Policy Text
Page 1 of 6 2/03 (REV 1/19)
Firearms Training and Qualific ation Special Weapon Training
The purpose of this General Order i s to specify the requirement s for training and
qualifying with the rifle and other special weapons.
I. Rifles
A. Policy
The use of rifles shall be by department per sonnel, approved by their
Division Commander, who have vol untarily decided to maintain th e
training and qualificat ion requirements of t he rifle. Division Commanders
may mandate personnel to maintain the training and qualificatio n
requirements based on the needs of the division. The use of rif les shall be
in accordance with Department G eneral/Operations Orders. Depart ment
personnel who choose not to maint ain the training and qualifica tion
requirements cannot be issued a rifle nor use an approved perso nally
owned rifle for duty use. Departm ent personnel who leave a fiel d
enforcement position may not hav e an issued rifle and shall ret urn it to the
Range as soon as practical, but no later than 10 days from the time of re-
assignment.
B. Training Requirement
1. All personnel authorized to depl oy a rifle are required to h ave
completed a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Basic
Tactical Rifle course.
2. All personnel authorized to depl oy a rifle are required to a ttend a
departmentally approved rifle trai ning course every two years.
3. Personnel who have not complie d with the rifle training and
qualification requirem ents shall re-attend a Sacramento County
Sheriff’s Department Basic Tacti cal Rifle course before they ca n be
issued a rifle or use an approved personally owned rifle for du ty
use.
4. All personnel who are requesti ng an issued rifle must get
permission from the department Rangem aster before issuance. Al l
personnel who are requesting an i ssued rifle and transferring t o a
Page 2 of 6 2/03 (REV 1/19) Field Services assignment shall complete a rifle refresher cour se
prior to issuance.
5. All personnel who are requesti ng to attach a weapon mounted light
to their issued rifle and/or aut horized personally owned rifle must
comply with General Order 2/07 (Weapon Mounted Light) prior to
attaching the ligh t to the rifle.
C. Qualificatio n Requirement
1. All department personnel issued a department rifle and/or a
personally owned approved rifle s hall demonstrate proficiency w ith
the rifle at least twice each year during regular training or
qualification periods desi gnated by the Rangemaster.
2. All personnel who have complet ed the rifle training requirem ents,
but do not deploy with the rifle shall demonstrate proficiency with a
rifle at least once each year during regular training or qualif ication
periods designated by the Rangemaster.
3. All personnel who are unable to meet the qualification stand ard and
require remediation training durin g three consecutive qualifica tion
periods shall attend and successfu lly complete the Sacramento
County Sheriff’s Department Basic Tactical Rifle course prior t o
deploying a rifle on duty.
4. All personnel who hav e elected not to maintain their trainin g and
qualifications require ments are not requir ed to qualify with a rifle.
5. All personnel who have a w eapon mounted light attached to th eir
issued rifle and/or personally o wned rifle shall demonstrate
proficiency set forth in General Order 2/02 (Firearms Training and
Qualification).
D. Personally Owned Rifle Requirements
Personally owned rifles may be us ed by Field Services Personnel after
compliance with the requirement s outlined in General Order 2/01
(Authorized Firearms and Ammuni tion) and following procedures:
1. The officer must be in comp liance with rifle training and qu alification
requirements.
2. The rifle must be an approv ed brand and model. The departme nt
Rangemaster will retain a list of approved brands, models, and equipment attached to the rifle. The Rangemaster may amend the
list with the approval o f Executive Staff.
Page 3 of 6 2/03 (REV 1/19) 3. The individual shal l qualify with the w eapon prior to deploy ing the
rifle on duty. The range will obt ain and retain the related
Authorized Duty Firearm Form and proof of weapon qualification.
II. Special Weapons - Automatic Weapons
A. Automatic weapons shall be re stricted to department personne l, currently
assigned as a full-time member of the Special Enforcement Detai l.
Personnel assigned as full-time m embers of the Special Enforcem ent
Detail shall maintain the trai ning and qualification requiremen ts of an
automatic weapon. The use of aut omatic weapons shall be in acco rdance
with Department General/Operat ions Orders. Department personnel who
choose not to maintain the trai ning and qualificat ion requireme nts cannot
be issued an automatic weapon for duty use.
B. Training with automatic weapons will be conducted on as need ed basis,
as determined by the Rangemaster , and limited to full-time memb ers of
the Special Enforcement Detail . The Rangemaster shall maintain records
for automatic weapons firearms tr aining, indicating the followi ng
information:
1. Name/present duty assignment 2. Date 3. Type of weapon(s) fired 4. Score (when applicable)
III. Additional "Hide-Out" Weapon
All personnel desiring authoriz