Mike Boyle
Unfortunately, even today, many officers are not afforded the opportunity to do any sort of low light training.
A few years back, I was teaching at a firearms instructor seminar in a major metropolitan area when I had the opportunity to teach a low light class. After a short lecture, we moved out to the range where I ran the group through a quick 40 round exercise in order to get some insight into their capabilities. To do this, I utilized a slightly modified version of the course approved in my home state for low light handgun qualification. Imagine my surprise when at least half of the participants were not able to achieve the minimum passing score! Considering this was a group of certified law enforcement firearms instructors, this was especially disturbing.
Were these officers poor shooters? Not really, as most all of them shot pretty well during the daytime exercises. After talking to them, I was told that this particular state had no requirement for officers to train and qualify in poor light and, consequently, this was new territory for many of them. Data from the FBI, the DEA and the NYPD continues to illustrate that most officer-involved shootings take place in reduced light and this remains an area we can’t neglect.
So, why are law enforcement officers being shortchanged? In the current social climate, many agencies are reluctant to do any use-of-force training beyond what is minimally required as they fear any sort of “tactical” training will put them in a poor light. In fact, I find the opposite is true. The better you prepare officers in both the mental side and in hands-on skills, they are less likely to overreact and use force inappropriately.
Quite frankly, those tired arguments for dodging low light training, such as paying overtime, range noise after dark, expense, or agency size, don’t cut it. If you are not providing low light training, you are putting your officers at risk; creating a hazard for people you are sworn to protect; and opening yourself up for some serious civil liability. For those nonbelievers, there is significant case law which supports this position.
More than Just Shooting
The ability to knock out a passing score on a qualification course is indeed important, but it only represents part of the picture. Consider that an officer-involved shooting is an unusual event, but managing a threat at gunpoint is a far more common occurrence. Have officers trained in flashlight search techniques? Where is their muzzle pointed and exactly where is their trigger finger?
Searching and probing in the dark are duties we perform on a regular basis while shooting in the unusual event. With that said, any shooting activity needs to naturally flow from probing with a light (either handheld or weapon mounted) to shooting. All too often, officers prematurely lock up their handheld light with the muzzle of the gun instead of keeping both hands separated, creating an unsafe condition with a high potential for tragedy. Unless a specific threat has been identified, the muzzle of the gun should not be directed at a subject.
In brightly lit conditions, threats are often managed with a pistol held in a ready position and with the muzzle depressed. In bright light, an officer can turn his (or her) head in any direction to assess potential danger without covering anyone with the muzzle. Marrying a handheld flashlight to the muzzle of your gun or using a Weapon Mounted Light (WML) complicates the picture and violates one of the general safety rules. Instead of locking up the light with the gun, initial probing should be done with the hands apart so that the handheld light can move in any direction while minimizing risk. I am familiar with a few incidents when an officer was “aimed in” with the gun and light in situations which were not imminent threats, merely suspicious persons. For a few different reasons, the officers involved had a negligent discharge striking the subject in at least one of those incidents, resulting in death. For years, I have been teaching a technique where the dominant hand holds the pistol against the chest with the muzzle pointed down and away. The support hand controls the light and works independently of the muzzle of the gun while the officer gives loud and clear verbal commands. Should a deadly threat appear, one needs only to press out and fire.
Concerns with Weapon Mounted Lights
Not too long ago, WMLs were viewed as an exotic piece of equipment and their use was limited to tactical operators. In the late 1990s, we witnessed the introduction of small, lightweight tactical lights. Around the same time, the major manufacturers of pistols used by the police began offering pistols with an accessory rail for affixing a laser aimer or an illuminator. With the introduction of light bearing duty holsters, WMLs have gone mainstream and are now commonly used by patrol officers.
WMLs afford a number of advantages; the most obvious being automatically lining up the light source with the muzzle of the gun. Basic operational skills such as reloading or clearing a stoppage in poor light while managing a handheld flashlight can be a challenge and these tasks are far easier when using a WML. I have also found that officers can use cover more effectively and achieve better hits when shooting and moving while using a WML. Combination units which feature an illuminator plus a laser aimer offer even greater capabilities to the user.
Like any number of new tools which come into the workplace, the advantages of a WML can be negated should you forgo proper training. The first thing officers need to understand when going with a WML is that it is a threat management tool, not a utility tool, and the fact that you have one on your pistol does not eliminate the need for a handheld light. All too often, officers have used a WML for routine probing when there was no apparent threat, ultimately putting people at risk.
A key component in my low light training is transitions when an officer begins the scenario probing an area with a handheld light and pistol contained in the holster. On the command, the threat level rises and the officer draws the pistol, activates the WML and issues a verbal command. This scenario may or may not include firing the pistol, but will always include verbal direction. In a threat management situation with a WML, depress the muzzle slightly and there will be adequate light to clearly see the hands and waistband of a subject. This minimizes the risk of an unintentional discharge and allows the officer to take in more visual information from the surrounding area.
