Very large departments have their own full time training academies but just consider how long it is taking for New York to transition officers from the revolver to the semi-auto pistol. Increased Demand for Training For larger departments, it's all staff can do to meet minimum requirements. For the rest of us, firearms instructing is not a full time job. We train officers between shifts on patrol or doing any number of other responsibilities. No one in law enforcement has just one job any more.
Trainers face a selection of situations.
The state academy has time only for the basics. Real life situations are left to department trainers who either can't devote full time to training or can't get enough of their officers' time to run a comprehensive program. The guy you work with on the street simply can't be as expert as an outside specialist who devotes his full time to updating his skills and techniques. When the Connecticut State Police asked their Firearms Advisory council to design a course to teach applicants for concealed carry permits, the result was a course with very little on marksmanship and very much on responsibility, avoidance and proper threat response. The demand for more police training in threat response means that the familiar 50-yard pistol range with its row of targets in front of a backstop is no longer appropriate beyond basic training.