Special Agents from the Division of Alcohol
and Tobacco Control Train as Firearms Instructors
Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control Special Agents
Keith Hendrickson, 42, of Jamestown, and Todd Doerhoff, 28, of Jefferson
City, have spent the past two weeks “training to become trainers”
in a Firearm’s Instructor Course at the Highway Patrol’s
Law Enforcement Academy in Jefferson City.
Hendrickson and Doerhoff began an intensive two-week course
on August 15th and will graduate Friday morning, August 26th. The course
of study is designed for career law enforcement personnel who are already
experienced shooters. It does not teach an officer how to shoot, but
rather, how to instruct other officers how to shoot.
This is a physically demanding course requiring running,
calisthenics, and shooting from standing, kneeling, and prone positions.
The course has required the shooters to perform their drills in the
August heat and the recent rains. Some of their exercises take place
at night and many of their days were 18 hours long.
Special Agents Hendrickson and Doerhoff were required
to fire a handgun and shotgun pre-qualification test and a minimum score
of 80 percent on both qualifications was required for the student to
actually be accepted into the Firearms Instructor School.
Completion of this demanding course demonstrates that
Agents Hendrickson and Doerhoff have proven their ability to; prepare
written lesson plans for firearms courses, provide methods of successful
instruction, minimize firearms liability, improve range procedures,
and strengthen the Division’s indoor handgun qualification process.
Although it took an 80 percent score to be admitted into
the course, in order to graduate, they must achieve a minimum score
of 90 percent on their handgun qualification, their shotgun qualification,
and also on a written final exam.
In an effort to maximize the state’s investment,
Dale Roberts, State Supervisor, decided it was a necessary to train
from within and arranged for the two special agents to go through the
intense course with Highway Patrol.
“Our firearms instruction must be tailored to the
special environment in which we work and we cannot afford to send every
agent to a specialized course of private instruction,” Roberts
said. “Training our Special Agents to become Certified Firearms
Instructors captures the expertise we need and brings it into our own
organization. It’s just good business.”