16 Apr 13
The 2013 ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association) annual Conference started today here in Wheeling, IL, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Attendance is up this year, despite shrinking police budgets. Most are here on their own dime. God bless them all!
Lots of wonderful Classes, lecture, participation, and live-fire. Police trainers need to be here!
ILEETA always attracts a large vendors’ area, and this year it took me most of the day to get through it.
Friends at Action target tell me that rubber bullet-traps, which they sell, are no longer as popular as steel/escalator traps, although they are a good deal less expensive. Steel is making a comeback! Problems with rubber are fire (no matter how much retardant you use) and the necessity of shutting the entire range down ever so often in order to sift the lead out. Rubber is suitable for low-use ranges. Steel is superior for high-use ranges.
Taser was on-hand with their latest, the X26P. It is small, light, and features superior circuitry and software. Makes previous models (which still work fine) obsolete! Ideal range in probe-mode is 7-15m.
Springfield Armory, Ruger, Glock, Beretta, RRA, Doublestar, SIG, Mossberg, Colt, were all magnificently represented. Conspicuous by their absence was S&W. No M&Ps on display!
Beretta had on display a copy of their new gas-piston 223 rifle, the ARX, to be available in a month or two. Few metal parts. Mostly polymer, like the AUG. Nicely laid-out. Light and handy! Field-stripping is easy and fast. No small parts. Nice folding stock. Instantly switchable from RH to LH operation. Takes AR magazines. Around 1.7k/copy. They’re getting into this market at a good time, assuming they can deliver!
MILO video simulators are even more sophisticated than before, now sensing and recognizing the student’s body position, posture, and movement. They had set-up an amazing demonstration of simulation technology, in which the student first confronts a belligerent suspect on-screen. The suspect then charges him, and a literal wrestling match ensues, with the part of the suspect being played by an instructor. Then, the suspect escapes in a car, and the student, still breathing hard, gets into a driving simulator and engages in a vehicular pursuit! Very stressful and realistic. Excellent training, but expensive!
My friends at International Cartridge indicated they have a good supply of 9mm and 223, but only in frangible. However, it is still useable for training. 223 is $0.65/round. 9mm is $0.45/round. Call them at 814 938 6820.
In our Tactical Treatment of Gunshot Wounds Courses, students always ask where they can get a trauma-kit, set-up as we recommend, with an IBD or two, tourniquet, scissors, nasal airway, and needle/angiocath for decompressing a tension pneumothorax. Friends at CMK of Houston, TX assure me they can make these kits up, to your specifications, in any quantity, and have them to you in days. Go to custommedkits.com.
More tomorrow!
/John
