Policy Text
Page 1 of 11 2/02 (REV 4/16)
Firearms Training and Qualifications
The purpose of this General Order i s to establish the requireme nts for firearms training,
qualifications, remediat ion, and modified qualifications for al l sworn officers and security
officers of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
I. Professional Standards Division Responsibilities
A. The Professional Standards Division Commander shall manage t he
Firearms Training Program and Qualifications conducted by the
Rangemaster.
II. Firearms Proficiency
A. Policy
1. All officers of the Sacrament o Sheriff's Department shall
demonstrate proficienc y with each individually authorized weapo n
approved for on-duty use, both i ssued and personal duty firearm s,
at least once each qualifying period. a. This Order does not apply to Level III Reserve Officers.
2. All officers approved to carry a handgun tactical light shal l
demonstrate proficiency with t he approved handgun ta ctical ligh t at
least once a year during the di m light qualification period as
established by the Rangemaste r. The proficiency shall be
demonstrated prior to deployment for use.
3. All officers are required to read and familiarize themselves with
General Order 2/05 relating to t he Use of Firearms at a time an d
manner described by the Rangemast er during each qualification
period.
4. Officers not qualifying in a Department uniform shall displa y
Department identificati on while at the range.
5. Officers shall not be consider ed for transfer or promotion u nless
they meet the acceptable level of proficiency.
Page 2 of 11 2/02 (REV 4/16) 6. Officers shall not be eligib le for any form of off-duty empl oyment in
any capacity unless they meet the acceptable level of proficien cy.
B. Qualifying course
1. All qualifications must be conduc ted by Sacramento Sheriff’s
Department range personnel utilizi ng the designated course of f ire.
2. Courses of fire from other agencies or conducted by other fi rearm
instructors, other than offici al Sheriff’s Department Range Sta ff, will
not be considered a q ualification for the purposes of this Orde r.
C. Qualifying score
1. The Rangemaster establishes t he minimum qualifying score for the
course of fire.
D. Qualifying period
1. The Rangemaster shall establ ish a minimum of two qualifying
periods each calendar year. At the discretion of the Sheriff o r
Undersheriff, more than two qualif ication periods in a calendar year
may be established.
E. Proof of qualification
1. It is the officer's responsib ility to complete the Weapons
Qualification Form certifying t he officer has successfully comp leted
the designated course of fire for that specific qualification p eriod on
all individually aut horized weapons approved for on duty use.
Range staff will verify all completed forms.
2. The officer will be provided a copy of this form for his/her records.
3. The Range shall maintain doc umentation of each qualification ..
III. Failure To Qualify
A. There are two categories for “failure to qualify”:
1. Category I
a. An officer who failed to ach ieve a passing score during a
qualification period;
b. Range staff will immediately schedule the officer for
remediation and give the offi cer written notice of the
scheduled date and time;
Page 3 of 11 2/02 (REV 4/16) c. Range staff will notify the o fficer’s Division Commander and
forward a copy of the written notice of remediation with the
scheduled date and time.
2. Category II
a. An officer who fails to report to the Range to attempt to
qualify during a qualific ation period, or fa ils to report to th e
Range after completing the Modi fied Firearms Status form
(7401 Form 123) (Appendix B).
b. At the end of the qualificati on period, the Rangemaster will
notify each Divisi on Commander advisin g them of those
individuals under their command w ho failed to report to the
Range to qualify.
IV. Firearm Remediation
A. Defined
1. When an officer is unable to meet the minimum firearms
qualification profici ency requirement after two (2) consecutive
attempts during regular qualific ations, the officer shall compl ete
remedial training befor e any further attempts.
B. Scheduling and notification
1. If an officer needs to remediat e firearms qualifications, th e officer
will be immediately scheduled by the Range staff for a remediat ion
session.
2. Range staff will schedule remedi ation within 30 days of the failure
to qualify.
3. Range staff shall notify the of ficer's Division Commander of the
officer’s failure to qualify and the scheduled remediation date .
C. Remediation session
1. Only Range staff will c onduct remediation sessions.
2. In a group setting, officers r emediating will be allowed to practice
their shooting techniques while the Range staff observes. The
Range staff will attempt to correc t any shooting deficiencies n oted.
3. After the remedial training , officers will be given two (2) attempts to
qualify.
Page 4 of 11 2/02 (REV 4/16) D. Failure to qualify following remediation session
1. If the officer is unable