On target

By Staff
Jason Houston FCT Managing Editor
Russellville Police officer Leslie Sheffield has been in scary situations during her career - foot chases with suspects, knife attacks and others.
She said Friday's tactical weapons training class didn't evoke quite the same adrenaline rush as a real-life situation…but it came close.
Sheffield and a host of other RPD officers went through the training Friday at a shooting range in Muscle Shoals. The class offered real-life scenarios and required split-second decisions before officers fired their .40-caliber semi-automatic Glock handguns.
The class began with a lecture period from Hester, and concluded with officers firing numerous rounds at paper targets with actual pictures of humans on them, a change from previous times when targets were just gray and white.
Hester told the group that the average gunfight lasts between 3 and 6 seconds.
Hester covered other topics with the group, such as when it is permissible to shoot at a moving vehicle (when it is being used as a weapon, coming toward you), and whether an officer should shoot just because another does (no.)
One scenario the officers faced involved standing on the shooting range pretending to be knocking on a door. At the instructor's discretion, a target of a woman pointing a gun would flash before the officers and the officers would have to unholster their weapon, aim and fire in three seconds. Another scenario pictured three people, one hostage and two suspects. Officers had to "identify the threat" and then shoot only the "bad guys."
Hargett, who has been an instructor himself for more than 5 years, said he and other instructors stress the fundamentals with the officers in training.