Police Procedure: Qualifying at the range

Al Stevens

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Medium-sized town in USA. City police homicide squad. A veteran murder cop returns to the squad after a several-year furlough. Why he was out and how he came back doesn't matter here. But, in this scenario, he is told he must requalify with his Glock before returning to the street.
  1. Do detectives indeed have to periodically qualify?
  2. If yes, how often?
  3. Is it just target shooting, or does he do the FBI Academy kind of test in a simulated crime scene with doors, windows, and popups?
  4. How does the scoring work, and what is a qualifying score?
  5. Must he qualify only on his standard issue?
  6. How many tries does he get?
  7. Is there a minimum/maximum delay allowed or required between tries?
  8. What are the consequences of failing to qualify?
  9. Has this all been answered before and I'm just too dumb to find it?
Thanks in advance.
 

ironmikezero

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It'll vary somewhat by agency and state requirements, but all personnel who are authorized to carry firearms must periodically qualify with the same (as issued) or equivalent model. Most agencies require annual re-qualification; but many have more frequent standards.

The qualification course is typically a silhouette target type with timed sections from various distances (3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 25, 50 yards). The number of rounds is fixed (50-60- etc.) and scoring will vary by agency or state standards. Basically, tighter groups in the center of mass score higher. A passing score is usually set at 70%. Higher scores are typically recognized by rating titles: Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert, Distinguished Expert, Master... It'll depend on the agency.

One must shoot the course with the weapon to be carried (same or equivalent). This applies to other weapons as well (shotguns, subguns, carbines, rifles, etc). The qualification courses for these weapons will, of course, be significantly different from a pistol course.

Should one fail to qualify, he can no longer carry/use a firearm, and may find himself on restricted duty assignments. Remedial training may be mandated before retrying the course; it'll depend upon the agency. Chronic failure to qualify may result in termination.
 

Al Stevens

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Thanks, both. I wish to put my MC on the range for purposes of a scene, and I want why he is there and what he does there to be believable.

Al
 

rugcat

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One must shoot the course with the weapon to be carried (same or equivalent). This applies to other weapons as well (shotguns, subguns, carbines, rifles, etc). The qualification courses for these weapons will, of course, be significantly different from a pistol course.
When I worked, one section of the standard qualifying test involved shooting 12 twelve rounds for score. (Back in the dark ages when we all carried revolvers.) This involved reloading and shooting a second series again, in 25 seconds total.

Passing was 80%. As a plainclothes and sometimes undercover detective I carried a S&W Chief's Special, which is a snub nosed (2" barrel) five shot. Not easy to qualify with, since the short barrel and heavy recoil of a light-framed gun made it not the most accurate of weapons.

Not to mention there was no slack cut because it was a five shot. The test was the same, no matter what you carried. So with a five shot you had to reload twice to get twelve shots off in the same time frame. Which meant you had to fire really, really fast.

Or, simply shoot more carefully with only ten shots and accept that you started out with a possible top score of ten -- 83%. If you missed one shot, you failed to qualify.
 

Steve Collins

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'Move fast, shoot easy' it's what you do between working the trigger that counts.