SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT TRAINS WITH NEW WEAPONS

JACKSON -- Personnel of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department are increasing their odds of surviving a shootout by training on the firing range with their new pistols.

The sheriff's department purchased .40-caliber Glock pistols, and street survival training with the 30 weapons will be completed early next week.

The pistols hold about 15 rounds, and the department's new gun belts that accommodate the pistols also hold an additional two magazines. Deputies will have about 45 rounds of fire power, quite a difference from the six-round revolvers they traded in to get the $5,000 worth of semi-automatic Glocks.

With the new pistols and belts comes training. Each of four groups from the department will practice on the firing range for two days at Phegley's Shooters Supply. But the on-range shooting is just one aspect of their training.

"We'll at least fire 500 rounds, have eight hours of class and spend 16 hours on range," said Lt. Vince Diebold of the sheriff's department. "We're concentrating on speed and accuracy. Safety is also a main concern."

Diebold qualifies to train the staff after spending four days in December being trained by a Glock-certified instructor. The first group for Diebold met on the range Wednesday and practiced for 12 hours. They were back on the range practicing their skills for another 12 hours Thursday.

"The is sort of transitional training from the revolver," he said. "The Glock is the top-of-the-line."

Diebold said the department was using .357-Magnum revolvers made by Smith and Wesson. He said the new pistols enable deputies to reload faster, fire more rounds and be more efficient when shooting. The pistols also are equipped with glow-in-the-dark sights, he said.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan, a member of the first group training on range Wednesday and Thursday, said the pistols were purchased to keep personnel up with the same weaponry that's available on the street.

"We wanted to get something comparable to what's on the street," he said. "Also, we're concerned about increased gang activity."

Jordan said Cape Girardeau County hasn't witnessed an officer shooting since Herbert Goss and Donald Crittendon were killed in 1961 in Cape Girardeau. He said that he wanted deputies to have enough fire power to avoid what happened to Goss and Crittendon.

The Missouri Highway Patrol trooper who shot a Laotian Posse gang member Sept. 2 in Jackson had a Glock pistol and was able to defend himself, he said.