Girls With Guns

Why are these women playing point and shoot?

OK, it's not a real-life situation, but a video re-enactment of what could happen, says Sergeant John Carlo, of the Montclair PD. I stopped by the Essex Police Training Academy one evening, where 10 women and two men are attending the MPD-sponsored Citizen's Police Academy. During their ninth session, they were learning about guns, police training, and practicing on the Firearms Simulator. (It's one of the course highlights.)

Picture this: you're a police officer called to a domestic disturbance. A woman, face bloody, emerges from her home screaming that her husband is after her with a gun. Out comes the angry husband, stopping in the yard, waving a rifle - at you, himself. How do you react?

Or picture this: you're a police officer responding to a report of gunshots heard at a highschool. You're met by a scene of students running away from "a guy with a gun". A student wearing a mask appears from around the corner, holding something semi obscured. Then he runs away and you find a second armed student holding kids hostage in a classroom. What do you do?

These are some of the scenarios the class experiences while training on the Firearms simulator, just like officers-in-training. The simulator is like a big video game. Carlo sits behind a glass wall like the Wizard, controlling the actions of the video-perp. He'll decide if the suspect comes out armed, or not, if he runs and hides, or stays and fights. "It's realistic enough to produce an adrenaline rush and get your heart pumping," says Carlo. (He's right.) "Action always beats reaction," is the mantra Carlo has drummed into his students' heads. In other words, take cover, evaluate the risk of danger, decide what action to take. In many cases, it' a split-second decision, and having tried it myself, it's not as easy as it looks.

After each trial - we discussed if the reaction was appropriate, was the firearm was held correctly, did the shots fired hit the target, did the "officer" get hit. In the real training, if officers make a false move or forget to take cover, they'll get pelted with paintballs to simulate getting shot by the bad guys. Thank goodness we civilians were spared.

Montclair resident, Eric Davis, recommends attending the Academy. "It gives you a better perspective and understanding of what happens when you're a cop. It gives you an opportunity to ask questions about police work... and it's fun!