It is also extremely important that officers follow proper protocol for light activation. Although grip activated switches are sometimes encountered, more often than not, a rocker or button switch is used to fire up the light. Officers need to understand that the light should be activated by using the thumb of the support hand and not the index finger of the strong hand. That digit has one job and that is to manipulate the trigger. Should one get in the bad habit of using the trigger finger to activate the light, it is quite conceivable that they will experience a negligent discharge when subjected to extreme stress in a low light environment.
Don’t Cut Corners on Flashlights
Light technology has evolved at a rapid rate and the gear we have available to us today represents a quantum leap over that of the past. Considering that this is vital equipment which you might use to save your life, second-rate gear will not do. I have had experience with handheld and WMLs from Cloud Defensive, Modlite, Streamlight®, and SureFire® and it pays to go with a proven product. If you buy cheap, you buy twice!
Lights have gotten much smaller and more powerful and use CR123A three volt lithium batteries or rechargeable lithium ion batteries as a power source. There are even lights which are dual fuel which can run off of rechargeable or CR123A batteries. Total light output is expressed in lumens while candela is a measurement of light projected in a particular direction. To project light at longer range, a higher candela rating with a more focused beam is desirable. In short, a light with a higher candela rating will project a tighter beam.
Of late, I have been using a Streamlight Strion® 2020 which offers 1200 lumens and a 28,000 candela rating. I feel the Strion 2020 would be a great choice for carry on a duty belt, but I prefer the slightly smaller ProTac® 2L-X USB as an everyday companion.
Flashlight Holds Still Matter
With WMLs moving into the mainstream, some people may feel that getting familiar with flashlight-assisted shooting techniques is no longer important. True, a WML does fill a good deal of the niche formerly dominated by a handheld, but that is only part of the picture. First, consider that not every officer is outfitted with a WML on their pistol and, even if they were, it could go down for the count at a most inopportune time. Many of the smaller handguns used by plainclothes and off duty officers are not equipped with a WML.
Flashlight-assisted shooting techniques fall into one of two categories – hands apart or hands together. Examples from the hands apart category include the Modified FBI and Neck Index techniques. Both are easy to learn, fast into action and are great for close quarters. Hands together techniques include the Harries and Rogers holds. These techniques require getting the support hand into the game and are a little more complicated. Considering that a great many attacks are spontaneous in nature and unfold at very close range, I feel the hands apart techniques are more street relevant.
Ideally, an officer should be familiar with a couple of different techniques so they can adapt to the situation. When using a flashlight in conjunction with cover, make sure the beam is clear and not reflecting back at you, adversely impacting your night adapted vision.
Some Thoughts on Training
I recognize that finding the time and a suitable training facility to do extensive low light training is problematic for many agencies. The good news is that a great deal of productive training can be accomplished off the range using inert training pistols or even empty duty pistols (check it twice, no live ammo nearby). Tasks such as flashlight holds, searching, transitions from handheld to WML, and safe movement can all be practiced providing sound safety practices are followed.
There is really nothing magic about the live fire drills I use in my low light classes. Most of it is accomplished at seven yards or closer and it involves firing without a light, using flashlight-assisted firing techniques and use of the WML. The emphasis remains putting decisive hits on the target in the fastest possible time frame. It is important that basic operational skills such as reloading can be performed as efficiently as possible, so as to avoid any miscues in the dark when stress levels are sky-high.
In addition to static range live fire exercises, I also make a point of running a dynamic exercise or two in low light when shooters might have to deal with more than one threat, use cover, move, encounter innocent bystanders, and reload. These exercises are conducted one shooter at a time where performance is critiqued and corrections are made. Participation in reduced light interactive training with Airsoft or marking cartridges can help reinforce what officers learned on the square range. A similar benefit can be realized by having officers move through a shoot house under the watchful eye of an instructor.
Officers need to have a command of simple tactics such as being unpredictable; not leaving the light on any longer than necessary; working the light from cover; and movement. Controlling the light is a fundamental action and, if you control the light, you are likely to control the fight. Putting your assailant at a disadvantage by taking the tactical high ground puts you on the path to success.
Much of what was discussed herein can be applied to shoulder weapons as well. If time permits, a shotgun or rifle with a light is an even more formidable tool with a much higher hit probability. So, team, get busy and practice. Chance continues to favor the prepared individual.
Captain Mike Boyle served with New Jersey Fish & Wildlife, Bureau of Law Enforcement, and has been active in use-of-force instruction for over 40 years. He is an instructor in multiple firearms and less-lethal disciplines and has been a police academy assistant director, instructor and rangemaster. He is the author of three books; three training videos; and hundreds of magazine articles on firearms, training and tactics. Mike served 21 years on the Board of Directors of IALEFI and is a member of NLEFIA and ILEETA. He continues to work part-time as a law enforcement training specialist and resides in Forked River, NJ.
