Papaster,
Nice to have someone the like of which would post on THR becoming an officer in Richardson. I am curious if you have to live in Richardson to be an officer here? I see your location is in Plano and I have wondered about the rule.
All of my dealings with Richardson PD officers have always made me happy to live here. I hope it is just as good to be working on the force.
Although I am not an expert on the question, I'll take a stab at it. Although Richardson citizens are all pretty good, with most of the city just middle class residential neightborhoods, some notable shootouts have happened in the last few years. The shootouts have always involved multiple suspects (the one I recall vividly had 4 with AK47s). I could be wrong, but it seems most shootings in Richardson start somewhere else with fleeing gunmen and our cops are called on to bring them down.
Although ideally officers would bring down criminals with a single shot, these shootouts generally last a while. So I would go for either more penetration of car doors and the like, if that is really an option, or I would go for more shots.
Last, wear your %*^)# vest! Many DFW cops don't wear them because either they got one that does not fit right or because of the heat. Its fool hearty because they provide substantial help in car crashes, which is the leading cause of death for Texas officers.
