19 Mar 23
ILEETA, 2024
Vicki and I are at the 2024 ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association) Convention here in St Louis.
All LEOs need to be members! Trainers particularly should attend these conventions, as there are so many valuable classes, demonstrations, vendors. It is great way to stay up to date!
Today, vendors were set-up. Here is what I saw of interest:
EOTech is now marketing LPVO (Low-power Variable Optic) optics, 1×6, 1×8, 1×10. They’re also now making pistol optics!
Vortex also makes a premier LPVO. Their rep put on an excellent class on the subject.
S&W’s compact PCC (Pistol-Cartridge Carbine), called the FPC, is even more compact when it is folded in half. Excellent travel-gun!
Ruger make something similar, but it doesn’t fold.
Alien Gear, famous for kydex concealment holsters has just introduced its kydex duty holster.
The Wrap (AKA: “Bolowrap”) launcher is much improved from a year ago. It doesn’t look anything like a pistol, hence is unlikely to be mistaken for one. I shot it at a mannequin, and it is very fast and incapacitating. Competition for Taser and Bruiser!
Video simulators from Milo and Virtra were on display. Both very elegant, as always. But, this year, both companies introduced a headset that puts the student into “virtual reality.” A third company, Operatoror, makes something similar. No “range” necessary, nor is a screen and projector necessary!
I experienced all three, and they are very sophisticated, but all a little bit different. Greatly advanced from what
I saw last year. I thought the candidate from Operatoror was the most advanced, but pricey.
The issue with all this advanced training technology is that by the time your copy is delivered, it is already obsolete, so fast is the technology advancing!
“The Glove,” from Compliant Technology, has also been improved from last year. Worn on one, or both, hands, this glove takes people down more or less instantaneously! Very good option for combative suspects.
At Aimpoint, I learned that the T1 is now out of production, superceded by the T2 and the RDS. Both run fine, but the T2 is thoroughly militarized and designed for severe military environments, but pricey. The RDS is much less expensive, not quite as elegant as the T2, but does everything the T2 does, and for the average consumer it represents the better choice, in my opinion.
We’ll be here the rest of the week!
More later!
/John
