Shooting Range Day

Today I went to Mesa Police Department Shooting Range for my range day. We learned about hazardous devices, SWAT and firearms. The bomb guys and SWAT gave a demonstration on their range. They blew up a cap in a can and then they detonated a bigger device. The 2nd detonation was so loud. And you could feel the heat and pressure as it exploded. After the bomb guys were done the SWAT team demonstrated all the different guns, rifles and beanbag rifles. They were really amazing. They even did a sniper shot, hidden away in the bushes. It was quite the surprise. After they were done the bomb guys and SWAT demonstrated an explosive entry through a door. They had installed a old steel school door onto their make shift wall. Then they went through the exercise. They treated it like a real situation. We stood really far back. They loaded the door with a water bomb, got into position and on the command, blew open the door then moved in in formation and took down all the "bad guys". We were then able to inspect their damage. It was fun.

Once the demonstrations were done we had lunch and then the firearms course started. We learned all about how police officers are trained to use their weapons. Once the presenter was done we went back out on the range and took turns shooting a pistol and a rifle. Below is my target from my pistol shots. We used a simulated bullet that had a paint filled rubber end. The offices said these are what they use in training. They won't kill you, but will hurt you. At least more than just a normal paint gun. Anyways, we got 5 shots with the pistol. My shots are all over the heart. The SWAT guys were pretty impressed because out of the 10 people in my group, my shots were the closest together. They even took a picture of me by my target for the DVD slide show at the end of the course. I was very proud. It is hanging on the back of my bedroom door. Joe was impressed and my boys were surprised.

Now the rifle was a different story. I was not a great shot but I got better as I went. They didn't let us bring home those targets. But needless to say my beginning shots hit the target very low and still would have injured the suspect. As I got more confident with the gun I was able to place my last shots in the chest.

It was quite a day. I am very impressed with what our Police Officers do and have to learn. This class has shown me just how involved this job is and just how many different aspects there are to being on the Mesa Police Department. I have 3 classes left and I can say my expectations have been exceeded greatly.