705- Firearms Training and Qualification

You are here:

I. Purpose

This policy describes the firearms training and qualification practices for all Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) employees who are authorized to carry a firearm in their HCSO duties in accordance with relevant state and federal laws.

II. Definitions

Armed Detention Officer (ADO): A licensed county jailer who is authorized to carry a firearm while carrying out some of their HCSO duties.

Deputy: A full-time regular employee who is qualified under Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) regulations for appointment as a peace officer and who works as a peace officer in their duties for HCSO. This designation excludes the elected Sheriff but includes all other qualified employees regardless of their ranks.

Firearm: Any device designed, made, or adapted to expel a projectile through a barrel by using the energy generated by an explosion or burning substance or any device readily convertible to that use.

Firearms Qualification (Qualification): The formal process by which an HCSO employee demonstrates their proficiency with a certain firearm. Upon successful completion of firearms qualification with a certain firearm, an employee is said to “qualify” with that firearm.

Firearms Training Unit (FTU): The internal HCSO unit responsible for administering training programs and overseeing employee qualifications related to firearms.

Machine Gun: Any firearm that is capable of shooting more than two shots automatically, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

Patrol Rifle: Any magazine-fed repeating rifle with iron or open sights or with a frame mounted optical enhancing sighting device, 5 power or less, that is intended to be carried by an individual officer in an official capacity.

Precision Rifle: Any rifle with a frame-mounted optical sighting device greater than five power that is intended to be carried by an individual officer in an official capacity.

Remedial Duty Handgun Shooter: An employee who fails the annual handgun qualification course.

Reserve Deputy: A volunteer deputy serving within the Reserve Command. With the limited exception of HCSO Civil Service Rules, reserve deputies are governed by the same laws, policies, and regulations that apply to full-time, regular deputies.

Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR): A rifle having one or more barrels less than 16 inches in length, and any weapon made from a rifle — whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise — if such weapon, as modified, has an overall length of less than 26 inches.

Short-Barreled Shotgun (SBS): A shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun — whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise — if such a weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches.

Suppressor: Any device designed, made, or adapted to muffle the report of a firearm. Under federal law, suppressors are referred to as “silencers” or “mufflers.”

III. Policy

It is HCSO’s policy that all HCSO employees who carry firearms in their duties must demonstrate proficiency in any firearm before they are authorized to carry that firearm and that, once they are authorized to carry a certain firearm, they must continue to demonstrate proficiency in that firearm on a regular basis.

IV. Procedure

In accordance with Policy 702 — Approved Firearms and Employee Requirements, every deputy, reserve deputy, and ADO shall qualify with a firearm before they are authorized to carry it as part of their assigned duties. Once authorized to carry an approved firearm as part of their assigned duties, an employee must continue to regularly qualify with that firearm as described in this policy.

Every deputy, reserve deputy, and ADO shall have at least one approved handgun that they maintain proficiency with as a condition of employment.

  1. Location and Administration

    All qualification sessions shall be conducted and monitored by TCOLE-certified firearms instructors with the FTU at the HCSO Academy range or another location designated by the Academy Director or their designee.

  2. Firearm Qualification Schedule
    1. General Provisions
      1. Employees authorized to carry a patrol rifle must qualify with that patrol rifle on at least a semi-annual basis — that is, at least twice per year.
      2. Employees authorized to carry any other firearm must qualify with that firearm on at least an annual basis — that is, once per year.
    2. Exceptions
      1. Employees previously authorized to carry firearms in their HCSO duties but who are not currently doing so because they are on transitional duty or worker’s compensation are not required to qualify until they return to full duty unless as required for compliance with Title 37, section 218.9 of the Texas Administrative Code.
      2. Employees on Worker’s Compensation shall qualify prior to returning to full duty if their absence from full duty qualifies as an extended absence under Policy 215 — Return to Duty after Extended Absence.
      3. Any employee who has been placed on modified duty for an illness or condition that may cause them to be unable to demonstrate firearms proficiency per this policy may be required by their bureau commander to demonstrate proficiency prior to their return to regular duty.
      4. An employee who qualifies with an approved handgun prior to the FTU’s annually scheduled handgun qualification course is considered to be qualified with that particular weapon for that calendar year and is therefore exempt from the otherwise-mandatory attendance at the scheduled session.
    3. Failure to Attend a Scheduled Qualification Session
      1. The FTU shall notify the bureau commander of any employee who fails to attend a scheduled qualification session. Excused absences shall be made up by attendance at the make-up qualification session.
      2. Any deputy, reserve deputy, or ADO who fails to qualify with a handgun in a 12-month period may be in violation of TCOLE rules and may be subject to a suspension or revocation of their TCOLE license, resulting in an inability to perform their assigned duties at HCSO. This may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

        Note: An employee who reasonably believes that a hardship may cause them to be unable to qualify in compliance with this rule shall inform their chain of command as soon as possible.

