Take The LEEP at SHOT Show 2027

Once Fall gets here, four things will happen in short order:

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukah/Christmas, and then SHOT. The Shooting, Hunting, & Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas during the back half of January.

One component of the Show that AmericanCop has been deeply involved in for the past few years is LEEP. Also known as the Law Enforcement Education Program, LEEP is a spin-off of SHOT Show University. However, rather than targeting retailers, LEEP focuses on practical information for agencies, deputies, officers, and more.

LEEP starts Monday evening with a Meet and Greet at the Venetian’s Canaletto Restaurant. It pairs solid appetizers with a chance to talk with other cops at the Show.

The rifle manufacturer Daniel Defense is sponsoring the event.

The sessions run one to two hours and take place upstairs in smaller rooms above the Show’s main floor.

Sessions cover range design, low-light training, human factors issues, armor, and emergency vehicle concerns. Some are presented by industry professionals who work for various companies. Others are presented by experienced law enforcement or military personnel who cover material they are subject-matter experts in.

Streamlight will kick off LEEP with a session focused on how an agency can develop a complete low-light program. It will look at both training and operations. It will cover selecting and using handheld and weapon-mounted lights. They will also address “target identification, movement, and decision-making in reduced-light environments.”

Trijicon will follow up with their Building a Department Red Dot Program: From Funding to Fielding.

This block will cover how to select appropriate, duty-capable optics. In addition to practical information for developing your training program, Trijicon will share information on using grants to bring your optics program to fruition.

Two separate sessions will cover how to design and build your training facilities.

In the morning, FGM Architects will have Beyond Qualification: Designing the Modern Law Enforcement Indoor Firing Range.

Your range isn’t just for qualification courses. It needs to handle a wide variety of training. Training on subjects that the Courts have repeatedly told us we need to cover. FGM will also address range configuration, building construction, safety systems, target systems, and bullet traps, which can affect the facility’s training capability.

The next session with Clark Nexsen is Designing and Building Training Facilities to Provide Use-of-Force Training

It will expand from the range to covering the development of a complete facility. One with separate, distinct, stand-alone classroom, range, and simulator environments. Along with how to use them as a combined instructional facility.

And Trijicon returns with their Building a Department Red Dot Program presentation.

Buchanan Brothers Presents: Police Suicide: The Threshold of Pain

To quote the Buchanan Brothers, “Jared Buchanan’s presentation, Police Suicide: The Threshold of Pain, confronts the critical issue of suicide within law enforcement, a subject that remains largely under-addressed yet profoundly impacts the lives of officers and their families. Drawing on his personal journey as a Marine veteran and in honor of his father, Officer Paul S. Buchanan, Jared combines powerful storytelling, academic insight, and practical strategies to destigmatize mental health struggles and foster a culture of support within the police force.”

This is a returning presentation and one that is regularly proven to be necessary. Collectively, “we” in law enforcement, “we” in public safety, are regularly losing too many of our own. Shame and fears of losing one’s professional identity have kept way too many of our brothers and sisters from reaching out to get the help they needed.

While the day and time are still pending, Mossberg’s Jeremy Stafford will discuss the merits of, and reasons for, law enforcement agencies to keep 12-gauge shotguns in their lethal force inventory.

For those of you in law enforcement reading this, I have a question. AmericanCop will again be one of the presenters at LEEP. Which of the following would you prefer I cover:

Duty and training ammunition?

Available duty-capable optics and mounts?

The importance of debriefing both operationally and in training?

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When you register for SHOT, add your LEEP sign-up. It costs an additional $45, but it gets you into every LEEP session from Monday evening through Thursday.

We at AmericanCop have had the opportunity to give LEEP presentations at the previous three SHOT Shows. It has been an honor to give back to those who are still actively protecting their communities. We strongly recommend attending these sessions.