Why some Somerset County officers are trying new firearms techniques

Eric Kieta, The Daily American
·2 min read

Some Somerset County law enforcement entities are taking a "modern" look at police shooting procedures.

Boswell Borough police Chief Ray Wilhelm III recently hosted a firearms training with VIGR Training owner Phillip Groff in early November. The training was taken by officers from the Somerset County Jail, Somerset County sheriff's office, Boswell Borough police and Middletown police.

Multiple Somerset County law enforcement officers attended a VIGR Training firearms class in early November. Pictured here is: VIGR Training owner Phillip Gross, left; Special Deputy David Leake of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, center, and Boswell Borough police Chief Ray Wilhelm III, kneeling. The other two pictured course attendees wanted to remain anonymous.

"I'd say this is more of a modern, generational style of shooting," WIlhelm said. "We were the first class in the state to receive this training."

The training is based on statistics from 700 recorded officer-involved shootings from the past five years. The training lasted for five days.

Wilhelm described the training as teaching officers how to react to shooting situations while in motion. Newer tactics were looked at instead of pivot-and-turn motions and other traditional techniques.

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Special Deputy David Leake of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office — who attended the training and is also a firearms instructor — said that the pivot-and-turn motion, which involves turning around and firing a weapon, doesn't make sense in modern policing.

"It's just kind of a thing that doesn't translate to real life," Leake said. "This is the way it's been done for 100 years."

He described the training as "revolutionary."

Wilhelm, an Army National Guard veteran, said that his approach to training goes back to something he was once told by an Army Ranger.

"'You never rise to an occasion,'" he quoted the solder as saying. "'You only fall back on the highest level of training.'"

The training was taught Groff, a Lancaster County officer. Groff said he's been involved with firearms training since 2004.

"It's born out of my experience," he said. "I've been on the job going into my 22nd year."

He said the training talks a lot about movement.

"The course is designed to prepare them for everything they need," he said.

The November training, he added, went well.

"It was well-received. I think all of the guys are equipped now to go forward and better their officers."

Follow Eric Kieta on Twitter at @EricKietaDA.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Firearms training taught to Somerset County officers