  3. FTU
    1. The FTU shall provide practical firearms training to enhance the marksmanship abilities of all HCSO employees authorized to carry firearms as part of their assigned duties. This training includes but is not limited to classroom lectures, dry-fire training, and live-fire training.
    2. A priority focus of the FTU shall be to train remedial duty handgun shooters.
    3. The FTU shall host directed practice sessions to provide opportunities for HCSO employees to maintain their marksmanship proficiency with handguns, shotguns, and patrol rifles.
    4. The FTU shall complete daily documentation for each employee who is required to attend remedial training.
  4. Minimum Score and Failure to Qualify
    1. The minimum score required to qualify in any given course of fire is 70 percent.
    2. An employee who leaves the range without qualifying with at least one approved handgun shall be subject to the following procedures based on their current position.
      1. Deputies and Reserve Deputies

        A deputy or reserve deputy who leaves the range without qualifying with at least one approved handgun shall be:

        1. Immediately relieved of duty by an HCSO supervisor authorized to carry out a relief of duty;
        2. Automatically placed in remedial status;
        3. Required to sign a written acknowledgment form stating that they shall not perform any law enforcement functions, carry a firearm in any law enforcement capacity, or work any law enforcement related extra employment; and
        4. Given written notice that they have one calendar week from the date of their failure to qualify to attend and successfully complete the remedial duty handgun training course conducted by the FTU.

          Note: The FTU shall immediately forward the employee’s completed written acknowledgment to the employee’s bureau commander.

      2. An ADO who leaves the range without qualifying with at least one approved handgun shall be:
        1. Immediately removed from the ADO program described in Policy 517 — Armed Detention Officer Program and
        2. Prohibited from reapplying to that program for one calendar year.
    3. Regardless of their current position, an employee who fails to qualify with a backup handgun, machine gun, rifle, or shotgun shall not be placed in remedial status. However, the employee shall be prohibited from carrying the relevant firearm — either on- or off-duty — until they qualify with it.
  5. Records
    1. The FTU shall maintain qualification records for all employees authorized to carry firearms as part of their assigned duties.
    2. Each employee shall complete a qualification record form setting forth the description, serial number, range score (pass or fail), and date of qualification for each firearm used for law enforcement purposes.
    3. In accordance with Policy 702 — Approved Firearms and Employee Requirements, an employee authorized to use an approved SBR, SBS, or suppressor shall file all relevant federal documentation and provide proof of that filing to the FTU. The FTU shall maintain those records once received.
  6. Inspections
    1. Prior to all attempts to qualify, a TCOLE-certified firearms instructor with the FTU shall inspect all relevant firearms to determine their condition and compliance with HCSO policy.
    2. Prior to all attempts to qualify with an SBR, SBS, or suppressor, an officer with the FTU shall inspect the relevant paperwork to ensure that the employee attempting to qualify has properly filed that paperwork.
    3. An officer with the FTU may prohibit the use of any firearm on the range for any reason.
      1. In the event that a FTU officer prohibits the use of a firearm in a qualification attempt, the FTU officer shall notify in writing the bureau commander of the employee attempting to qualify with the firearm. Such notification shall include a description of the firearm and pertinent information relating to it.
      2. The employee shall not carry the firearm until any deficiencies or discrepancies are corrected and the firearm has been re-inspected and approved by an officer with the FTU.
  7. Courses of Fire
    1. Revised Practical Handgun Qualification Course
      1. The revised practical handgun qualification course shall be developed and implemented by the FTU in compliance with TCOLE rules.
      2. Handgun qualification courses shall be regularly scheduled by the FTU, and an annual calendar of those regularly scheduled courses shall be published internally.
      3. Attendance at the handgun qualification course to which they are assigned on the annual calendar is mandatory for each employee who carries a handgun as part of their assigned duties.
      4. An employee shall be allowed no more than three attempts in one calendar day to successfully complete this course.
      5. HCSO shall provide ammunition for all three attempts.
    2. Shotgun Qualification Course
      1. The shotgun qualification course shall be developed and implemented by the FTU in compliance with TCOLE rules.
      2. Shotgun qualification shall be scheduled in conjunction with handgun qualification.
      3. An employee shall be allowed no more than three attempts in one calendar day to successfully complete this course.
      4. HCSO shall provide ammunition for all three attempts.
    3. Patrol Rifle and Precision Rifle Qualification Courses
      1. The patrol rifle and precision rifle qualification courses shall be developed and implemented by the FTU in compliance with TCOLE rules.
      2. Patrol rifle and precision rifle qualification shall be scheduled on an as-needed basis.
      3. HCSO shall provide ammunition for all authorized attempts to qualify with a patrol rifle or precision rifle.
      4. Patrol Rifle Qualification Course Procedures
        1. An employee enrolled in the patrol rifle course and qualifying for the first time with a patrol rifle shall be allowed to shoot the qualification course twice in an attempt to obtain a qualifying score.
        2. If a qualifying score is not obtained after the second attempt, the employee shall be dropped from the course and must enroll into and pass a subsequent patrol rifle course.
        3. An employee already authorized to carry a patrol rifle and attempting semi-annual qualification shall be allowed to shoot the qualification course twice in an attempt to obtain a qualifying score.
      5. The first attempt shall be made without re-zeroing the rifle from its condition upon arrival at the range facility.
      6. If the employee fails to shoot a qualifying score after the second attempt, they shall be assigned to a remedial class to be conducted by the FTU.
      7. At the completion of the remedial session, the employee shall be allowed two attempts to shoot a qualifying score.
      8. If the employee fails to shoot a qualifying score after the second attempt, their authorization to carry a patrol rifle shall be revoked, and they must enroll in a patrol rifle course.
        1. All equipment on the patrol rifle must be approved in accordance with Policy 702 — Approved Firearms and Employee Requirements at the time of qualification.
        2. Once an employee has qualified with a patrol rifle, no changes may be made that would affect its shooting accuracy or safety.
    4. Qualification Courses for Assignment-Specific Firearms and Equipment

