Police Academy ADA issues

[T2C]

If it's an issue of grip strength and not grip circumference, I believe that the candidate should either develop sufficient grip strength within a specified time or resign their position in the Academy.

[usmcvet]

Not offering an alternative is asinine. I'm went to a class recently and was disgusted at what accommodations were required by law. The situation definitely fits and should.

The one accommodation that blew my mind was an employee with ADD. She had her start time changed from 0800 to 0930 because her meds didn't start working until 0800. I raised my hand and said well she just needs to get up earlier to take her meds. I was wrong! We can't say when an employee gets up in the morning. So much for common sense.

I'm a small town cop and chief. We issue G22's. When I hired a new officer sh came to our PD carrying her husbands G23. The G22 with Surefire X300 in an ALS holster wasn't an option. At 5'01" and 105#'s she was too small for that set up. I remember ordering her uniforms. When she tried them on she was,holding the side of her size 2 pants. If she let go they would have fallen to the floor. When she had them altered the front pockets were lost in the process.

She struggled with her G23 at qualification time. I shot next to her. I figured out she was left eye dominant. I switched her to a left handed holster and a G19. Her confidence and scores soared. The PD bought the new holster and gun.

When the VT State Police issued Sig P229's in .40 they had at least one cop carrying a P225. The messed up part was she carried it in a Safariland 070 holster for the P229! I saw that right away. That was WRONG. There was no retention. I could have taken the gun out w/o un snapping either snap.

[T2C]

When our agency transitioned to .40 caliber Glock pistols, we had to make reasonable accommodations to candidates with small hands. Grip reduction of several Glock pistols was performed, but no exception for grip strength was allowed. You are either strong enough to do the job or you are not strong enough. That applies to males, females and those who are undecided.

[flenna]

When I first started in law enforcement part of the entrance exam was to pull the trigger of a double action revolver twelve times with my right hand and twelve times with my left hand. It was pass or fail, no concessions given. And we had females pass the test, some of small stature.

[tacticaldesire]

Getting an agency to change ANYTHING, let alone firearms related would take a small act of congress. Especially one set in their ways like it appears this one is.

There's lots of ways to build hand strength. She needs to find some exercises on her own time. It sounds like what your female cadet is struggling with is not only a physical strength issue but a mindset issue as well. While it is completely asinine that the agency won't budge on letting her use anything but the 229, that is ultimately the gun they are sending her out on the streets with. She is going to be a liability to the public and fellow officers if she cannot field it properly. If she ever has to deploy it and hits a bystander because she jerked the gun trying to pull the trigger, heads are going to roll. As they should.

Thumbing the hammer in a high stress situation sounds like a great way to drop the gun, especially with someone already obviously lacking in hand strength. If that is the only solution that will work, I would run her through some high stress drills to ensure that she can do it safely. Otherwise, and I hate to say it, she should not be on the job in that capacity. It would be doing her and the public a disservice to send her out in the field wielding a lethal instrument she can not use safely or effectively. There's a reason not everybody gets to be in the military or law enforcement and it is because ultimately, lives are at stake. I would rather her not get the job than have her get herself or someone else killed.

[Gödel]

It sounds like what your female cadet is struggling with is not only a physical strength issue but a mindset issue as well.

Having just re-read all the OP's posts, what do you know about the candidate's mindset to comment on it?

[signal4l]

The recruit was able to pass the qualification--barely. Her employer installed E2 grips and a short trigger.

She would have done much better with a striker fired 9mm. Her agency will not authorize this.

Mindset lectures and grip strengh excercises are a great idea. They will not help her grow longer fingers.

[ST911]

The recruit was able to pass the qualification--barely. Her employer installed E2 grips and a short trigger.

She would have done much better with a striker fired 9mm. Her agency will not authorize this.

Mindset lectures and grip strengh excercises are a great idea. They will not help her grow longer fingers.

Perform the following test... In a few days, have her shoot the employment standard (qualification) with the agency gun in the allowable specification. Then every other day thereafter, shoot the same test working her way through a list of alternative handguns that include but not limited to gen4 G19 and Sig P239. Measure both precision and accuracy via a smaller scoring zone within the larger scoring zone. Assemble the statistics, calculating the percentage difference between any noted gun/caliber. Photograph the targets after the COF. Assemble that data in a formal request for accommodation copied to any representative body for officers in that area (FOP, union, DoL, etc).

[DirectTo]

The recruit was able to pass the qualification--barely. Her employer installed E2 grips and a short trigger.

I asked early on if that swap would be permissible since it is factory parts and I am VERY happy to hear it was accepted and even more so that she made it. May she never need to fire it in anger, but maybe her case will eventually lead to that department getting their head out of the sand.

[signal4l]

Perform the following test... In a few days, have her shoot the employment standard (qualification) with the agency gun in the allowable specification. Then every other day thereafter, shoot the same test working her way through a list of alternative handguns that include but not limited to gen4 G19 and Sig P239. Measure both precision and accuracy via a smaller scoring zone within the larger scoring zone. Assemble the statistics, calculating the percentage difference between any noted gun/caliber. Photograph the targets after the COF. Assemble that data in a formal request for accommodation copied to any representative body for officers in that area (FOP, union, DoL, etc).

You are thinking too logically. That leads to a lot of frustration in my profession. I will probably never see this recruit again. Hopefully, her department will issue her a better weapon sometime in the future.