LIBRARY

Recently I had the opportunity to review the Reference and Training Guide for Law Enforcement Officers: Firearms And Training, written by Sgt. Paul Trautmann and David Churilla. For the sake of brevity, throughout the rest of this review I am going to refer to this work as “the guide.” It is a valuable time-saving tool and a fabulous resource for the departmental training officer. This excellent 359-page manual and its accompanying CD should be in the hands of every police officer or agent who is charged with conducting ongoing training programs for field personnel.

This ambitious project came about after two veteran lawmen and trainers met through the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI).

Sgt. Paul Trautmann has over 22 years of law enforcement experience, including patrol, undercover, training and SWAT assignments. He has conducted SWAT training for the Pennsylvania and New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Office of the FBI and numerous other agencies. Trautmann was the on-scene SWAT commander of the team that successfully ended the siege of a DuPont heir’s home, in which a disturbed man killed an associate and barricaded himself inside a large, fortified, and heavily armed estate.

Sgt. Trautmann later conducted a training session concerning this successful operation for David Churilla, who is another veteran officer who is active in organizing and presenting IALEFI’s annual and regional training conferences. Churilla has 23 years of active law enforcement experience, and serves as an expert witness on firearms training and police tactics.

Trautmann and Churilla recognized the need for an organized set of lesson outlines, visual aids, and other resources that trainers at the local level could use to assist in continuing training of police officers in firearms and tactics. For many instructors, particularly in smaller agencies, the biggest problem they face is finding the time to write and develop lesson plans, draw or design overhead slides and hand-out materials, and all of the other behind-the-scenes work that goes into every actual training presentation. Their goal was to eliminate this work for the trainer by giving him a set of easily useable training modules that can be used as is, or modified to meet local requirements.

The hard copy manual is divided into numerous sections, each with slides or video feeds, flash card type key point reminders, note taking space and numerous well-executed drawings and diagrams. The CD contains the same information, and can be used by an individual with a computer. The images can also be projected onto a large monitor for viewing by a group. The training modules are very well suited to roll-call type training sessions, covering one or two key points in a brief session. Experience has shown that brief, frequent sessions have more impact and will be retained better by the average person than longer, less frequent in-service training.

One aspect I found very useful was a firearm-specific section on the operation of a number of commonly encountered police service weapons. The diagrams and instructions pertain to a specific make and model of weapon, with precise operating, safety, assembly and maintenance procedures outlined. This avoids confusion for officers who are not gun enthusiasts and need directions that apply specifically, and in detail, to their particular firearm. There are separate sections on Beretta pistols, the 1911, Glock, H&K USP, Ruger semi-autos, SIGs, Smith & Wesson and the S&W Sigma. Both the Remington 870 and AR-15 are covered as well.

There are also sections on OC, Mechanics of Arrest, High Risk Stops, Building Searches, Weapon Retention and a number of other subjects. Diagrams and photos enhance the material and there are even video clips to illustrate real-life examples of several key learning points.

The CD is set up as a Power Point display and is available with the manual or can be purchased separately. One major advantage is the ease with which this program can be modified to suit a particular agency’s needs. By saving and renaming the files, the information and displays can be changed to suit local laws, regulations and departmental policies.

The price of the manual and CD set is $78, and the price of the CD alone is just $39. Churilla stated that their goal was to get this information out to as many line officers as possible, as quickly as possible, hence the reasonable price. Even if the department won’t spring for it, in my opinion, any active firearms trainer would be well served by paying for this reference set out of his own pocket.

More information can be found at Trautmann and Churilla’s website at www.trainingmanual.net. The primary distributor for this product is Law Enforcement Targets, www.letargets.com, (800) 779-0182.