PTInformant
Spring 2008
Director’s Column
Krystal Fitzpatrick,
Director
As with many of you, we at PTI are
anxiously awaiting SPRING. Staff
and our recruits have spent many
hours in the wind and cold, often times asking
themselves….” Do I really want to be doing this?”
I can assure you the answer has always been “Yes”
but many of us know what it is like to be on the line
at the Tactical Training Center in January.
Since becoming Director of PTI on November
16, 2007, I have learned much about what it takes to
run such an academy. I want to publicly
acknowledge all of the full-time staff, adjunct
instructors and academic hourly employees who
dedicate themselves to providing the best law
enforcement training in the state. As the former
Chief of Police at the University of Illinois, I always
knew my new officers would come back to me well
trained and prepared to enter our Field Training
Program. I can now testify to just how much work
it takes to make that happen. I invite anyone from
your agency to come spend a day with us.
On the graduation day for Basic Law
Enforcement (BLE) Class 2463, I hosted a pregraduation luncheon for attending agency heads.
My purpose in doing so was two-fold. Most
important to me was creating an opportunity where
I could hear concerns and suggestions from our
client agencies. Secondly, this provided a chance
for everyone to network with PTI staff and peer
agencies.
I found many common concerns – obtaining
slots in upcoming BLE classes, feedback to client
agencies on recruit progress, discussion about
incorporating a patrol rifle course into BLE, recruit
conditioning and how we are incorporating new
mandated training. Associate Director Catherine
Somers described our process of registering
officers. Using the analogy of how airlines
overbook to insure a full plane, she told those
present we accept reservations for 140 officers if we
wish to achieve a goal of 70 in a BLE class. As
many of you know, it is common for an agency to
call and request spaces in each BLE class scheduled
for the year. As registration time approaches we
begin receiving notices that the agency hiring
process isn’t in step with the class schedule and the
number of seats reserved are either downsized or
eliminated. As those withdrawals come in, we
begin contacting agencies on our wait list.
I now have the experience of being on both sides
of this equation. As a Chief, my hiring schedule
was not always something I had full control over; as
the Director of PTI, I now find that while we are the
hosts of this academy, we have little control over
just how many agencies will successfully complete
their hiring process in time. What I can say for
certain is that our staff has a great deal of
experience in scheduling and foremost in our mind
is doing all we can to accommodate each agency
who wishes to place a recruit in our academy.
It was suggested that our feedback to client
agencies during a recruit’s time at PTI should be in
DVD format rather than VHS; some felt too much
paperwork was sent to agencies, others felt not
enough. PTI hosted an FTO meeting on April 25th
where these issues as well as our survey instruments
were discussed.
Our physical training, injuries, and recruit
conditioning was also discussed. In the recent past,
continued on page 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Director’s Column
2
Basic Patrol Rifle Course
3
Outside Engagements
4
FTO Training Update
5
PTI Range Project
1 • PTInformant Spring 2008
continued from page 1
I invited Lou Hernandez, Head Strength Coach for
the UI Football team to meet with our PT
instructors and observe our training. This has
resulted in suggestions for incorporating different
conditioning exercises into our morning program
with the idea of preparing the recruit for the more
strenuous control tactics training.
As the legislature passes new mandates for BLE
training, our staff constantly reviews the
information and develops lecture material to
incorporate into existing classes. At the March
ILETSB meeting this issue was discussed in
relation to the newly mandated autism training.
Chevyoune Wood, Manager of Training, advised it
is appropriate to make this incorporation although
no specific student performance objectives or exam
questions will be available until the curriculum is
formally reviewed. We included autism training in
BLE 2464, which graduated May 8, 2008. This will
be discussed further at the ILETSB Academy
Directors meeting in May.
I have asked Mike Metzler to discuss the
potential for inclusion of a certification in patrol
rifle as an optional course in BLE. You will find
his article in this issue of the Informant.
