Rifle Qualification Standard

Minimum Certification Standard for Wisconsin Law Enforcement

Academies

Wisconsin Department of Justice December 2014

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 3

PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

APPLICABILITY ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

ADMINISTRATION OF QUALIFICATION COURSE ..................................................................................................... 3

QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR .................................................................................................................................................. 3 PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................................................................ 3 EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Required Target .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Ammunition.......................................................................................................................................................... 4

SAFETY PLAN ................................................................................................................................................................ 4 PASS/FAIL CRITERIA ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Universal Standards ............................................................................................................................................. 4 SCORING ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Scoring Zones ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Accuracy Requirement ......................................................................................................................................... 5

REMEDIAL TRAINING ............................................................................................................................................. 5

DOCUMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................. 6

QUALIFICATION COURSE ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Copyright © 2014 by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. All rights reserved.

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Executive Summary

This document summarizes the minimum rifle qualification standard to be used by Wisconsin

law enforcement academies in the pre-service training of students and law enforcement officers.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this document is to establish a uniform standard for rifle proficiency

testing of Wisconsin law enforcement academy students.

Limitations

This qualification course is limited in scope. This course merely evaluates an officer’s ability to

perform basic psychomotor skills in a controlled setting, testing whether an officer can

accurately operate a rifle in a low-stress environment. This course does not indicate whether

officers have received recent, relevant, and realistic training necessary to perform their job. It

does not train or test an officer’s ability to perform psychomotor skills in a rapidly-evolving,

dynamic, and realistic work environment.

Academies must train and test students beyond this qualification standard in order to document

completion of the Rifle Skills Competency Evaluation Material checklist.

Applicability

This standard applies to the following entities:

All basic preparatory training/recruit academies operating under the purview of the Law

Enforcement Standards Board.1

Administration of Qualification Course

Qualified Instructor Instructors/evaluators must possess current Rifle instructor certification from the Law

Enforcement Standards Board.2 These materials are LESB curriculum and require LESB

instructor certification to be recognized.

Procedures Academy students must qualify using a law enforcement rifle as typically used by patrol officers

and issued or approved by their academy. The qualification exam may be administered to the

1 http://docs.legis.wi.gov/code/admin_code/les/3/ 2 Instructor certification status should be confirmed using WILENET’s “Snapshot” feature.

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recruit class at anytime deemed appropriate by the lead instructor, as long as it occurs during the

Firearms unit. Students must successfully qualify to pass the Firearms unit.

Equipment Requirements Minimum equipment to perform these qualification courses:

50-yard range3

One target stand and target per shooter

Portable “cover”

Timer

Standard range equipment (safety glasses, protective vest, hearing protection, etc.)

Required Target Academies shall use any one of the following targets:

1. WisDOJ qualification target, available from commercial vendors.4

2. IALEFI photo target.

3. Any life-size photo target displaying a deadly force threat.

Ammunition Academy students shall use ammunition provided or approved by their academy. Recruits

employed by a law enforcement agency should discuss this course with their agency to learn

whether the agency requires a certain type of ammunition be used during this course.

Safety Plan Following standard practices, the lead instructor should develop a written range safety plan,

detailing at least the following information and practices:

“Hot” or “cold” range policies, i.e. when and where handguns may be loaded, unloaded,

and removed from holsters.

Range procedures and commands.

First-aid kit and process to be followed in medical emergencies.

Pass/Fail Criteria The shooter must meet all of the standards—time, accuracy, and universal standards—to pass the

course. Time and accuracy standards are detailed in the course. “Universal standards” are

described below. Failure to adhere to universal standards at all times during the course is cause

for failure, regardless of the shooter’s time and accuracy.

Universal Standards The shooter must consistently perform all of the following to qualify:

Rifle is always handled in a safe manner.

o Trigger finger is on receiver outside trigger guard at all times, except when firing.

o Rifle is always pointed in an appropriate direction and never sweeps the officer or

others.

Exhibits acceptable stance grip.

Selector is on “safe” except when firing or performing post-shooting scan.

Maintains peripheral view of suspect when reloading or clearing a malfunction.

3 A 25-yard range may be used with a reduced target. 4 Approved: www.letargets.com #WISC-DOJ12; www.targets.net #WI-DOJ; www.targetsonline.com #7221310;

www.omahatargets.com #WI-DOJ.

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Performs autogenic breathing and a 360-degree scan for additional threats following each

string.

Safely and appropriately follows all range directions and instructor commands.

Scoring Rounds touching a scoring line get the higher value. Rounds fired past any time limit are scored

as a shot that hit outside target zone “D”.

Scoring Zones

Scoring zone “C” Scoring zone “D”

Accuracy Requirement The course is scored upon completion of the course.

Any shot fired past a time limit is counted as a miss. Subtract these overtime misses from

the number of hits found within the suspect’s silhouette when the target is scored.

Must have at least 40 rounds in the silhouette after over-time shots are removed from hits.

