Albany County Sheriff’s Deputies Completing Low Light/No Light Training

Albany County Sheriff's Deputies are completing firearms training for situations in which there is little to no light.

That's according to a post on the Albany County Sheriff's Office Facebook page:

"Our deputies are completing their mandatory annual low-light and no-light firearms training, sharpening critical skills used in real-world situations where visibility is limited. And yes, Randy the Robot is back in action.

Why Is This Important?

People might assume that law enforcement officers only rarely encounter situations in

which they might need to use firearms in poor lighting, but Police Magazine says that is inaccurate.

An article on the magazine's website entitled "Low Light Operations: A Critical Training Need" says that between half and three quarters of all officer involved shootings occur in what it calls "Low light or altered light situations." The article says that is because "bad guys tend to lurk in the shadows."

It says that even in nighttime situations in lit areas "deep purple shadows conceal hands, faces, and other features that may mean the difference between life and death of everyone concerned."

Despite this, the magazine says that many law enforcement agencies don't offer training in dealing with potential shooting situations in poor lighting.