PTI has a fifty-three year history of serving law
enforcement in the State of Illinois. I am proud and
honored to be the Director of this academy from
which I graduated on April 1, 1977. My philosophy
is that we must constantly strive to improve and this
is only accomplished by having strong relationships
with those we serve. I welcome and look forward
to meeting many more individuals across the state
and welcome your contacts at any time. ♦
Future Basic Law Enforcement
Graduation Dates
BLE 2465 – June 19, 2008
BLE 2466 – July 31, 2008
BLE 2467 – September 11, 2008
BLE 2550 – October 23, 2008 *
BLE 2551 – December 4, 2008
Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center
1001 Killarney Street Urbana, Illinois
* New I-Hotel and Conference Center
1900 S. First Street, Champaign
Basic Patrol Rifle Course
Mike Metzler, Police Training Specialist
The availability of long guns to officers and
deputies working the street has been a topic of
increasing interest over the past several years as
news reports of active shooters, heavily armed
suspects, and potential terrorist threats have
increased.
Historically, the pump action shotgun was the
only long gun option available to officers and
deputies working the street. Rifles were relegated
to officers with specific sniper/counter-sniper
training and specialized units. While the shotgun
remains an effective option for officers in need of a
long gun in a fight, many departments and officers
shy away from using the shotgun because of the
heavy recoil. In order to address the need for a
reliable long gun option that most street officers can
manage, departments are increasingly turning to a
carbine version of a patrol rifle.
In order to continue to provide relevant training
to recruits, PTI has, for the past four years,
incorporated a basic orientation into the operation
of the patrol rifle during the Basic Law
Enforcement firearms training. The orientation has
consisted of a brief explanation of nomenclature of
the AR style rifle, an introduction to shooting
positions and shooting less than 50 rounds during
routine range rotations. The rifle orientation has
been offered hand-in-hand with training in the
operation of the pump-action shotgun, which is still
mandated by ILETSB.
In order to address the increasing need for
training in the operation of the patrol rifle, PTI
began offering a 40 hour Patrol Rifle Instructor
(PRI) course in 2007. The course is designed to
provide prospective instructors the basic skills
necessary to provide in-service training within their
departments. The prerequisite for participation in
the PRI course is completion of a basic patrol rifle
operator course, or experience in a military combat
arms unit. Those requirements ensure that the PRI
course can maintain teaching how to instruct basic
patrol rifle operators as its primary focus. The
course has been offered three times and has
received very positive evaluations.
Several client departments that have the
resources initiated in-house training so that they
could equip their street officers with the reach of a
patrol rifle. PTI’s Patrol Rifle Instructor course
allows departments to obtain quality instructor
continued on page 3
2 • PTInformant Spring 2008
continued from page 2
training certified by ILETSB.
During each of our three offerings of the PRI
course, the student instructors have expressed the
desire for their department’s recruits to receive
formal training with the patrol rifle during their time
in the BLE academy.
In an effort to meet the needs of our client
departments, PTI is submitting a Basic Patrol Rifle
course to ILETSB for certification. This 24 hour
course will focus on teaching the students the
fundamentals of modern rifle craft and can be
offered as a stand-alone three day course for veteran
officers, or incorporated into the BLE as an extra
course (as are Spanish, Taser etc).
The stand-alone, three day course would be
administered as are all the other advanced PTI
firearms courses. Departments would enroll
officers in one of several offerings throughout the
year and would have to arrange lodging, per diem,
etc.
PTI is exploring two options for incorporating
the 24 hours of training into the 12 weeks of the
BLE. Incorporating the Basic Patrol Rifle (BPR)
course into the BLE would only require an
additional 12 – 16 hours of training. Some of the
course material, that would be necessary in the 3
day stand-alone offering, will have already been
covered in other areas of the BLE firearms training.
Topics such as Mindset and Use of Force are
already blocks of instruction in the BLE.
The first option would be to offer the course on
the Friday and Saturday following the BLE
graduation. This would most likely require two full
days and a night shoot. The major issue with this
option is housing and meals. BLE housing is turned
over immediately after graduation in preparation for
the new recruit class that comes in the Sunday after
each BLE graduation. In this option, departments
would most likely have to make their own housing
and per diem arrangements.
The second and perhaps more workable option
would be to offer the BPR course on consecutive
Saturdays within the 12 weeks of the BLE. The
night shoot would be held during the week between
the two Saturdays. Ideally, the BPR would be
offered somewhere between week #5 and week #9.
By holding the BPR course within this timeframe,
the recruits will have already had the Mindset, Use
of Force, long gun orientation and the night shoot
orientation blocks of instruction. This would allow
instructors to spend the weekend days and night
shoot focusing on teaching the recruits the
intricacies of rifle operation and marksmanship.
PTI is requesting your feedback on this proposal.
