Local police weigh in on national accidental discharge report

LACONIA — Local police leaders say they take all precautions possible to avoid the kind of unintentional firearm discharges that have occurred at law enforcement agencies across the country.

An Associated Press investigation, released Monday, documented 1,422 unintentional discharges, some involving fatal shootings, since 2012 at 258 law enforcement agencies.

Laconia Police Chief Matt Canfield said that, more than 10 years ago, an officer’s personal weapon accidentally fired in the police locker room as it was moved from an off-duty holster. No one was hurt and the officer later resigned.

Canfield did not recall any other unintentional firearm discharges.

Kristian Kelley, the deputy chief in Gilford, said he can’t recall any such instances in his 20 years on the Gilford Police Department.

Canfield said the Laconia Police Department does regular live fire and video simulation exercises to give officers the training that can cut down on accidentally firing their weapons.

Factors that can play into such accidents include stress, fatigue, adrenaline, environmental conditions, even the time of day.

“You get a report of shots fired and immediately you get an adrenaline dump,” Canfield said. “In your mind you are trying to anticipate what is happening while you are en route.

“Your lights and sirens are going, you’re moving around traffic and multitasking.

“You think, ‘Am I at risk of getting hurt?’”

Canfield said that, once the officer gets to the call and is faced with a person with a gun or a knife, there is another burst of adrenaline.

Officers are at risk of getting tunnel vision under such stress. They may have reduced perception of people or sounds on the periphery. 

The goal of regular training is to boost chances that officers can perform as required under such difficult circumstances.

Other basic handgun safety standards are also observed.

In cases when the gun is pulled in the line of duty, the finger should be on the frame of the gun, not the trigger, unless the officer needs to fire the weapon. A gun is not supposed to come out of the holster unless the officer is on the range or needs to deploy the weapon.

Laconia duty pistols are Glock 19 or Glock 17 nine-millimeter handguns. Many officers also have a handgun that they carry off duty.

“We carry every day,” Canfield said. “Sometimes familiarity can be a downside. We are so comfortable with it, you can be overly comfortable.

“We do emphasize safe storage of firearms at home. They need to be secured.”

Canfield said that his long-term goal is for the department to have its own gun range, so officers can have even more opportunities to hone their firearms skills.

Kelley said the Gilford department stresses firearm safety day in and day out.

“As a whole, we are better than we’ve ever been with training and safety,” he said.

Officers train on simulators to boost performance under stress as well as live-fire training with their duty handguns, the Sig Sauer P320.

“We simulate stress to get a better idea on how to respond, but nothing will ever totally prepare you for it,” Kelley said.

Many officers will go an entire career without having to point or fire their weapon at somebody.

“I’ve never fired my firearm at anybody,” Kelley said. “And I’m glad. That’s the consensus. No one ever wants to have to take a life.”