Sgt. Bill Campbell, Bringing the Street to the Range

Bringing the Street to the Range with Sgt. Bill Campbell

Sgt. Bill Campbell began his law enforcement career as a U.S. Marine Military Policeman in 1986. After six years of active duty service as a patrolling MP stationed in Yuma, AZ. and Okinawa, Japan, Bill received an honorable discharge and went to work for the Gilbert AZ. Police Department. Bill has served Gilbert Police Department since as a Patrolman, Bike Officer, Academy Training Officer, Proficiency Instructor and Patrol Sergeant. Bill has served with the department’s SWAT team since 1995 as an Entry Operator, Precision Marksman, Trainer and currently serves as the Entry Team Leader.

Bill began teaching practical proficiency skills to his peers as a Marine and has continued to make it a focal point of his LE career. Bill has received multiple levels of certification in all forms of police proficiency with his primary efforts toward Firearms/Use of Force Training and Police Tactics. In 1997, Bill developed the “Gilbert Model of Patrol Rifle Training” and began offering it to agencies nationwide as a practical example of a complete 40 hour basic rifle training program. Since it has been offered, over 1000 law enforcement agencies across the nation have requested it as a reference in creating their own rifle training programs.

Bill was recognized as an AZPOST Subject Matter Expert in Firearms training in 1999 and about that same time, the National Rifle Association recruited Bill to serve as a Staff Firearms Instructor for the NRA Law Enforcement Activities Division.

Since 2000, Bill has taught Firearms Instructor Development Courses in all police firearms disciplines nationwide on behalf of the NRA. As an NRA LEAD Staff member, Bill has been an integral part of the modern development, writing and teaching of the NRA LE Firearms Instructor Development courses. He has focused his efforts on modernizing and improving police firearms training, through practical development of training that is based on the tasks, tools and practical environment that officers actually work, rather than on marksmanship or qualification standards.

Bill has written multiple articles on practical police training for Police Marksman magazine, The IALEFI Firearms Instructor, the NRA LEAD Newsletter and the Street Survival Newsline. Bill is a member of the NTOA, ILEETA, IALEFI, and a Life Member of the NRA. Bill teaches annually at the ILEETA and IALEFI Annual Training Conferences highlighting practical firearms drill and lesson plans.

Bill’s column, “Bringing the Street to the Range” is an extension of his efforts with the NRA to seek the practical principles involved in daily police tasks and to create specific firearms training to help officers win in that environment. Police work is a complicated environment with ever changing tactics, tools and liabilities.

“We cannot bring the sterile, comfortable environment of the “training range” to the harsh, unpredictable environment of the “street.” We must instead find ways to bring the street to the range.”

“We cannot bring the sterile, comfortable environment of the “training range” to the harsh, unpredictable environment of the “street.” We must instead find ways to bring the street to the range.”