We would like to know if your department would
be interested in having your BLE recruits obtain a
Basic Patrol Rifle certification during the 12 weeks
they are committed to PTI. If your department has
the interest, we would like to know which
presentation option is more appealing. Please email your comments to Mike Metzler
(mmetzler@uiuc.edu), or call 217-333-6093. ♦
Control Tactics DVD
PTI has created a DVD demonstrating the
Control Tactics techniques taught to recruit officers
throughout the Basic Law Enforcement class. Each
client agency with a recruit officer enrolled in BLE
will receive a copy of this valuable tool. We will
also have copies available for recruits to purchase at
the Cop Shop. ♦
Outside Engagements
Coralyn Beem, Associate Director
In addition to training, the Police Training
Institute engages in a number of community
projects both on and off the university campus.
We work with units on the University of Illinois
campus to develop programs involving personal
wellness, physical conditioning, and the
psychological or physical stresses officers
encounter during the career.
We offer tours of the PTI facilities to law
enforcement/criminal justice classes from several
community colleges and a growing number of
vocational/technical high schools throughout the
state. The purpose of the tours is twofold – 1st to
continued on page 4
3 • PTInformant Spring 2008
continued from page 3
show potential recruits the training that is required
to become a police officer in Illinois and 2nd to
impress upon young adults the importance of a
positive lifestyle (respecting others, good
interpersonal skills, and education).
PTI provides assistance to our neighboring
police agencies and their communities throughout
the year. We recently hosted our annual
Champaign County Citizen-Police Academy. We
speak on various topics of interest in the community
– such as the training recruit officers receive in
dealing with the mentally ill, persons with autism,
child abuse, or elder abuse. Additionally, our
instructors provide information to a variety of
agencies throughout the state on issues such as use
of force and the development of citizen review
boards.
Through our networking with the university, law
enforcement agencies and their communities, PTI
stands ready to promote the high standards and
positive aspects of law enforcement. ♦
PTI Range Project
Mike Miller, Associate Director
PTI is in the process of major improvements at
our firearms range. We have been in the process for
over two years. Remodeling and improvement
projects are difficult enough, but then you add to
this that you want to work on a firearms training
facility, that only compounds the process. I have
recently attended the National Rifle Association’s
(NRA) Range and Development & Operations
Conference. This was an excellent conference on
all aspects of shooting ranges. I attended the
conference to gather information on noise
abatement and baffle systems, but I left with a better
understanding of all the intricacies of operating and
maintaining a quality range.
Like most firearms ranges, PTI’s range was built
on the outskirts of town in a rural area. It hasn’t
taken many years and what was once a rural,
unincorporated area has soon become surrounded
by housing developments.
The first issue brought to our attention was the
noise from shooting. We have always taken these
calls and explained to the complainant why we
make noise when we train police officers with
firearms. Although the complainant still isn’t
happy about the noise, they understand. It would be
reasonable to assume that if we receive one call
from an unhappy “neighbor” then there are many
more out there that are not calling, but are
complaining amongst themselves. Why should we
care if they aren’t calling? Because we want to
remain open and be good neighbors.
PTI believes that if we can educate the
communities around us, they may be more tolerant
of our training. We are looking at several ways to
educate our neighbors by reaching out to the home
owner associations, attending their meetings,
inviting them to tour our range to see how we train
the police recruits. PTI hopes this will demonstrate
that we are aware of the noise issue and want to be
part of the solution as we are researching ways to
absorb and contain the noise we generate.
The second issue that concerns PTI is ensuring
that all rounds fired stay on our range property.
Through our research we realize that there are only
two options. Option one; continuous overhead
baffles that cover the entire range floor and option
two, rock crib baffles. With the continuous
overhead baffles the entire range floor is usable by
the shooter. Both the shooter and the targets can be
placed anywhere under the baffles. With the rock
crib baffles the shooter must remain stationary and
the target would be moved for different distance
shooting. As with most things there is a trade off.
The overhead baffles allow for a much more
versatile range, but the cost is considerably more.
The rock crib baffles are less expensive (still not
cheap), but the shooter’s position is fixed.
