Just two days after many fired a semi-automatic rifle for the first time, participants in the Kerrville Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy shared their thoughts — they like it.
During Tuesday night’s class, one focused on department recruitment and training, Sgt. Jonathan Lamb surveyed the class about Saturday’s firearms training at Hill Country Shooting Sports.
“I was a little nervous, but I felt like the safety and the preparing to keep us safe was great,” said Delayne Sigerman, a former Kerrville City Councilmember. “I think you did a great job.”
Dr. Tobin Tilley said he was impressed that the department provided the opportunity to see and test the weapons — the department’s standard-issue AR-15 rifle and Glock 40 handgun.
“I guess the police department kind of stuck their neck out for us,” Tilley said. “It was a great opportunity to do that, but it was very well controlled.”
Lamb told the class that setting the training up required some convincing of the department’s command staff, but ultimately Chief Chris McCall signed off on the plan. This was the first time live-fire training had been included in the Citizen’s Police Academy.
The whole idea of CPA is to give ya’ll as much of an impression on what we do and how we do it,” Lamb told the class. “We’ve added things over the years, taken a few things away, and we’re constantly modifying.”
In years past, the classes included exercises with a training gun — one that shot pellets, but nothing like what participants experienced last weekend.
“I would say everyone shot very well,” said Lamb, who had each student fire 15 rounds each from the handgun and rifle.
One of the class participants is Josselyn Obregon, a Guatemalan immigrant who works for the Kerrville-based SPD Mags, which manufactures magazines for the department’s Glocks.
Obregon said she felt there was a stigma to handling a gun for women before immigrating to the U.S., but the class helped build confidence in handling weapons safely.
“I think this exercise was the best to throw off the stereotype of firearms,” Obregon said. “The more you understand the firearm, the less danger there is.”
