The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) began utilizing a new shared firing range facility with the Winston-Salem Police Department in 2012. This facility has allowed additional opportunities for firearms related training. Firearms Instructor Corporal Raymond Laird, although assigned to the Investigative Services Division, developed and worked closely with Chief Firearms Instructor Corporal Fred Woitineck to implement a close quarters combat firearms training course. This intense four hour mandatory block of instruction is part of quarterly firearms training for all Sheriff’s Office deputies. Corporal Laird developed the lesson plan and trained other firearms instructors on the delivery of the training.

The training includes both one and two handed firearm presentation from concealment, utilizing dynamic stances, identifying strike areas likely to cause immediate incapacitation, correcting firearm malfunctions and communication techniques with other officers involved in a shooting situation. This mandatory training began in February and has proven beneficial in providing deputies with “real life” situational applications. After the training course was reviewed by law enforcement firearms instructors abroad, Corporal Laird was invited and is scheduled to present this training course to firearms instructors from across the nation at the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI) annual training conference in Alabama.

Cpl. Laird is commended for developing needed “real life” combat firearms instruction although firearms training is not his assigned primary function. Sheriff’s Office deputies have found this training to be beneficial and have complimented Corporal Laird on his development of this course of instruction. Due to his contributions beyond his regularly assigned duties, I recommend that Corporal Raymond Laird be considered as February’s sworn officer of the month.