PTI trains between 500-600 recruit officers each
year so there is a considerable amount of bullets in
our backstops. We will be recovering the lead from
the bullets that are currently in our backstop. The
conference outlined very clear rules when it comes
to the management of lead from bullets and lead
based primers. About 10 years ago, PTI went to
lead free primers and full metal jacketed bullets to
reduce recruit and instructor exposure. Even with
the jacketed bullets, we still shoot steel plates,
which fragments the bullets and expose the lead.
Bullets can impact other bullets in the backstop
which can also lead to fragment. The lead recovery
is an essential component in the range facility
maintenance plan. Between the times that we
recover the lead, we will be monitoring the pH
levels in our soil to ensure that we maintain the
optimal pH balance, which should be between 6.5
and 8.5, to reduce lead migration.
PTI is also in the process of developing an
environmental stewardship program to document
the ways we are controlling and managing the lead
on our range. ♦
4 • PTInformant Spring 2008
8th Annual Combat Challenge
and Steve Douglas Memorial
The 8th Annual PTI Combat Challenge and
Steve Douglas Memorial will be held Saturday,
September 20, 2008 at the Police Training
Institute’s Tactical Training Center. Six fun, fast
and challenging courses of fire will allow shooters
to demonstrate their “Top Gun” abilities. Visit
www.PTI.uiuc.edu for registration details.
Annual FTO Update Training
Coralyn Beem, Associate Director
On April 25th, 2008, the Police Training
Institute held its annual FTO Update training. The
purpose of this meeting was to introduce field
training or police training officers to the BLE
curriculum. 42 FTOs from agencies throughout the
state were greeted by Director Fitzpatrick and
introduced to PTI staff.
Issues discussed during the training included the
FTO evaluations which are sent to agencies 3
months and 6 months after graduation and issues
that lead to probationary officers not successfully
completing their field training program. Other
topics included a review of the 12 week BLE
schedule, the placement of training blocks within
the schedule, and the use of force levels within
scenario training.
A demonstration of the high risk stop/arrest
technique was given which led to a discussion on
the many different techniques used by attending
agencies and how these issues are addressed both in
basic academy training and during field training.
Informal discussions continued throughout lunch
and at the conclusion of the meeting, FTOs were
invited to visit with their recruit officers or schedule
a visit at their convenience.
The FTO Update training is normally held each
spring, however, agencies with questions regarding
BLE, or any other training offered by PTI, are
encouraged to contact us. ♦
Pre-Graduation Meeting & Luncheon
Leana Coffey
PTI will host a Pre-Graduation Meeting &
Luncheon twice a year in conjunction with our BLE
recruit graduations. We always look for ways to
keep abreast of client agency’s concerns and needs,
and this is an excellent forum to do so. This is also
an opportunity for department representatives to get
to know PTI staff while networking with their
peers.
“Sergeant Webber and I attended the pre-graduation
meeting on April 25th. The luncheon afforded us the
opportunity to re-acquaint ourselves with PTI staff and
discuss some of the issues pertaining to the hiring and
training of new officers. The open forum also fostered
meaningful input from a variety of police department
representatives in attendance. We appreciated the
updated information specific to the training curriculum
at PTI, and recognize the value in participating in this
format if offered in the future.”
~Deputy Chief Bob Acton, Glen Ellyn Police Dept.
We look forward to our next meeting on October
23, 2008 at the brand new I-Hotel and Conference
Center. ♦
Officers from BLE 2465 participate in
Vehicle Stops training.
Alumni Membership
Join PTI’s Alumni Association or renew your
membership at the PTI website www.pti.uiuc.edu. Dues are
only $10 per year or $100 for a lifetime membership.
For more information, call 217-244-8087.
5 • PTInformant Spring 2008
University of Illinois
Police Training Institute
1004 S. Fourth Street
Champaign, IL 61801-6104
E-Mail: pti@uiuc.edu
Web Address: http://www.pti.uiuc.edu
NON-PROFIT
U.S. Postage
PAID
Champaign, IL
Permit #75
New Website Coming Soon!
Be sure to check out the new
PTI website in early June for up
to date information on
upcoming courses, entry forms
for recruits, law updates and
how they affect our training,
and much more!
Contact Information
Mail:
Police Training Institute
1004 S. Fourth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Fax:
217-333-7800
E-mail:
pti@uiuc.edu
Web:
www.pti.uiuc.edu
Phone:
For general information:
217-333-2337
For registration in PTI courses:
217-333-6522
866-808-9140 (Toll Free)
6 • PTInformant Spring 2008