Dothan Police Prepare for the Unthinkable

John S Keppy

Viewed: 10249

Posted by: JSKeppy
Date: Nov 16 2009 8:27 PM

A patrol car roars up, lights and sirens code 3, toward several identified suspects. Other than light from the car's headlights and flashes from the car's strobes, it is dark

The officer engages fire with the suspects using his service pistol, a .40 caliber Glock 22. Double tap (two rapid shots), move, engage another suspect, move, prone out, engage more suspects, reload. More suspects - time to move again, but this time, engage the hostiles with a shot gun. Move again, draw the pistol again and engage suspects with the weak hand.

And so it went this evening as numerous Dothan Police Officers underwent night fire training at the police range. Officers lined up to wait their turn to advance and engage, almost like a long line at Disney World waiting for one of the most popular rides there! But this was not about fun and games, it was about realistic training to sharpen an officer's skills to survive should the officer encounter armed aggressors bent on not being taken into custody. Unlikely? Read the news. Every day, it seems, a senseless violent act that resulted in numerous casualties has occurred somewhere in our nation.

Each officer was guided through the course surrounded by several instructors whose primary focus was safety. An instructor gave instructions and instilled a sense of urgency in the trainee. Some officers were observed wearing sunglasses while waiting in line. They reasoned that doing so would preserve their night vision. But that concept went away the moment they bailed out of their patrol cars and were exposed to the the flash of the car's strobes.

All members of the department will go through this exercise over the next few days, preparing for the unthinkable to happen.  Food has also been provided by the Oyster Bar located at 1155 Reeves Street, Dothan AL.

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