NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Police officers stationed at Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management at Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, participated in an armed vehicle defense course conducted by sniper team leader and AVD Instructor Corporal Walter Cook of the Dauphin County Crisis Response Team.
The training took place on the weapons range at Defense Distribution Center Susquehanna Oct. 11.
Participants were instructed on the advantages and disadvantages of weapon use inside of the vehicle, proper vehicle positioning and vehicle as a weapon concepts.
“Police officers spend a large amount of their time working in and around vehicles,” stated Cook. “When violence occurs, frequently firearms are in that situation and officers need to understand the capabilities and limitations of their firearms. Armed Vehicle Defense training will help officers gain the knowledge to be purposeful and reactive to make them safer when fighting in and around vehicles.”
“The laboratory portion demonstrated the capabilities or limitations of the department’s duty ammunition on different areas of a vehicle,” said DLA Police Instructor, Lieutenant Richard Michener. “Officers first engaged targets from the driver’s seat through the windshield and examined how the points of impact were affected by the glass.”
The vehicle was then shot in the areas believed to provide cover putting testing preconceived notions of protection. This established which areas provided the most effective cover an officer could use in or around a vehicle. Officers were then instructed on how to maximize the use of cover with unconventional shooting positions that also provided increased mobility.
“The training was highly beneficial for everyone that participated. DLA police officers made good use of the opportunity to learn and practice an important skill in a challenging and dynamic setting,” Michener said.