They take their firearms training seriously as they qualify with pistols and shotguns.
AUBURN – Eight cops lie on their bellies, guns drawn. They keep very still and make no sound. Then someone yells “he’s got a gun!” and the shooting starts. There’s the rapid pop, pop, pop of gunfire. Spent shell casings go flying. Small clangs ring out as bullets smash into steel targets leaving dark spots as marks of accuracy. The metallic smell of gunpowder lingers in the air.
Auburn police officers are doing at a firing range what they pray they never have to do anywhere else.
For the past three days, they’ve been qualifying with their weapons. It’s mostly training, but the officers need to achieve a certain level of accuracy so they can continue carrying their guns.
They’re going through the paces at the Androscoggin County Fish and Game Club. They’re put through a series of field tests to challenge their skills.
Most use their police issue 9mm Berettas. A few carry .45s. At some point, they will train with Remington shotguns used in the most riotous situations.
The officers shoot at stationary targets from upright and kneeling positions. They fire at a figure that is wheeled across the range on a cable. They move through a gallery of 10 numbered targets and aim at whichever ones an instructor tells them to.
Split-second decisions
The split-second decisions the cops need to make are meant to mimic the unpredictable nature of the dangers they might encounter on the job.
“We’re trying to make it as realistic as possible,” says police Sgt. Eric Audette, a certified firearms trainer. “This elevates the stress level up where it would be on the streets.”
Between rounds, the officers joke back and forth. They pass snide comments about their individual skills and razz the newer cops. But when it’s time to shoot, they’re all business.
“It’s fun,” Audette says, “but it gets you pumped up. It gets that stress up there.”
Maine Criminal Justice standards require that each officer goes through two hours of this training. Chief Richard Small subjects them to four hours instead.
“Everyone’s been doing very well,” Small said. “It’s been a good week.”
Small can’t just stand back and observe. He has to qualify, too. The chief is right there with the group as they move through the series of tests loosely referred to as “Hogan’s Alley,” after the mock village used by FBI agents in Quantico, Va.
Each officer has to nail 40 targets. They have 50 rounds of ammunition to do it. And they have to do it twice to qualify.
“They’ve stepped up the standard over the past couple years,” Audette said. “It’s definitely more difficult this year than it’s ever been.”
Before they are through, the cops will fire their weapons from behind trash barrels and mailboxes. They’ll aim at life-sized posters, some depicting dangerous criminals with firearms.
Not all a threat
Other posters will show an average person carrying what might appear to be a gun. It’s actually a cell phone or other harmless item. The officer again has to make that quick decision to shoot or not.
Police will use their guns in a low light setting, aiming for accuracy when seeing the target is not as easy.
The training is about more than accuracy, though, Audette says. The officers will practice their body positions and movements. They will work on changing their gun clips with speed and finesse. They will train their voices to shout out commands in a way that will best get the attention of a suspect.
“Drop the knife!” an officer shouts as he aims his gun at a target.
Moments later, he squeezes the trigger twice. There are two quick clangs as the bullets slam against the metal target 30 feet away. It’s enough force to kill a suspect and eliminate the threat.
It’s also a skill, the officers say, they hope they will never need.
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