You know the old saying, “When it rains it pours?” Well today I was drowned by comments or even what I might call complaints. Two very senior cops I hold in high regard called me today to complain about the direction the newer rifle guys of their respective departments are being led by some of the resident LEO rifle “newer” experts.

I started teaching a rifle program in 1983 I titled “Urban Rifle.” The concept was based on personal experiences and what was missing in the law enforcement community and private sector in the application of fighting with rifles. This program wasn’t necessarily intended for SWAT. In my mind’s eye, I simply wanted to teach others to fight smart with the AR or other magazine fed rifle platform in a compressed environment.

The first few years were slow going and I got lots of strange looks and even stranger calls about teaching tactics and techniques for the rifle inside normally considered effective pistol distances or ranges.

Now, 24 years later, I’ve probably taught more rifle classes than any other class I teach and I think I’ve learned a few things about what makes a serviceable rifle system for law enforcement — especially for the patrol cops bellying up to the rifle carry bar. So, I thought to share these concepts with you.

You’re A Cop

First and foremost street cops from San Diego to San Jose to Savannah need to understand you are not operators — you’re a cop in America. You aren’t storming around the desert in armored vehicles, you are responding to barking dogs and noisy neighbors, so take a pill or something. Can you respond to man with a gun, barricaded suspects or answer radio calls to the Bank of America where bad guys have automatic weapons? Yes it might, can and perhaps will happen. Could you find a viable use for the rifle? You bet and I help every cop I can get a rifle and learn how to use it well. Then again being a cop in America and not a SEAL, Delta Spec Ops guy in Afghanistan you probably don’t need to hang every piece of aftermarket crap made for the AR platform known to mankind on your patrol car rifle.

Sorry, you’re not an operator you’re a cop. Maybe we should act and think like the law enforcement officers we in fact are.

Don’t Fix It

I am not opposed to equipment that solves a problem. Then again, much of the rifle gear carried by American cops might be a bit over done. This seems more prevalent on big departments — they have more funding. Since most of the departments in the US are small, funding is so short they’re lucky to even have rifles and even luckier if they have money to buy service ammo. As to whether there’s training ammunition — that’s another question. Remember, qualifications — even if elaborate or done often — are not training.

My local Police and Sheriff’s Office are constantly struggling to get training ammo funds for their handguns. much less their rifles. And here, unlike a lot of places, these guys can actually use rifles pretty regularly. Lake County, Oregon’s north county officers are spread so thin their closest back up is usually 100 miles away.

So, excuse me if I kind of laugh when “big city” SWAT teams on the Discovery Channel are talking about how tough it is for them as they drive up in big ass armored truck and 20 guys that stepped out of a BlackHawk catalog climb out to beat down a front door of the house where the perp just flushed two ounces of grass down the toilet. And so the whiners don’t get fired up at editor Dave, yes you can get just as dead in a big city or state with cover 10 seconds out as in Christmas Valley, Oregon a hundred miles from a back up.

Here are a couple of facts as I see it. Patrol cops need rifles. SWAT will be pissed because patrol rifles step on their tactical toes. SWAT won’t be there for an hour or two. You can get mad and write a letter of complaint — except it’s true.

Rifles, What American COPs Need

This is easy, American cops need a lightweight rifle that works. They need to acquire and maintain regularly practiced basic skills with using iron sights. They need a white light to identify potential threats encountered and they really should practice. Officers need to understand and apply without pause the placement of the projectile on a target while applying the mechanical offset of the AR15/M16 rifle platform especially inside twenty-five yards. Officers need a method of transporting the lightweight rifle by sling allowing them to have free hands to conduct the other tasks of their job. Officers need to have extra rifle ammunition whether in pouch or gun mounted format. If the officer was left-handed an ambi safety is a good thing too.

Rifles, What American COPs Want

Can you say everything, always, right now and free? Okay, so injecting a bit of fairness. A couple of points, heavy rifle barrels aren’t more accurate they’re just heavier. Longer rifle barrels aren’t more accurate they’re just longer. So, why do the LEO patrol rifles have to be heavy? Damned if I know.

A retractable stock may be helpful if you wear hard or heavy armor, or if you’re small in stature. Everybody wants an epointaimdotgumsight. Glass and electronic sights do not help you shoot better. Glass may help you see better and seeing better can be important as long as the field of view isn’t restricted to the door hinge from across the street in the looking down a toilet paper tube mode. No glass sight will compensate for a jerk jerking on the trigger. And I don’t see the sense in a glass sight if the iron on the rifle isn’t properly zeroed and the cop carrying it can’t shoot iron in case the battery or lens is fouled or not working for their sake — yeah, I know they always work — not.

A potential concept, maybe American cops could (note: could not should) put whatever optical sight they like on their carry rifle after basic rifle marksmanship skills with iron sights are achieved.

Operators Or Cops

I think, train and work to help every Police Officer I can with training in handgun, rifle and tactics. And, to get and use the proper equipment including armor, helmets, rifles and handguns that work. In reality American cops aren’t operators you’re the police. Maybe you should train and acquire equipment appropriate to the job. A rifle that works, sights you can see, a light to identify threats and the practice to apply marksmanship skills for the problem at hand.