ARMED GUARD & BAIL ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION
Washington State currently requires all security companies employing security guards to provide a minimum of eight hours of approved basic armed security guard training prior to deployment of any armed security guard or bail enforcement agent. State law requires that this training be provided by a State Certified Armed Security Guard Trainer.
Michael Jaquish has been certified by the State of Washington to provide armed guard training since 1997 but as of October of 2007 will no longer be peforming these certifications for those reasons listed below.
OCTOBER 08, 2007:
I had a rather interesting day at the Police Academy firing range on October 8th when I showed up to perform my bi-annual firearms instructor re-certification.
I walked out.
I began my firearms instructor career back in 1980 as a Law Enforcement Instructor and have served as a Firearms Instructor the private security industry since 1997. For the last five years or so, many instructors in the industry have been dealing with growing frustration over the State's Instructor Re-Certification program and despite complaints to the director of the program, things have not improved a bit.
In my capacity as Director of the WSSTA (Washington State Security Trainers Association) I have spoken out on behalf of firearms instructors across the state to address our concerns but have had little, if any respoonse. Essentially, the problem is that the course of fire we are required to conduct is a simple 30 round course of fire and there are NO requirements for us to conduct ANY marksmanship training. (Students are apparently expected to show up already knowing marksmanship techniques) The booklet we use (provided by the state CJTC) primarily covers gun safety and the use of deadly force and little attention is paid to street survival issues. I personally have always covered the other areas in my own training but I have been expressing dissatisfaction for some time that those areas are not included in the required training topics for private security guards and need to be added to the booklet. My complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
I and the bulk of other instructors I speak to about this issue continue to question why it is we are required to spend two days performing complicated tactical courses of fire when we are not allowed to use any of those techniques in our classes? It's a big waste of time and energy, not to mention a lot of money for a lot of unnecessary rounds.
Our contention is that we should only have to come in and shoot the same 30 round course of fire we teach, take the same written test we conduct, and then leave after a brief discussion of any new changes in the law.
Today was the last straw. I showed up to discover that I was the only person with a revolver and I was immediately informed by the lead instructor that the course of fire had been altered to make it nearly impossible for a revolver user to perform the reloads in time unless I had practiced an awful lot to prepare.
Don't get me wrong. I like semi-autos. I have carried semi-autos in the past and can use them if I have to. I just prefer a revolver because that is what I carried for years as a cop before we switched to semi-autos and I like the feel of them. I also like knowing I only have 6 shots, so I know I have to make every shot count.
The point is. it is estimated that more than half of the armed guards in the state still carry revolvers because they are less prone to jams and other issues AND. the course of fire we use is still geared toward revolvers because it utilizes 6-round stages of fire.
This marks the end of an era for me personally in terms of firearms. I will continue to offer firearms instruction to the general public but the State Criminal Justice Training Commission and Department of Licensing has lost a seasoned certified instructor because of their insensitivity and refusal to respond appropriately to the concerns of those affiliated with the industry.
-Michael James Jaquish
