CRESTVIEW — The state of Florida requires law enforcement officers to qualify with their handguns at least every two years. The Crestview Police Department’s requirements are rather more stringent.
A Crestview Police officer has to qualify at least every six months, with quarterly qualifications the ultimate goal, the agency’s training officer, Cmdr. Andrew Schneider, said.
Firearms qualifications video 1
On Nov. 22, about two dozen officers, including Investigations Division personnel, headed over to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office shooting range for about three hours of pistol, rifle and shotgun qualifying.
The department’s remaining two dozen officers did their testing Nov. 29.
Firearms qualifications video 2
While the officers may have joked around and bantered on the ride over and while donning their body armor, equipment belts and safety gear, they quickly turned serious and businesslike when Schneider and his training assistant, Investigator Chaise Rawles, summoned them to the firing line.
As Schneider explained in no uncertain terms in a pre-test memo, "Officers will be required to meet the minimum firearms proficiency requirements on their duty weapons, secondary weapons, long rifle and shotguns. If you do not qualify, you will not be authorized to carry your firearms.
"This will be detrimental to your employment with the agency."
In other words, the future of the officers’ jobs joined them on the firing line.
Firearms qualifications video 3
On Nov. 22, all 20 officers qualified in pistol proficiency. However one officer failed the shotgun portion and has to retake the test to be permitted to carry the weapon on patrol.
Schneider thanked Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson for permitting Crestview officers to qualify on his agency’s shooting range, and following the testing, he, Rawles and the officers formed a line and walked back and forth across the firing lines picking up spent cartridges.
"We wanted to be good guests and leave their range as clean as when we found it," Schneider said.
Firearms qualifications video 4
Police Chief Tony Taylor said a shooting range is a valuable training resource for a growing law enforcement agency and having access to such a facility closer to home would benefit the Crestview Police Department.
"The police department is looking at options to establish our own firing range," he said.
Brian Hughes is the Crestview Police Department's public information officer.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview policemen qualify in firearm proficiency, seeks shooting range