      In accordance with Policy 702 — Approved Firearms and Employee Requirements, only employees in specific duty assignments are authorized to qualify with machine guns, precision rifles, SBRs, SBSs, and suppressors.

      1. Qualification courses for machine guns, precision rifles, SBRs, and SBSs shall be
        1. developed and implemented by the FTU in compliance with TCOLE rules and
        2. scheduled on an as-needed basis.
      2. HCSO shall provide ammunition for all authorized attempts to qualify with machine guns, precision rifles, SBRs, and SBSs.
      3. An employee shall qualify with an approved suppressor properly attached to an approved firearm before they are authorized to use a suppressor with that firearm.

        Note: Such authorization only applies to the use of that specific suppressor with that specific firearm. An employee who wishes to use multiple suppressors or attach a suppressor to multiple firearms shall qualify with each combination of firearm and suppressor before they are authorized to use it.

      4. The FTU shall ensure that only employees authorized to qualify with machine guns, precision rifles, SBRs, SBSs, and suppressors are allowed to attempt such qualifications.
  8. Remedial Duty Handgun Training Course
    1. Ammunition for the remedial duty handgun training course shall be provided by HCSO.
    2. The remedial duty handgun training course shall consist of a classroom phase followed by a range phase.
    3. During the remedial duty handgun training course, the FTU shall work with each employee as necessary to afford a reasonable opportunity to qualify.
    4. If an employee passes the qualification at any point during the remedial duty handgun training course, they shall report back to their assignment immediately and the FTU shall notify their division commander that the employee has qualified.
    5. If an employee fails to qualify at the conclusion of the remedial duty handgun training course, the following steps shall be taken:
      1. The FTU shall forward a detailed training report to the Training Division commander.
      2. The Training Division commander shall forward the detailed training report to the failing employee’s division commander.

        Note: If the failing employee is a division commander or higher rank, the Training Division commander shall forward the detailed training report to that employee’s immediate supervisor.

      3. The failing employee’s division commander or other authorized supervisor shall initiate the employee’s separation from employment through the chain of command and in accordance with Civil Service Commission regulations.

References

18 U.S. Code § 921
27 Tex. Admin. Code § 218.9
Tex. Penal Code §§ 46.01, 46.05
Policy 215 — Return to Duty after Extended Absence
Policy 517 — Armed Detention Officer Program
Policy 702 — Approved Firearms and Employee Requirements

Revision

This policy has been revised on the below listed dates:

July 22, 2026

Previous 704 – Compensation for Deputies
Categories
Table of Contents