Qualifications for Eligibility:
You must meet the HR-218 requirements to participate in this course, be a retired member of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, and/or a current Santa Rosa County, Florida resident. P.O. Boxes will not be considered in place of a current address.
Please come to the Sheriff’s Office to fill out the necessary forms before attending the course. Items to bring with you are your driver’s license and retired law enforcement officer identification card.
How to register for an upcoming class:
Scroll down to the listed event dates at the bottom of this page, then choose a date you would like to attend HR-218.
This will take you to the registration page, from there you will need to complete the application in its entirety. If any portion of the application is left blank, the application cannot be accepted.
Registration will be opened 45 days prior to the date of the class, registration will close 14 days prior to the date of the class. These 2 weeks are needed to process and confirm all the paperwork required for each class so please make sure you are registered as soon as possible.
Upon completing the registration form, a Criminal History check will be conducted on each applicant. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office reserves the right to disqualify any applicant based on their prior Criminal History.
What to bring on the date of class:
You will need to supply your own serviceable handgun and 40 rounds of ammunition. Semi-automatic pistol shooters should have at least TWO magazines, three are preferred.
You must have a strong-side belt or paddle holster which safely and securely holds your handgun to your body.
Inside-the-pant (including AIWB), small-of-back, shoulder, ankle, or pocket holsters, and firearms with attached “belt clips” ARE NOT permitted.
Although we have eye and ear protection at the range, it is recommended that you bring your own. Electronic hearing protection is highly recommended but not required. Please do not wear open-toe shoes or clothing that will restrict free movement or get in the way of a weapon draw or re-holster.
FOR EVERYONE’S SAFETY
STRICT RANGE RULES AND PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE AND MUST BE FOLLOWED AT ALL TIMES.
There will be absolutely no handling of Firearms without being instructed to do so by a Range Instructor.
On the date of class:
Your handgun must be in a safe and operable condition. For safety reasons, any handgun may be denied use if the instructor deems it unsafe. If a revolver-type handgun is to be used, it must be double/single-action. NO “single action only” revolvers are permitted.
There will be a safety briefing before qualification starts, and it is requested that everyone have their firearm unloaded when reporting to the range. Magazines, speed loaders/strips may be loaded prior to arrival.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Beginning July 1, 2024, the Florida Department of Enforcement (FDLE) has updated the firearm qualification course for Law Enforcement officers in the State of Florida. This change also affects HR218 cardholders who qualify in the State of Florida. HR218 cardholders are required to obtain a passing score of 33 hits in the scoring area out of 38 rounds fired. Please remember that arms do not count on our SSO-99 targets. If you are unfamiliar with the SSO-99, this target can be viewed below.
The changes to the qualification course are as follows:
· A movement has been added to the course. The movement entails no more than one step in each movement, i.e., one step to the rear, one step left, and one step right. There is movement in every stage of fire. If mobility is a concern for you, please understand movement is required.
· There is now a stage of one-hand shooting for your dominant (strong) hand and your support (weak or off) hand. If you are unfamiliar with shooting with one hand or not comfortable with shooting with your support hand only, please practice. Qualification day is not the day to figure this out, as you will only get two attempts to pass the qualification.
· Time has been shortened on the stage of fire that requires a reload. In the past, it was 6 rounds, reload, and fire 6 more rounds with a time limit of 45 seconds. That time limit has now been reduced to 20 seconds. Time was also reduced at the last stage of fire at the 15-yard line. In the past, it was 6 rounds in 30 seconds, and it is now 6 rounds in 15 seconds.
· Revolvers are still allowed but strongly discouraged due to their limited round capacity and the condensed time limits for certain stages of fire. We highly recommend the use of semi-automatic pistols.
For information and scheduling issues for this course please contact:
Sgt. Joel Murphey
Office: 850-983-2147
Paula Way
Office: 850-983-1244