Canadian Police Department Builds New Firing Range That Helps Train Officers How To Shoot Fleeing Suspects

It is billed by the London Police Department Chief as “the best (shooting) range in Ontario.” At $22 million, it is certainly modern but one of the features might sit poorly with judges and civil libertarians.

While police can shoot a fleeing suspect that presents an imminent threat to the public, it is relatively rare in most crimes and raises obvious questions under Tennessee v. Garner.

The entire project will ultimately cost $32 million and the facility’s gun range is billed as training officers to do a range of shooting, including the item below:

A shooting range that will allow officers to qualify twice-yearly to use their firearms. The room is insulated so shots can’t be heard outside, and includes targets that can move forward and backward and sideways to better simulate a fleeing suspect. The shooting range also allows officers to play recorded sounds such as shouting, sirens and gunfire, as well as flashing and dimmed lights that can better reflect a night-time or real-emergency scenario.

Presumably, trainees are taught to lead the fleeing suspects by a couple of feet.

The upgrade for coup de grâce shots will apparently be added later. It does have the following training film however for wounded suspects:

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