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LA. County Sheriff's Department Weapons Training Instructor Sgt. Mike Brandriff shoots his Smith & Wesson on the range at the Pitchess Detention Center.
Glock Accidental Discharge Statistics
Another accidentally fired a bullet in the toilet. A third deputy tripped over a walker in a closet while searching for the suspect, pinching a ring that went through a wall and stuck in a piece of furniture in the next room.
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Accidental shootings by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies have more than doubled in two years, endangering bystanders and occasionally injuring deputies. The jump coincides with the department's switch to a new pistol that does not have a safety lever and requires less pressure to pull the trigger.
Sheriff's officials said the number of accidental discharges — from 12 in 2012 to 30 last year — increased as deputies adjusted to the new weapons. They expect the numbers to drop in the coming years. This year, the Department recorded seven accidental discharges, five of which related to new weapons.
But the problems may not be over as more dealers switch to Smith & Wesson's M&P9. In response, department officials instituted additional training requirements.
The M&P has obvious advantages. It's easier to shoot accurately, can be shot more reliably under stress, and is better for people with small hands. The move was prompted in part by the threat of a lawsuit against the failed women at the sheriff's academy. More recruits — including more women — are now taking firearms tests, and veteran deputies are also scoring better at the range.
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But a spike in accidental releases prompted the sheriff's department's new inspector general to investigate. Critics say the type of semi-automatic that is widespread in law enforcement, which includes the Glock used by many agencies, is too easy to conceal.
A rookie New York City police officer faces criminal charges, including manslaughter, in a fatal shooting in the stairwell of a housing project. The officer's attorney says he accidentally fired his department-issued Glock.
A former Los Angeles police officer who was left paralyzed when his 3-year-old son shot him with a Glock is suing the gun manufacturer and others, alleging that a light trigger pull and a lack of a safety mechanism contributed to the accident.
Bob Owens, editor of BearingArms.com, says the design of the Glock and M&P makes such tragedies more likely. "I don't think with the amount of training that most agencies do, a weapon that has such a low tolerance for error is the best choice," he said.
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For two decades, L.A. sheriff's deputies carried the Beretta 92F, a heavy metal pistol with a large handle.
People with small hands often have trouble raising the Beretta safety when preparing to fire. The first shot requires 12-15 pounds of trigger pull, forcing some to use two fingers and reducing shooting accuracy for many. Subsequent shots require about 4 pounds of pressure.
The M&P is made of lightweight polymer with a grip available in three sizes. Firing a round is as easy as pulling the trigger with 6-8 pounds of constant pressure.
Sheriff's deputies have the option of sticking with the Beretta, and some have, saying they've gotten used to it. But many who have switched to the M&P say their shooting has improved.
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"At first I thought, 'No way, I'm going to keep my Beretta forever,'" said Sergeant Mike Rafter, a firearms instructor. "Then I started shooting and it was much nicer. I can shoot better and I have more confidence."
Academy students began receiving the M&P in 2011, and the rest of the department began phasing out the new weapon soon after. About half of the sworn personnel now use M&Ps, and more are switching between them. As more dealers switched to M&P, accidental emissions increased.
In 2012, there were 12 accidental releases, none of which were related to M&P. In 2013, there were 18 of them, eight of which were M&Ps. Of the 30 incidents in 2014, 22 involved M&Ps.
Sheriff's Deputy Todd Rogers attributed the increase to deputies still adjusting to not having a new weapon.
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"The vast majority were people who trained on the Beretta," Rogers said. "There is a correlation, no doubt about it."
A Beretta spokesman did not return a phone call seeking comment. A spokeswoman for Smith & Wesson said the company does not speak publicly about the weapons it supplies to law enforcement.
Many random discharges from M&P in 2014 occurred while deputies were on duty, often on the street or during home searches. In one incident in December, a sheriff's deputy in Compton approached a car he believed might be stolen. The settlers had already fled. As he approached, the M&P drawn to make sure no one else was inside, he accidentally pulled the trigger.
A month earlier, a Lancaster deputy pursued a driver he suspected of having a gun. As the man got out and walked toward the patrol car, the deputy removed his seat belt and pulled out an M&P, firing it into his thigh. He was the only person injured that year, but in other cases there were civilians or other MPs nearby who could have been hit.
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In January 2014, a deputy accidentally fired a bullet into the ceiling of a Walnut neighborhood home when a golf bag landed on his arm. Another deputy was in the room at the time.
When a deputy tripped over a gurney and shot through a wall in October 2014, another deputy was nearby, with multiple deputies and a civilian elsewhere in the Huntington Park home.
The NYPD is adapting its pistols with a heavier trigger to reduce the risk of accidents. Prosecutors allege rookie officer Peter Liang violated a key safety rule by putting his finger on the trigger of his Glock while patrolling a Brooklyn apartment complex on Nov. 20. As Liang pushed open the stairwell door, he fired a shot that fatally struck Akai Gurley. A 28-year-old man who was coming down the stairs. Liang's lawyer said his client accidentally fired the gun.
Shortly after the LAPD switched from Berettas to Glocks a decade ago, Officer Enrique Herrera Chavez shot his 3-year-old son in the back. Chavez was driving on July 10, 2006, when the boy found his father's Glock under the vehicle's center console and fired, paralyzing Chavez.
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Chavez's lawsuit was dismissed in 2010, but an appeals court ruled that a jury should hear the former cop's many arguments that the Glock's design made it too easy for a young child to shoot. The court hearing is scheduled for October.
LA. county sheriff's deputies who had learned to fire the Beretta were trained to put their finger on the trigger immediately after taking aim. The mantra was "on the gun, on the trigger".
For M&Ps and Glocks, the trigger finger should stay on the side of the gun until the last moment.
To combat the rise in accidental discharges, deputies will now have to pass a marksmanship test four times a year instead of three and complete a course designed to break old Beretta habits. Those who accidentally fire their weapons usually have to repeat the training.
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"We call them training scars," Rogers said. "It's muscle memory. And especially in stressful situations, people go back to their training.
Richard Fairburn, a firearms expert with the Illinois State Police, called the M&P "a more modern weapon" that allows more officers to shoot well. But he said the lighter trigger pull and lack of safety could lead to more accidental discharges if new habits aren't converted through rigorous training.
"If you still have your finger on the trigger when you holster it, you're going to get a line on your leg," Fairburn said.
The LAPD recently began issuing M&Ps after using Glocks since 2005, said Lt. Dana Berns, chief of the Firearms and Tactics Division. The department did not provide accidental discharge statistics in response to inquiries from The Times. But Berns said he doesn't think the department had any problems when officers switched to the Glock, which isn't expected with the M&P because it's similar to the Glock.
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Unlike sheriff's deputies, LAPD officers are trained to carry the Beretta with the safety off because recoil was awkward and could cause the weapon to fire too late or not fire at all in dangerous situations.
The key to avoiding accidental discharge is exercise, Berns said. The LAPD requires officers to pass six firearms tests a year, including one with a shotgun and one that simulates real-life scenarios.
Sheriffs seem to have a training problem, Berns said. "What you do unconsciously is your business
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