Over the course of the past six years I've realized that quite a bit of the information I've gained having to do with self-defense and/or operational tactics has come from sources OTHER than my fellow officers, instructors, soldiers, etc. Much of what I've learned has come from reference books and an assortment of DVDs. I didn't realize just how varied this source of information could be until I recently had to clean up the assortment that had been occupying space in my office. Going through and sorting them all gave me the idea of reviewing some of what's available and from where.

First off, let's look at some FREE training that is available. From the Police Officers Safety Asociation there is an assortment of training DVDs available. Currently the list of programs available includes:

• Force on Force Simulation Instructor*
• Basic Close Quarters Shooting*
• Basic Tactical Knife Skills*
• Basic Crisis Entry*
• Firearm Disarming & Retention*
• Basic Tactical Shotgun*
• Defensive Snub Revolver
• Empty Hand Knife Defense
• Active Shooter and 4th/5th Generation Warfare
• Responding to Bomb Threats, Bombing Incidents and Suicide Bombers
• Tactical Medicine, aka Ditch Medicine
• Mental Health Topics for First Responders

Those with the * are the ones I have in my library and have watched - several times. This entire list of training DVDs is free to military and law enforcement professionals (you pay cost of shipping). OR, you can find these programs available online at www.officer.com/posa. Whether you are an individual officer or if you're a trainer, I encourage you to check out this training opportunity. For the cost of shipping (or downloading a video online) you can share and use the information for yourself, your squad or your agency. How much better than FREE does something get? Esepcially if it's valuable information.

Next on my list are some DVDs that are of value to police, military and civilians alike. From the folks at Armed Response Training comes a series of training DVDs that are valuable to anyone who regularly carries a weapon for defense. The available DVD subjects from Armed Response include:

• Fundamentals of Defensive Shooting
• Tactics and Techniques for Defensive Shooting
• Dynamic Drills for Defensive Shooting
• Shoot / No-Shoot Scenarios
• Responsible Use of Lethal Force

Priced at only $34.95 each, these DVDs are all about two hours of training (or more) each. Where else can you find two hours of instructional time for about $18 per hour? Additionally, their basic 3-DVD Defensive Shooting Series can be purchased as a set for $84.85. That's almost 7 hours of training averaging out to about $12 per hour. I encourage you to check them out if you carry a handgun for defense.

Next on my list are DVDs available from The Backup Training Corporation. There webpage dedicated to Law Enforcement Training lists 54 programs currently available. The programs are priced anywhere from $20 to $140 depending on the topic and what other materials you receive with it (for example, their Tactical Lifesaver Course comes with a Blowout Kit = $140). These courses are "taught" by recognized subject matter experts and structured to test the student officer as they go through the program. Many states have approved these training DVDs for in-service use and if that isn't the case in your state, it'd be easy enough to do.

The Backup Training Corporation also played a role in producing the training DVDs from the U.S. Training Center (formerly known as Blackwater). The Blackwater DVDs are still available online through the Blackwater Pro Shop. The two DVDs currently available on the website are the Basic Pistol and Basic Defensive Shotgun DVDs. Priced at $25 and $40 respectively, they are well worth the cost. Although I'm not aware of any states that have approved of them as in-service training, the videos available in each would be well worth including your firearms training programs.