Palm
Beach Mall Armed Security Shoots Warning Shots
Armed Security at Palm Beach Mall Shoots Warning Shots. Security Officers Firing warning shots for any reason, including an attempt to stop a person suspected of a crime, is prohibited by the Florida Division of Licensing. This is thought in the 28 Hour Statewide Firearm Course and students are also tested yearly on this for the 4 Hour annual re-certification.
One of the four universal firearms safety rules are to “Know your Target and its Background”. What if these rounds hit an innocent bystander? Were the shoplifters armed and was Deadly Force necessary? Or was this improper training on the part of the security officer, firearms instructor or security school who qualified this officer?
There is a huge issue in the State of Florida with poorly trained Armed Security Officers who were trained the bare minimum standards by the security school and or instructor. Many security schools and instructors are security training mills, pay for the training and you get the license. Get the Cheapest price security training as listed on craigslist. What quality of training can you as a customer get by paying the cheapest price? There are security schools and instructors who do not provide the proper curriculum and range qualification to students. The State requires Armed Security Officers to shoot 3 relays of 48 rounds for the G license initial qualification. The range qualification also requires drawing from the holster, shooting behind cover, shooting on a timer, hip-shooting, multiple target engagement and shooting from various yard lines. If the student missed one of the above requirements during the qualification then the certification should not be valid for the license.
The 4-hour recertification is exactly that, 4-hours of training. Many K Firearms Instructors will just have students shoot the qualification only. What about the other 3 hours of training? The 4 hours should include Test Review, 50 questions Test, Practical Exercises and then the Range Qualification of 48 rounds. Shooting is a perishable skill and requires refresher training no matter the background of the officer i.e. Military and or Law Enforcement.
Class K Firearms Instructors are not required to have insurance, a training facility and equipment. The K Instructor can pretty much run training out of the back of their trunk at McDonalds. This creates mass opportunity for fraud, which the Division of Licensing is currently facing on a daily basis. Over 4,000 licensees have been determined of sending fraudulent certifications in order to obtain their Armed Security License. Over 33 Class “K” Firearms Instructors have been or currently under investigation by the Division of Licensing. The Division has 2,183 investigations against fraudulent activity. 13 Class K Firearms Instructors have been arrested and fined in an excess of $73,000.
