Prince George’s County Police Department has built a comprehensive training program for its Emergency Support Team (EST). With support from the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS), three officers from PGPD EST participated in the Modern Day Sniper Positional Shooting Clinic in southwest Virginia. The course provides law enforcement with field-based training in non-traditional shooting positions often encountered in real-world situations.

The two-day training combines marksmanship fundamentals with best practices and methods for positional shooting using the operator’s issued tripod. Students explored considerations for building a supported position while learning techniques for body awareness and natural points of aim. The course emphasized wobble zone management, recoil management, and the use of a post-shot checklist. Instruction was provided by industry-leading precision riflemen who have extensive military experience in long-range shooting and sniping.

The training incorporated multiple scenarios conducted in several disparate locations to test students’ ability to operate in high-stress environments using their newly acquired skills. The officers who completed the course indicated that the training expanded their ability to utilize improvised shooting positions, develop a stable stance, and acquire targets down range faster.

Over the last several years, PGPD has expanded its sniper capability to ensure that a cadre of instructor-level officers is available on each shift to train EST members desiring to bolster their sniping skills. With the completion of the Positional Shooting Clinic, PGPD understands the need to build/enhance competency in key areas of positional shooting for long-range and precision sniping operations.