Quote:
Originally Posted by xray97
Sheriff you are to be commended! The situation in the state of Washington is ridiculous. I understand they FINALLY came up with an acceptable course of fire to qualify but no agencies (including those we retired from) will accommodate us. It's nice to see someone do the right thing!
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I agree with xray97. Luckily my old department will qualify us RLEOs' and have also done it for some from other agencies.
From what I've heard through the grapevine the reason some agencies are refusing to certify RLEOS' is their concern of liability if a RLEO should be involved in a shooting. Personally I think they are "over-thinking" the liability issue. All their range officer is certifying is the RLEO did or did not meet the minimum proficiency score of the state's recommended course of fire. The range officers are
not "training" the RLEOS'...they are only "certifying they have met the state's minimum proficiency score"....the RLEOS' better be able to shoot before getting to the qualification range. (how many state drivers license examiners have you heard getting sued because they certified an individual for a drivers license and then they caused a serious vehicle accident?....I've never heard of one...a similar parity)
For this very reason HR218 was amended to make it possible for a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State to certify RLEOS'.
Here is the amended section of HR218 which applies:
‘‘(4) during the most recent 12-month period, has met, at the expense of the individual, the standards for qualification in firearms training for active law enforcement officers, as determined by the former agency of the individual, the State in which the individual resides or, if the State has not established such standards, either a law enforcement agency within the State in which the individual resides
or the standards used by a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State;’’
*xray97* Just a thought but I wonder if your local FOP would would step up to the plate and provide a member who is a certified firearms instructor to certify your RLEOs. They might not be able to use the LEA's firing range but I'm sure there are public ranges that you could use. It also could generate a little money for them if they wanted to charge a reasonable fee.