LAC LA BICHE - Community Peace Officer (CPO) recruits are taught a variety of skills during the 12 weeks they spend at the Law Enforcement Training Centre in Lac La Biche, including how to properly handle and fire shotguns.
From Oct. 16-18, a group of recruits in the current training class were at the Lac La Biche shooting range undergoing firearms training.
Chris Clark, the director of training at the Lac La Biche County’s Law Enforcement Centre, said out of the 12 weeks of training, recruits spend one week doing shotgun training. This training, he added, teaches the fundamentals of firearms safety.
“This training helps them realize the safe operations of a firearm as well as the ability to manage stress when utilizing a firearm,” Clark told Lakeland This Week.
During the firearms portion of the CPO training program, Clark explained, recruits are taught the mechanical and safety features of firearms, shooting stances, control, maintenance, safe storage, as well as the fundamentals of shooting and shot placement.
While local peace officers do not carry sidearms, firearm safety is a component of the training procedures laid out by the Government of Alberta, who accredits the CPO training program.
In comparison to the RCMP and municipal police forces, community peace officers have a considerably narrower scope regarding the use of firearms in their day-to-day duties. According to Clark, CPOs are only authorized to utilize shotguns for the purpose of euthanizing injured and suffering animals.
Although on-duty CPOs they may not use firearms frequently, they are nonetheless required to achieve a high score to pass this part of the program.
“Recruits must be able to get 100 per cent on their practical evaluation which includes shot placement of all rounds at various distances within the silhouette,” Clark explained.
Lac La Biche County’s Law Enforcement Centre brings in several classes of recruits each year. The centre also offers individual courses for existing peace officers.