Remedial Training Training academies shall follow the Law Enforcement Standards Board testing policy adopted in

June, 2011, as described in the School Director’s Manual on WILENET. Separate “Summative

Assessments” are conducted using the Firearms Skills Competencies Evaluation Material Guide

and Rifle Qualification Standard to document these final evaluations. LESB testing policy

requires students to demonstrate competence on the PAT to the satisfaction of LESB-certified

instructors. Use the Evaluation Materials Checklist and Record of Qualification Attempt to

document student success or failure on the final summative skills assessment. These documents

must be kept on file for every student.

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Every academy student will be tested on each of the Firearms skills using the Firearms Skill

Evaluation Checklist and Rifle Qualification Standard course.

If a student fails any of the skills on the Skill Evaluation Checklist, the student will

receive remedial training and then take a re-test, which consists of the skill(s) they missed

on the original test (minimum standard). For the Skill Evaluation Checklist, the

minimum standard is that the student only re-tests on the skills they did not pass during

the original assessment. For example, if a student passes all but 2 skills in the Firearms

Skill Evaluation Checklist, the minimum standard is the student receives remedial

training and re-tests those 2 skills. Academies may impose higher standards, such as re-

testing all of the skills again.

If a student does not pass the Rifle Qualification Standard on the first attempt, the student

will receive remedial training and then re-test the qualification course in its entirety. For

the Rifle Qualification Standard, the minimum standard is that the student re-tests the

entire course. For example, if a student passes each stage except for the 15 and 25-yard

shooting, the student receives remedial training and then re-shoots the entire qualification

course.

A re-test of any student must be completed before the end of phase two of the recruit

academy.

A student who passes a re-test successfully passes the Summative Assessment, but

documentation of the original failure and re-test must be kept on file for the student.

Failure to pass a re-test results in the student failing preparatory training.

Documentation Academies must maintain a record of the qualification attempt(s) of academy students. A form

for this purpose is included on the back of the qualification course. This qualification form

supplements, but does not replace, the form also required in the Firearms Skills Competency

Evaluation Material.

Rifle Qualification Course – December 2014 Page 7

Qualification Course Time & Distance Performance Standard Target

Zone Total

Rounds

50 yards 15.0 seconds5

Make the rifle call ready (25 rounds in the weapon & magazine) and assume a prone position

(untimed). Upon signal fire 5 rounds, scan, and put selector on “safe.”

D 5

50 yards 15.0 seconds

Start with the rifle in call ready in a kneeling barricade position (untimed).

Upon signal fire 5 rounds, scan, and put selector on “safe.”

D 5

50 yards 20.0 seconds

Start with the rifle in call ready in a standing barricade position (untimed).

Upon signal fire 5 rounds, scan, and put selector on “safe.”

D 5

25 yards 50.0 sec total

Start with the rifle in call ready. Upon signal, fire 5 rounds from a kneeling barricade position,

then 5 rounds from a standing strong side barricade position. The rifle will run dry. Perform an

out-of-battery reload (insert magazine with 25 rounds), then fire 5 rounds from standing reaction

side barricade. Scan and put selector on “safe.”

D 15

Score target. At least 24 rounds must be in the “D” zone. Mark hits or replace target.

15 yards 15.0 seconds

Start with the rifle in call ready in the tactical ready position. Upon signal, fire 5 rounds standing

then 5 rounds kneeling. Scan and put selector on “safe.”

C 10

7 yards 3.0 seconds

Start with the rifle in call ready in the tactical ready position. Upon signal, fire 2 rounds

standing, scan, and put selector on “safe.” Repeat five times.

C 10

Score target. At least 16 rounds must be in the “C” zone.

Total Rounds 50

If range facilities require this course to be fired at 25 yards instead of 50 yards:

1. Shoot the 50-yard stages from 25 yards but use the “C” target zone instead of the “D” target zone.

2. Score the target after the 50-yard stages. At least 12 of 15 rounds required to be in the “C” zone to qualify. Mark hits or replace the target.

3. Fire the 25-yard stage at 25 yards and score the target after the 25-yard stage. At least 12 of 15 rounds must be in the “D” zone.

5 Time limits are measured from the “start” signal to the final shot fired.

Rifle Qualification Course – December 2014 Page 8

Record of Rifle Qualification Attempt

OFFICER/STUDENT NAME: LESB INSTRUCTOR NAME: DAILEY, James A

ACADEMY NAME: Milwaukee Area Technical College

DATE: 04/07/17

TIME: □ TEST

□ RETEST

LOCATION: MATC Oak Creek Campus Range

WEAPON MAKE & MODEL: DPMS Panther Arms 5.56 / .223

SERIAL NUMBER: AMMO TYPE: .223

ACHIEVED UNIVERSAL STANDARDS (ALL REQUIRED TO QUALIFY):

□ Always handles rifle safely.

□ Uses acceptable stance & grip.

□ Selector is on “safe” except when firing

or performing post-shooting scan.

□ Uses tactical breathing & performs 360-

degree scan following every shooting.

□ Consistently follows range rules &

instructor commands.

ACHIEVED ALL ACCURACY AND TIME STANDARDS:

□ YES □ NO

INSTRUCTOR NOTES:

ACCURACY STANDARDS:

Must have 24/30 rounds in silhouette (target zone D)

Must have 16/20 rounds in upper chest (target zone C)

INSTRUCTOR SIGNATURE: INSTRUCTOR’S LESB RIFLE INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION EXPIRATION DATE:

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