Right on target

Deepa Bharath

When it came to picking a career, Dave Kress hit the bull’s eye.

The 47-year-old, who runs the Costa Mesa Police Department’s

shooting range, doesn’t just help officers aim. He teaches them

something they value much more.

Kress teaches them to dig deep and survive in the real world where

they are forced into unforeseen situations and face grave dangers.

“Teaching is my focus,” Kress said. “Not guns.”

That doesn’t mean the range master doesn’t love his weapons. Kress

has been a marksman since he was a little boy. His parents were

archers and he picked up on it early. At 7, he was competing.

“I grew up in the Midwest,” he said. “So I was used to shooting

hunting rifles.”

After graduating from Michigan State University, Kress got into

the Los Angeles County sheriff’s police academy and patrolled

South-Central Los Angeles for five years.

“In those five years, I got the kind of experience people normally

get over a whole career,” he said. “There were several

officer-involved shootings, and I wanted to take that experience and

train officers who worked in areas where they did not get that kind

of experience.”

He became a training officer at the sheriff’s department and later

worked at Laser Village in Downtown Los Angeles where he trained

officers using simulations. He came to Costa Mesa six years ago.

“We went after Dave because of his obvious talent as an

instructor,” said Hugh Tate, training and recruitment manager for the

police department. “He is firm but fair. He’s very practical and sees

life as real as it is. He understands the importance of officer

safety and he pounds that into the guys.”

The more officers get trained, the better it is for them and for

the community, Kress said.

“It helps build confidence,” he said. “You can’t think, ‘This is

Sleepy Hollow and nothing’s going to happen here.’ Anything could

happen in Costa Mesa just as soon as it can happen anywhere. And our

guys are ready for it.”

Costa Mesa officers are required to go down to the range for a

shooting practice every other month. He or she would then have to

undergo at least 30 minutes of training.

“It’s important to go back to the basics once in a while,” Kress

said. “Because if you don’t reinforce the fundamentals of

marksmanship, your proficiency will tend to drop down.”

Kress also participates in training sessions every year using

paintball-type bullets called Simunition that don’t hurt “but sting

quite a bit,” he said. They usually reserve a vacant building for

eight-hour blocks.

“Simunition is good because officers don’t like getting hit in

exposed areas like hands or feet,” he said. “So, for instance, if an

officer is behind a barricade and his feet are sticking out and he

gets hit with this fake bullet, he’s going to remember not to do that

in a real situation.”

Recently, Kress asked new Chief John Hensley for patrol assault

rifles and got them.

“For officers, this is their tool box,” he said. “They pick the

tool they need for a particular job.”

What makes Kress a superior instructor is his ability “to see what

you’re doing wrong and tell you in a way that doesn’t embarrass you,”

said Det. Phil Hartman, who was in the middle of a routine practice

session on Thursday.

“He has helped me with the way I grip my gun and the direction in

which I pull the trigger,” he said. “He tells people about their

limitations. Everybody has their limitations, and it’s always good to

know what your limitations are. He really cares and takes that extra

time.”

Kress also teaches officers how to react under extenuating

circumstances, Hartman said.

“For instance, when you don’t hold the gun right, it could get

jammed,” he said. “You can’t panic under a situation like that. You

just have to learn how to clear it. You like to know that when you

have to do something like that, you have the ability to do it.”

That is exactly what Kress loves about his job, he said.

“The fact that I may have taught an officer the skill to survive

in a lethal situation -- that’s what gives me the most satisfaction.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.