PPD’S shooting range is updated

High emphasis on realistic scenario-based training

Although the Porterville Police Department’s shooting range is not open for public use, Capt. John Hall said it has been updated to provide officers with realistic situations so they’ll be more prepared when out in the field.

“If you look at the history of law enforcement training over the last several decades, there has been certain evolutions of training that have been developed with a higher emphasis being placed on the street level encounter scenario type of training versus a simple standard accuracy test,” Hall said.

While accuracy is certainly an important component of firearms training, Hall said additional components now include lighting, moving targets and time constraints to try and make the experience as realistic as possible.

“Our range training also consists of proper target discrimination to identify a non-lethal force threat target from a lethal force threat target, and from a threat target at a level that is less than lethal force,” Hall said, adding that such training is standard for law enforcement agencies to various degrees. “Our department has always placed a high emphasis on realistic scenario-based training.”

To help better prepare officers, Hall said the department refurbished a house out in the range to use for scenario training. He said the department also improved the range’s storage abilities for various equipment and installed a turning target system.

“It is all designed to enhance the training aspects provided to our officers,” Hall said.

Hall said officers use the range multiple times a month, as well as the department’s sworn personnel, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, and K-9 team.

In addition to Porterville Police Department personnel, Hall said a number of other law enforcement agencies throughout the county also use the facility, as well as the police academy at Porterville College.

“We contracted with Porterville College where we provide the facility and they will go out there with academy instructors that conduct the training,” Hall said.

Hall noted, however, that the range is not open to the public because it is not ADA compliant.

“In order to open the range up to the public, it has to meet specific ADA requirements,” Hall said, adding that such requirements have been identified

and are on a list of the city’s projects. “Unfortunately, it is a long list of projects that the city has to get through, and, like with everything, it is all about the allocation of resources and identifying what is the most important project at any given time for those resources to work on.”

As far as how long the department will utilize the facility, which is located on approximately five acres of land off Road 216, Hall said he hopes for several decades to come.

“When the city moved forward with this project back in 2011 they had looked for a location

that was going to provide long-term suitability for the range,” Hall said, adding that the current facility is definitely suitable for the long term.

In the meantime, Hall said the department will continue looking for ways to improve the facility to better train officers so they can better protect the community.

“We are always looking at ways to provide a higher level of training for our officers because ultimately the higher level of training and the better level of training we provide translates directly to a better level of service that we can provide our community,” Hall said.