Training Difficult People, help please.

[saints75]

I am sorry if I posted in the wrong place. I need some advice on an issue I am having at work. At the beginning of this year I was appointed the new range master for my department. I work for a small department and I know who can shot and who you don't want standing behind you on with a sharp pencil. Over the year I have one person that is a "Debby Downer" when it comes to firearms training. It gets so bad that it sucks the joy of training out the room. Even with qualification, this officer complains, whines and drags a ten minute shoot into what seems to take forever for them to get through. The supervision is already aware of this officer's attitude when it comes to training. How do I deal with the situation? I have talked to this person about there attitude and even asked them to fake it so I can get them off the range as fast as I can, and it still does not work. An advice?

Thanks!

[MSparks909]

Have you talked to the officer in a one-on-one situation outside of training to see why officer dislikes it so much? Is the officer a good shot or no? It could be a confidence thing. Afraid to have to perform in front of others. If you haven't, I would *strongly* get the point across to him that police qualification courses are the minimum standards for officers to carry their weapons; this training might just end up saving his/her life if it ever comes to it and maybe he/she should make a conscious effort to learn something and try to improve their weapon handling skills.

[LSP972]

No need to let such a slug ruin it for you.

How long has this guy been on? If its more than a year or two, he's no rookie, knows better, and is just being a PITA because he WANTS to. I had some of these over the years. The best way I found to handle them (assuming they didn't do anything I could boot them off the range for, such as disrupting the class, safety violations, etc.) was to ignore them.
This kind of guy is simply not worth your time and the heartburn needed to deal with him. He relieved you of any obligation to help him by deliberately ignoring the assistance/training you offered and by going out of his way to complain, etc.

The only individual more annoying than one of these clowns is the "gun guy" who thinks he knows more about the game than you do. These require a bit of care, but you can shut him down right quick if you play it right.

You might be interested to know that the average LE firearms instructor lasts five years before he burns out. Some sooner, some later.

Welcome to the game. I played it for a bit over 20 years.

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[saints75]

I have talk to this officer, but not really about their attitude. The officer is a good shots and always qualifies. I believe it is training this officer does not want to do. The other officer that was on the range staff told me the same thing about this officer and her attitude before I took over. My old partner (he left to a different department) who use to teach defensive tactics told me he had the same issues with the same officer. I think I will have a more serious talk with this officer. I thought I was making getting my point across to this officer, I guess not. I am hopping that will work. Thanks

[saints75]

No need to let such a slug ruin it for you.

How long has this guy been on? If its more than a year or two, he's no rookie, knows better, and is just being a PITA because he WANTS to. I had some of these over the years. The best way I found to handle them (assuming they didn't do anything I could boot them off the range for, such as disrupting the class, safety violations, etc.) was to ignore them.
This kind of guy is simply not worth your time and the heartburn needed to deal with him. He relieved you of any obligation to help him by deliberately ignoring the assistance/training you offered and by going out of his way to complain, etc.

The only individual more annoying than one of these clowns is the "gun guy" who thinks he knows more about the game than you do. These require a bit of care, but you can shut him down right quick if you play it right.

You might be interested to know that the average LE firearms instructor lasts five years before he burns out. Some sooner, some later.

Welcome to the game. I played it for a bit over 20 years.

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This person has been on for a while, I think 7 years. Like I said before, the supervision knows about their attitude. I have tried to ignoring it, it gets hard. I think I am going to try to ignore it more if the talk does not work. Thanks for the advice.

[jlw]

Dismiss her from a training session and tell her not to come back until her attitude has improved.

[MD7305]

If they want to be difficult, fine, their gonna get what they put into it. The other folks probably know how that difficult person is because I'm sure they're a downer regardless of setting so I'm sure they just ignore them anyways. Focus on the people who are there to learn and improve, they deserve your attention, not the complainer.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I'm painting with an extremely broad brush, here, but given your geographical location and that this particular officer is a "her", don't set yourself up for a harassment complaint. If she's been on that long, you should know or be able to find out if she has that kind of MO. Just dot your i's and cross your t's, and document everything. Recording any counseling sessions might be prudent, if policy allows. Just make sure you do the same for everyone.

[Alaskapopo]

They don't have to like it but they do have to be there. Make sure you let whomever does her evaluations about her attitude during the training and make sure its reflected in her next evaluation.
Pat

[Drang]

I am very well aware that military techniques don't necessarily transfer over to Law Enforcement (or other arenas), but if I had been a First Sergeant and had an issue like this with a soldier, tat soldier would have found him- or herself being assigned to conduct training, and being held accountable to ensure it went right and that the results were satisfactory.
I have no idea whether doing that is even possible, but since your buddy said he had the same issues with the same officer, it seems that her attitude might endanger others.