Officers held firearms training

Twenty-five years ago this week, local police were undergoing required training.

The March 6, 1999, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about Jay County Sheriff’s Department full-time and reserve officers taking part in a Firearms Training Simulator at Blackford County Sheriff’s Department.

During the training, less than 10 feet separated an officer an a burly man brandishing a switchblade and spewing obscenities.

“Drop the knife!” yelled Jay County Sheriff’s Department deputy Bob Brown as he trained his right hand on his gun.

Suddenly, the man lunged at Brown, two shots were discharged and the scenario projected on a screen stopped.

“This is the best firearms training we can receive for shot/don’t shoot situations,” said Sheriff Todd Penrod. “it measures whether or not the right decision was made to fire at a suspect. it shows where the bullets hit, if they are lethal, just wounds or misses.”

Brown’s result: Two lethal hits, zero misses.

Deputies went through the training equipped with a laser gun and goggles while facing a screen that displayed one of about 20 different scenarios. In each, officers had to make split-second decisions regarding whether or not they should fire their weapon.

Deputy Greg Franks found himself in a dimly lit warehouse where his partner is attacked. He shoots and the attacker falls, but another individual appears and fires a weapon. Franks fires back as he is hit. (Rubber pellets were shot at the officers as part of the scenario.

Travis Weaver of the sheriff’s department also runs a scenario in which he encounters three men in a dark, narrow alley. The one in the center draws a gun and begins firing. But Weaver already had his gun trained and delivered five lethal shots, zero misses. 

“It’s excellent” Weaver said. “It’s probably as realistic as you can get without using a firearm.