Police use laser-equipped firearms

ANDREW BROPHY abrophy@ctpost.com
Article Last Updated: 01/18/2008 01:16:25 AM EST

FAIRFIELD — Officers say they are now better prepared to deal with gunfights like the 2002 shootout between an Ansonia man and police outside the former Boston Billiards on lower Black Rock Turnpike.

The Police Department has acquired lasers for their .40-caliber Glock duty weapons using asset forfeiture funds from a prostitution investigation several years ago. The department bought 110 lasers, enough for every officer's gun, at a cost of $229 each, said Capt. Gary MacNamara.

The lasers, manufactured by Lasermax in Rochester, N.Y., attach to the officers' duty weapons and emit a flashing red dot wherever an officer aims his weapon.

"This device is meant to enhance officers' ability, not only tactically, should they use their weapon, but also in training to improve their accuracy," MacNamara said.

The lasers enable officers to take better cover in a gunfight because they don't have to expose as much of their body to see their target, said Officer Jim Wiltsie, one of the department's training officers.

The lasers also enable officers to know where another officer is aiming his weapon when two suspects are close together, said Sgt. Keith Broderick, a firearms training instructor.

Lasers also are a good "non-verbal command" that can intimidate suspects, especially when they see multiple red dots trained on their bodies, Broderick said. "When someone sees a laser on their chest, it's a great deterrent to prevent them from further action," he said.

The lasers emit a flashing red dot, unlike the officers' taser guns, which emit a non-flashing dot, because the human eye picks up a flashing dot more quickly, Wiltsie said.

A switch on the side of the gun activates the laser, so officers can use their guns with or without it. The lasers work best at night or in subdued light, Wiltsie said.

Broderick said the department is now training its officers on how to use the lasers. Training on Wednesday and Thursday took place in a firing range in the basement of police headquarters.

"We're probably about halfway right now," Broderick said of the number of officers trained. "We've got the bulk of the patrol [officers.] Probably within two weeks, we should get the majority of the people."

Most of the training centers on an officer's sight alignment, which is different with a laser than with a gun sight, Broderick said. "The gun functions the same. It's just you're training a little differently on how to use your sights," he said.

Broderick said officers can keep their field of vision open and still hit a target with lasers.

Officers also are being trained in how to activate the lasers, and have been told not to use them when suspects are less than 21 feet away, Broderick said. "If it's draw and shoot, we're teaching them not to use it," he said.

The department had to make slight modifications to the officers' duty weapons to attach the lasers. Holster modifications were not needed, Broderick said.

Lasers don't eliminate shooting problems that some officers have, but they can be a tool to help improve accuracy, Broderick and MacNamara said.

James Noonan, a firearms instructor and training officer at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden, said the technology isn't new and that lasers on duty weapons were more common in the 1990s.

"Years ago, they became unpopular because the batteries were tough to keep charged, but like everything else, technology has caught up to make a better product," Noonan said. "They're somewhat back in popularity because they fixed them up and they're not as concerned about batteries."

Noonan and others in law enforcement in Connecticut didn't know how many police departments in Connecticut now have lasers on duty weapons, but Noonan said it is "not uncommon for them to be around."

Andrew Brophy, who covers Fairfield, can be reached at 330-6255.