Why is Police marksmanship so lousy?

mebe1042

Yes it is. But you have to consider the size of the NYPD, the fact that they are on a limited budget. Add to that the overtime costs of each individual Officer, Ammunition costs(the metal market has begun fluxuating wildly making brass, aluminum and lead more valuable than before) and the limited areas a NYPD Officer can shoot.

When you shoot at the range you are in a relaxed enviroment. In real life or death situations the human body goes into a near panic state that affects mental and physical reactions. The mental reactions are commonly known as "tunnel vision" and there is a loss of sensory input. It's very common that an Officer won't even hear his own shots being fired or someone yelling right next to him.

Physically, in a life or death situation the fine motor skills of sight alignment and the ability to hold a firearm steady to properly aim the weapon are lost because of the adrenaline surge, accelerated breathing and heart rate. The body can only perform simple muscle movements. Ways to offset these effects are trained but can never be perfectly duplicated.

I've seen many Officers that in a static shooting enviroment(range) hit 90% or better. But, when exposed to stress those scores go WAY down. This happens with anybody, not just Police Officers.

Want to know what it's like for a Police Officer to shoot? If you can jog around the range a few times to get your heart rate up then have a couple of friends scream in your ear, limit the time you have to shoot your target, put some duds in your weapon to simulate a malfuntion or even shut off some of the lights so you have to shoot with a flashlight to see the target.

BTW, remember that you are held accountable for every round you shoot and what it hits. That means you have to be aware of what's behind the guy that's shooting at you. However, the bad guy shooting at you isn't and doesn't care either. So set up a few targets next to or behind your "Bad guy target" that can't be hit.

Believe me, you won't do as well as you think you will!

AmericanNative

wow there colt...to many steroids for breakfast?

I bet I can outshoot you, in any situation. your hot headed answer tells me that you would be the first to crumple under extreme stress.

I do have to agree with the answer from another "red neck" we can shoot damn near anywhere I live. multiple breaks and areas, so we get alot more practice than many cops.

rad.dragan

the government is trying to save money.. i ain't surprised!

Colt 45

So lets see, you take the stats of NYC Police detectives and then apply it to all police. I have to qualify every quarter. I have yet to not shoot a perfect score each time. That's why they gave me a pin to wear on my uniform. I am sure you can hit a paper target better than most, now apply that to a human being in a high stress situation. You, as a private citizen, wouldn't hit sh*t!

Wow, I saw one intelligent answer by a sensible and intelligent person. So many morons, so few bullets.

Edit: AmericanNative are you a cop? Have you ever been in a high stress situation? I have been in quite a few. I am also happy that I've never had to resort to my firearm and proud of the fact that I kept my cool and diffused the situations. So keep shooting your paper targets and comparing shot grouping with your buddies.

"That One"

Shooting on a range is nothing like shooting in a gunfight.

nokia_navyseal

Mines not. 248 out of 250, just last week.

"Other than SWAT most police only have to qualify at the range once per year."

We qualify every quarter.

What is your occupation? What do you carry?

Mr. Goodhi

They don't spend enough time practicing at the range.

Totaram M

Since it is policemanship

Yankees Fan

Let's look at the totality of this situation. You are comparing hitting targets to police shootings. If you want to brag that you are a good shot, ok, do so. By why do you have to put L.E.O.'s down in order to do this? Don't make generalities about something without prior knowledge. How do you know how often officers qualify?

When a L.E.O. has to shoot there are so many things going on that you could not imagine. Unlike a paper target, the suspect can move and change position. Unlike a paper target, the suspect can shoot back. Unlike shooting at the range, adrenaline is coursing through your veins. Most likely there has been something else leading up to the shooting that had started your heart racing. Unlike target shooting, the officer has to wonder if he/she is going home that night.

Have you ever shot in the rain?, cold?, extreme heat?, low light? after having run a long distance? having multiple assaults on your senses such as screaming people,cars going by, trying to update dispatch etc.?

Enjoy your target shooting, but be thankful that you never have to shoot at a human being.

joeanonymous

They don't mention if this is in a real life under stress, someone shooting back situation, or if it is at the range?

Accuracy depends on the shooting situation, it is easy to get good accuracy in a climate controlled range with good lighting and a at a paper target that stands still. The officer is calm, standing on a nice flat surface and is concentrating on shooting fundamentals instead of the suspect.

Our standards for shooting are very high, and if you don't pass they take your gun and put you on desk duty until you pass. This happens very rarely.

We only get to go to the range once and sometimes twice a year (expcept for SWAT team that go very often).

TURANDOT

Can't wait to read their defense in here. I am sure it will sound a lot like their responses to the report on the high IQ applicant who was rejected for being too smart...

They get pretty defensive when anything threatens the image they draw their self worth from

charlsyeh

shooting under a stress situation is not as easy as one will think.on the short yardage targets you do not get to aim. normally it is called hip point shooting.then when you add bstress it is very difficult.here the state requires you to qualify twice a year.if we fail qualification we are not allowed to carry a gun.i shot expert of 95 or above for 25 straight years.after retirement retirees have to shoot to ba able to keep carrying. i shot 100.you have to shoot a score of at least 70 or above. there are no studies og shooting at the range. that study is not correct.i shot 95 or above with several different kinds of guns.
----------retired texas deputy sheriff----------

Hog Lover

because they are drunk most of time.

Malcolm Equis

Because the black guy they are trying to hold down is smart enough to run; and its harder to hit a moving target than a stationary target like you are shooting at.

Would it be too much to ask that their target be an actual criminal, whether they hit him or not?

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: