id cards with all of the information on it. We can also qualify for both pistol and revolver the same day.
To make the course longer so that qualifying for both is precluded is a step backward.