Successful Safety-Awareness Event Returns in October
I am a firm believer that one of the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s responsibilities is to be a resource for information on all things law enforcement. This includes the tools our brave men and women utilize during the performance of their duties.
With this in mind, my talented staff produced a Safety Awareness Event in early May. The primary goal of this inaugural event was to highlight current law enforcement ammunition. More specifically, demonstrations compared the performance of available ammunition.
There has been so much information distributed in recent years that has caused more confusion than guidance, not to mention all of the biased information on this particular subject that is out there. DOCJT wanted to adopt the Missouri state motto on this topic, “Show Me.”
The folks at Hornady Ammunition were good enough to bring their road show to us at DOCJT’s Fort Boonesborough Firing Range. It is by far the most in-depth presentation and demonstration of ammunition performance I have witnessed, and they explained every step in the testing process.
One of the most impressive parts of the demonstration was that any round from any manufacturer could be tested to compare it to all other rounds.
All of the law enforcement agencies that attended the event were encouraged to bring their current duty ammunition to be tested. The results spoke for themselves, as they should, in any fair and impartial evaluation.
At least four different agencies that day were seriously considering changing their duty ammunition based upon the results of the testing. That was one of the primary reasons for the event – providing scientific and results-based data to make informed, educated decisions on a topic that could be critical to our law enforcement personnel across the Commonwealth.
All law enforcement agencies should be carrying ammunition in which they have the utmost confidence. But just in case there is any doubt, here is one reason why. The duty ammunition you carry should be reliable enough to stop a deadly-force threat. Failing to do so can result in dire consequences if the bullet fails to perform. Plain and simple, but sometimes overlooked.
All the test results were provided to personnel who attended as reference material if needed. The feedback from the event was tremendously positive, and we at DOCJT pledged to continue these events in the coming months.
The attendees were provided lunch from our partners at the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) and the Kentucky League of Cities Insurance Services (KLCIS), which was prepared by the outstanding staff here at DOCJT.
The next event has been planned for this October and will include three stages. One will have the newest training rounds from Ultimate Training Munitions and will showcase the value of scenario-based training. Another will entail a comparison of the duty shotgun with a patrol rifle, so attendees can see for themselves the pros and cons of each weapon system.
The last stage will highlight designated-marksman rifles equipped with various optics for the attendees to familiarize themselves and gain insight into this type of system. We hope to have a great turnout, and if anyone has an interest in attending, please email DOCJT Special Assistant Carey Kitts at carey.kitts@ky.gov, and he will provide you with details.
God bless each and every one of you for what you do on a daily basis across our state and stay safe.
