POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii - No matter where you go, society requires the protection of a police force.
This fact is true even in a remote location like Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), where it takes a force to secure this Army installation, day and night, rain or shine, weekends and holidays.
In their capacity to be proficient with firearms as they protect and serve, officers of the Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), PTA Department of the Army (DA) Police Detachment, recently concluded their semiannual small arms qualification and shotgun familiarization at Range 2 here, Sept. 24.
"Each year, my goal is to have 85 percent of the detachment's police officers qualify as experts," said Capt. Allan Kondo, PTA DA Police Det. commander. "All my police officers, after firing at the pistol range, resulted in 100 percent experts, so I am very proud of my detachment."
The Combat Pistol Qualification Course Scorecard has five tables.
"The scorecard firing tables' objective is to hit the targets in the allotted time," said Sgt. Lance Stevens, supervisory police officer. "This helps us become proficient with our issued weapon."
Each police officer teamed up with another officer to coach and assist with sighting of the target and round location.
"I was fortunate to have Cpl. Kurt Martinson assist me with my firing tables since he is a more experienced law enforcement officer and excellent firing range coach," Stevens added. "With his assistance, I was able to achieve my small arms marksmanship goal of expert."
Conducting this training reassures officers that they are proficient to handle any situation. By firing their 9-mm Beretta pistols and shotguns for familiarization, officers become confident in using firearms properly when the situation is required.
"I felt good about being proficient in the use of my duty firearms and achieved my goal to maintain my firearms skills," said Cpl. Manuel Vega, DA police officer.
"We are also grateful to Sgt. Jay Tolentino, our range safety officer, who provided us with clear guidance on range safety, course of fire, and clear instructions from the observation booth," Vega added.
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