MSTOA
Mountain States Tactical Officers Association
Ballistic Shield Instructor
Course Description:
This program is structured to provide classroom and hands on training. Mornings are devoted to classroom instruction and reinforced with practical range application in the afternoon. The first day covers fundamentals and individual shooting skills; the second day addresses more advanced skills such as officer-down rescues, approaches to doorways, threshold evaluation, port and cover window teams, stairways and hallway maneuvers. The third day will be devoted to students giving classroom and range presentations. A Ballistic Shield Instructor’s field manual will be provided for each student. Students must provide their own ammunition. Students must pass a practical firearms qualification course and successfully complete a written examination. Students will be evaluated on their knowledge of the topic, instructional skills and safety considerations.
Student Requirements:
Students will be expected to pass a practical firearms qualification exercise and to successfully complete a 20 question written exam with a grade of 80 percent or higher.
Basic firearms proficiency is a prerequisite for all courses; students will be required to provide qualifying information on the application.
Required Equipment:
Full duty or tactical gear
Ballistic helmet
Ballistic vest
Eye and ear protections
Ballistic shield (if available)
Handgun with holster and duty rig
A second handgun and holster (optional)
Extra handgun magazines (no less than 3)
400 rounds of handgun ammunition (Minimum)
Long gun (optional)
Instructor: James Morgan, Safariland Training Group
As a four-year veteran of the Marine Corps and retired member of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Jim brings enormous personal experience to the class room.
His experiences as the Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge of Security for a Nuclear Ordnance Platoon followed him as he progressed through the different Station level tactical teams with in the Sheriff’s Department until he was selected for the Department’s dedicated SWAT team, the Career Criminal Division. Accelerating in the long gun, less lethal and entry assignments, Jim grew into a leading SWAT instructor for his and other teams in Southern California.
As promotions moved him to other assignments, Jim was a founding member of the Force Options Training Unit which spear headed department wide stress-based training as part quarterly qualifications. Several years later he came back to lead this unit as it researched how to improve performance under stress. This and other accomplishments lead to Jim’s unit receiving California’s P.O.S.T.’s Governor’s Award for Innovative Training.
Now as a full-time instructor for the Safariland Training Group, Jim brings the unique level of experience of an operator, instructor, supervisor and manufacturer to the class room. Jim’s passion for SWAT is only matched by his commitment to offer the best training possible to every student.