Police Sniper Training
Law enforcement snipers are a special breed of officer who is prepared to engage a criminal threat with precision rifle fire. This training advances from the basics rifle through advanced tactics, observation and intelligence training. Police sniper training is conducted by both federal and state training facilities and private contractors.
History of Police sniper training
Beginning in 1966 with the long range shootout with Charles Whitman in the University of Texas tower, law enforcement agencies began to train and maintain skilled riflemen. At first men who were simply good shots were authorized to carry their deer rifle with them on call outs. Training mimicked the US Army’s basic rifle training especially in departments that issued an AR-15 style weapon. By the 1980s specialized sniper rifles such as the Steyr SSG and Remington 700-Police began to find there way into the racks of dedicated SRT units and SWAT teams. During the same time period matching law enforcement precision rifle
classes began to be offered which trained on the unique scenarios faced by police snipers.