SKIATOOK, Okla. — Skiatook Police have a new tool that they hope will help keep them and the community safer.
They’re bringing in red dot sights on the Department’s Glock 17 9mm pistols and are training officers on them.
Before now, Skiatook Police had standard iron sights, which are two bits at the front and back of a gun’s barrel.
“Rather than lining up a couple of sights and getting that on the target, you’re just placing the dot on the target,” said Detective Sergeant Jerry Bullard, the lead firearms instructor with Skiatook Police.
The Department said they decided to bring in the red dot sights so they’re up to date with technology.
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Police said the new sights will help police in low light and can improve accuracy on a target.
“Because it’s a light emitter, your contrast is a lot higher, OK? The eye can pick it up, it’s good in low light conditions, it can add some precision to your shooting,” Bullard said.
Police hope, with proper training, this new technology will help improve safety for their officers and the community.
“Just putting it on there isn’t going to make you a better shot, it can help you though if you train with it,” Bullard said.
Officers are taking an eight hour class to learn how to use the sights. The class includes fundamentals, movement, and using the sight to hit a target.
Bullard said it’s important to keep officers and the community safe.
“That is the whole point so we can do our job better, we get into a situation where lethal force may be required, we want that lethal force used on the proper target, the bad guy, not an innocent bystander or another police officer, so it’s all about making the officer better with their equipment, another tool to put in the box,” Bullard said.
“That’s why the police are here, is to help the community, keep the community safe...if we can make an officer faster, better, quicker, more accurate, more confident, better gun handling skills, all that stuff, that’s safety,” Bullard also said.
Police hope to have all officers qualified in the next few months.