04/22/08 - Lt. Pamela Gustovich: "Whether it is a dispute or a gun call, there are so many different tools all the way up to deadly force."

Detective Chris Girard handles a modified Glock handgun, which fires...
(Helen Neafsey/Greenwich Time Staff photo)

Quote:

"We do a lot of firearms training, but we really do much more working on their decision-making and judgment," says Lt. Pamela Gustovich Greenwich Police Training Division

Headline:

Each year, the Greenwich Police Firearms Training Unit conducts review training for all Greenwich officers for the standard issue Glock 40 mm handguns at its Steamboat Road firing range

Story:

Officers practice scenarios at firearms training

Officers Robert Smurlo and Frank DiPietro aimed their Glock handguns at two men pointing weapons at each other in the stairwell of a synagogue where gunfire has been reported...

...State police regulations mandate at least 3 hours of firearms training each year, which covers laws governing the proper use of force, shooting decisions, dealing with the effects of stress during firearm confrontations and other areas...

...Girard said the fact that the use of firearms by police is generally uncommon makes it even more challenging to make the correct split-second decision to protect themselves or others.

During training sessions, Girard and Hall will chew out officers when they botch the shooting scenarios, in hope that it might help them make the right choice whether to use their guns.

"If somebody is going to make a bad decision, we much rather they do it here where we can critique it and fix the problem," Girard said.

Full Story

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