Alabama is Making Progress in LE Training

Stumpy

Established Member
Jun 26, 2020
179
126
Cropwell, AL
Just finished 16 hours of Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission Firearms Instructor Training. Learned some new things and learned that some of the academies are moving out of the Stone Age.
1. To insure that ALL FI's stay current, all LE FI's must attend the APOSTC training every 2 years regardless of certification-NRA, FBI, FLETC.
2. Instead of cold turkey training "newbies" and stressing them out with the "if you don't qualify in 44 hours of training, YOU ARE FIRED", some academies have the trainees start carrying empty pistols and mags in their duty belts from day one. Between classes, they line up in the hall and practice drawing, holstering, mag changes, malfunction drills, one handed manipulations, finger and hand strengthening exercises, etc. IDEA IS TO HAVE THE TRAINEE'S PROFICIENT IN HANDLING THE PISTOL AND HAVE THEIR HANDS AND FINGERS STRONGER WHEN FIREARMS WEEK ARRIVES AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE 14 WEEK ACADEMY.
3. Learned that there are some very smart folks researching how our brains work so that training can be improved.
4. Reiterated that agencies should not lock into the "everyone has to carry the same pistol" mantra. Agencies should offer options for those officers with smaller hands. A PISTOL THAT IS TOO LARGE OR TOO SMALL FOR A SHOOTERS HANDS IS A HANDICAP THAT REALLY CANNOT BE OVERCOME.

After for being out of policing for about 5 years and returning, it was good to learn that someone in the state has realized we need to be doing better and we are heading that way.
 

CoastForce1812

Established Member
May 17, 2021
28
21
Mobile, Alabama
Just finished 16 hours of Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission Firearms Instructor Training. Learned some new things and learned that some of the academies are moving out of the Stone Age.
1. To insure that ALL FI's stay current, all LE FI's must attend the APOSTC training every 2 years regardless of certification-NRA, FBI, FLETC.
2. Instead of cold turkey training "newbies" and stressing them out with the "if you don't qualify in 44 hours of training, YOU ARE FIRED", some academies have the trainees start carrying empty pistols and mags in their duty belts from day one. Between classes, they line up in the hall and practice drawing, holstering, mag changes, malfunction drills, one handed manipulations, finger and hand strengthening exercises, etc. IDEA IS TO HAVE THE TRAINEE'S PROFICIENT IN HANDLING THE PISTOL AND HAVE THEIR HANDS AND FINGERS STRONGER WHEN FIREARMS WEEK ARRIVES AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE 14 WEEK ACADEMY.
3. Learned that there are some very smart folks researching how our brains work so that training can be improved.
4. Reiterated that agencies should not lock into the "everyone has to carry the same pistol" mantra. Agencies should offer options for those officers with smaller hands. A PISTOL THAT IS TOO LARGE OR TOO SMALL FOR A SHOOTERS HANDS IS A HANDICAP THAT REALLY CANNOT BE OVERCOME.

After for being out of policing for about 5 years and returning, it was good to learn that someone in the state has realized we need to be doing better and we are heading that way.
This is a really cool insight in the the LE community here in AL. Thanks for the post man. Coastie here, not currently in an LE role but I like to read up on things like this regardless.
 

jlw

Established Member
Mar 28, 2016
23
16
GA
There were a bunch of guys in a FLETC FI class I attended last year in Lee County that were repeat guys doing a recert.

The one issue with the institutional courses is that they focus on running a line of shooters through courses of fire rather than diagnosing and coaching individual shooters.
 
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