Law enforcement officials fine-tune skills at pistol shooting contest

CEDAR RAPIDS – Twenty-two law enforcement officials converged on Old River Road on Saturday to fire hundreds of pistol shots – not at fleeing suspects, but at painted silhouettes placed at a distance.

At times the range sounded like a gangster film as active and retired arms-carrying law-enforcement officials from as far away as Michigan competed in the day one of two-day pistol shooting competition hosted by the Iowa Combat League.

Such competitions are not just for fun, organizers said, but they also provide police officers a safe setting in which to fine-tune their shooting.

“Out of all the tools officers have, the firearm is the last one you're going to use,” said Bill Davis, a retired police officer from Dubuque and president of the league. “This is really about developing those basic skills.”

Davis said the same competition format was once a major portion of FBI agents' training regimen.

Saturday's contest consisted of team and individual events in which officers earned points for nailing targets placed as far as 50 feet away. Officers have time limits and must shoot from various positions as well.

For some shooters the day also served as a warmup for a national competition in New Mexico.

Lon Lindenburg of Elkhart who retired from the Department of Natural Resources in 2007, said that Iowa's past pistol shooting competitions would draw more than 100 spectators – far more than the handfuls of people, mostly spouses of the shooters, who turned out Saturday. Ten years ago many more shooters – funded by their departments – would compete too.

But decreased funding for trips and desirable prizes and a changing departmental culture has squelched attendance over the past decade,  Lindenberg said.

Between pauses to spit tobacco juice, Lindenberg said he still enjoys competing, though his accuracy has diminished as he ages.

“The eyes are always the first to go,” he said.