|
FROM THE DESK OF CHUCK CHADWICK -
Ref: In-Service Training
In-service training is something that we have always left to the security lead/director of each church. For the most part each team has put together their own program for training outside of your original state training and renewal class. Some of you have excellent security team training programs. Some, don’t.
With dozens of churches spread all across Texas it is hard to offer on-site training. We offer Advanced Handgun several times a year that some of the local Gatekeepers have taken advantage of. Several of our churches have come to our range for some live fire practice/training. Some have come to the Institute for simulator training. I know that traveling for training is expensive and inconvenient.
Are you required to do training under the Gatekeeper Program? We are not dictating exactly what training and how often. We would hope that you are doing something in between the two years we see you at renewals. Most churches have live fire handgun practice at local ranges.
How often should you do some sort of training? I suggest monthly, quarterly, semiannually, whatever works for your team.
A church’s armed security team’s failure to train is a huge liability! Failure to document your training also increases our liability. Charitable Immunity will not save you from the Gross Negligence charge. In Texas, commissioned security officers are required to qualify with firearms only once every two years when renewing their security officer commission license. Some states that do not require security training and licensing to function as an armed church security officer don’t even require you to fire a weapon. However; qualifying is not training. Qualifying is a test of your training. There is a huge liability if you fail to train and fail to document that training.
Let’s say you find yourself in an incident at the church while on duty and accidentally shoot an innocent person while trying to shoot the bad guy. Basically you were inaccurate in your deployment of the firearm. The lawyer that is bringing suit against you and your church ask you on the stand, “What training have you had in the use and proficiency of your firearm, when was the last time you trained and what did you train for? What documentation of this training and proficiency can you provide?
Two way this can go:
You might say that you qualified two years ago as required by law. You might say that you and the guys go out and put a few round downrange about once a month. Or, as one officer recently responded, I haven’t fired a gun in over a year because it is highly unlikely that he would ever use a gun.
You might say that in addition to the required qualification, you also train once a month in various disciplines that accentuate the accurate placement of rounds under stress and here is the documentation of that training.
Which answer would you prefer to give? Which answer do you think would be the better answer to the court?
Obviously the second answer would be the better of the two. Beside the liability issue is the issue that you want to be skilled enough to not shot the good guy and to be able to stop the bad guy from killing your people. You do this by training to be accurate and quick enough to prevail in this deadly fight.
Documented training is by far the best way to inoculate you, your team, Gatekeepers and your church from the possibly of you being found guilty of failure to train.
Here is our suggestion:
Who to train: Train individually and as a team.
What to train for: Train to be able to efficiently and effectively stop a deadly threat. Remember the three-legged stool? Skill, Stress inoculation, Will.
Leg One: Skill – Accuracy plus speed. Practical accuracy VS Target accuracy.
Target accuracy – We are not after the skill require to hit a dime at 50 yards with one shot in 30 seconds.
Practical accuracy – We ARE after hitting a man-sized target, center of mass in under 1.5 seconds.
Leg Two: Under Stress – The easiest way to induce stress is “Time”. Yes, be able to hit your target with accuracy first and then to do it relatively quickly.
Another stress inducer is force on force training such as scenario role playing with airsoft. Something that induces stress and realism.
Leg Three: Will – You have made the decision that you can and will do whatever it takes to stop the bad guy.
When to train: Train regularly.
Training Documentation: Either a form or Certificate. If your instructor does not issue certificate of training, ask them if they would fill out and sign a form indicating what training was received.
If they don’t or will not; find another instructor.
Document your training by collecting the following and keeping a file of the following for each team member.
- Name of Trainee/s
- Date
- Weapon: Make, Model, Caliber
- Course of Fire, Training type, Course (Handgun 1, etc.)
- Score – Pass/Fail, Numerical score
- Instructor/Witness
- Training Company – If Applicable
What type of training? I want to give you some ideas of the type of in-service training you can do on your own.
Here are some examples:
Live fire – Range time is always a good thing.
Basic stand and deliver – Shooting enough that you can dependably shoot a 250 on the Texas LTC qualifying course of fire.
Draw from your holster. This can be done dry fire or live fire. Try to meet your 1.5 second draw at 5 yards on a 81/2 X 11” target.
Multiple targets or long range (25 yards) practice.
Lots of other drills can be done. – Just keep them safe and within your level of skill.
Highly structured professional training by a reputable instructor that issues certificates of training from national training organization (NRA, LEO, PSB training, etc.).
Defensive Tactics – Practice some of the defensive tactics you learned in your original training. Escort hold, Handcuffing, etc.
Something to remember about defensive tactics – The Laying On of Hands in an unhealing way!
If you keep to the techniques we teach you in your original state training you gain the advantage of deploying a technique that has the three qualities we all want in our favor.
The techniques are Tactically Sound, Medically Sound and Legally Sound. Not a get out of jail free card but a great start in your court battle after an incident.
Great reading of article about the impact of what defensive tactics system you train in –
https://gatekeeperstx.com/the-five-point-palm-exploding-heart-technique/
Video Training for Gatekeepers – Having a group meeting to watch a video of one of sessions at the annual church security conference and then discussing what you learned.
Here’s a few subjects you can find on the Gatekeeper Program channel:
Each is usually an hour long –
Stop the bleed training
Explosive Entry – Just kidding.
God Bless and Highest Regards,
Chuck Chadwick
President
Gatekeepers Security Service, LLC
chuck@gatekeeperssecurity.com
(214) 305-5616
| 
