Anytime you have new gear being deployed, questions should be asked: what’s the best way to effectively use the new gear and what information can we gain from operational use of the new equipment? Today’s feature is an announcement for a law enforcement survey from the National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association about operational use of the pistol-mounted red dot sight.
Pistol-mounted red dot sights (RDS) have becoming increasingly popular in law enforcement over the last few years. The National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association (NLEFIA) recognized the trend in 2017 and realized many firearms instructors probably did not have the technical knowledge or experience to implement a formal training program within their agency. One of the NLEFIA staff instructors had already been running a pistol RDS at his agency for three years. So, the NLEFIA staff began doing additional research and developed the 2-day / 16-hour Red Dot Sights for Duty Pistols instructor development course which was announced in summer of 2018 for scheduling in 2019. NLEFIA has already completed two classes with more classes being requested and scheduled.
One of the big questions is how will pistol-mounted RDS affect officer involved shootings and hit ratios which have come under scrutiny again in recent months. It’s unknown if there has even been an OIS involving a pistol-mounted RDS yet. And while many firearms training experts claim it will be the “wave of the future”…just as it was for rifles…some experts are concerned that the lack of firearms training that law enforcement receives may be a problem because a pistol RDS requires more training to be proficient than a RDS on a rifle.
Regardless, many agencies are already authorizing the use of pistol RDS for SWAT and patrol officers. The only way to know if the pistol RDS concept is beneficial for law enforcement is to gather data from every OIS involving the use of a pistol RDS.
NLEFIA has created an online survey that will be active for several years in hopes to capture data that will help firearms instructors and agencies dissect pistol RDS-related equipment, training, and performance. NLEFIA is hoping agencies will participate in the survey if they experience an OIS involving the use of a pistol RDS. NLEFIA will release current survey results to NLEFIA members and law enforcement agencies upon request.
To view the national online survey, go to: nlefia.org/survey_OIS_pistol_RDS
Jason Wuestenberg
Executive Director
NLEFIA - National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association
800-930-2953 | nlefia.org
NLEFIA is a membership-based organization dedicated to provide networking & information sharing, continuing education & training, and advanced certifications for professional firearms instructors.