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SAN DIEGO DEPUTY SHERIFF

Bill McMillan setting his concentration in preparation to fire his .308 Remington in the Counter-Sniper Rifle Match. McMillan emerged from the SWAT competition as the top overall shooter.

Police display fire power

VANDENBERG A.F.B. - The browing strength of police fire power was demostrated Saturday and Sunday in the first Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team shooting competition ever held.

Eight teams of four men each competed at short range putting 350 rounds of ammunition into human silhouette targets with handguns, semi-automatic countersniper and assult rifles and shotguns.

Huntington Beach police department won the team trophy, with Ventura second. The Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team, subject of much publicity since the incident last year involving the Symbionese Liberation Army group, did not compete.

Several reasons were given for the inablility of the L.A. team to appear, including fear of bad publicity and the fact it would take team members and their fire power out of the country area for two days.

There was no pre-publicity on the event, which was not open to public spectators although some local gunsmiths, police officiers and the press wer invited to the two days of shooting.

The Santa Baraba County Deputy Sheriffs' Association sponsored the event, held on the Vandenberg A.F.B. security police firing range.

Purpose of the contest was to test both the men's ability to handle their weapons in a stressful competitive event, and also to judege the variety of weapons used, according to Roger Bleile, Santa Maria, executive officer of sponsoring group.

He said the men were given only a limited amount of time in which to shoot, which simulated actual situations that could develop in the field.

As an example, during the shotgun competition, the men had only 15 seconds to fire five slug rounds into the target at 25 and 50 yards. At 75 yards, they had 30 seconds to blast five rounds.

The furthest targets were 100 yards away. Handguns were hot at silhouettes as close as 15 feet.

During the noon break Sunday, a specialist from American International Corporation, Salt Lake City, was on hand to demostrate two new police and military weapons, a 22 calibre automatic rifle that shoots up to 20 rounds per second, and an extremely accurate laser-beam sight that can send a beam up to two miles, night or day.

Police were able to shoot the lightweight automatic rifle, and test the laser on both the 22 calibre "machine gun" and an M-16 rifle.

Bliele indicated the S.W.A.T. competition had been organized by his group to provide a central location in the state, in response to the fact there is now widespread possession of special weapons by law enforcement agencies and the need that such weapons be properly deployed.

He indicated the sheriffs' association planned to make the contest an annual event.

Entry fees were paid by the associations of each of the competiting groups and the men entered the contest on their own time Bliele said.

Santa Barbara sheriff's department fielded a team, as did the Grover City police department, Las Vegas Metro police department, San Diego Sheriff's department, San Bernardino Sheriff's department, Santa Monica police department, and the two winners.

Overall individual winner was Bill McMillan of San Diego, who was first in pistol, countersniper rifle and assult rifle and second in shotgun.

Santa Maria Times, California, Monday, July 14, 1975, Page 1

qPhotograph

MARKING SCORES - Police officers enter the security police firing range at Vandenberg A.F.M. to mark their scores in the shotgun shooting contest during the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team shooting competition Saturday and Sunday, Sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff's Association. In this pase of the contest, representatives of eight teams had just fired five slug rounds.

Santa Maria Times, California, Monday, July 14, 1975, Page 1

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TWENTY-TWO AUTOMATIC - Mrs. Kathy Correll, Santa Maria, employed by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's office, is handed a .22 calibre automatic rifle for test firing by Charles W. Goff Jr., American International Corporation, Salt Lake City. The new light weight "machine gun" was demostrated Sunday during a break in the Special Wepons and Tactics (SWAT) team shooting competition sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff's Association and held at Vandenberg A.F.B.

Santa Maria Times, California, Monday, July 14, 1975, Page 1

SWAT Teams Compete At Vandenberg

by Roger Bleile
Santa Barbara S.O.
S.W.A.T. Teams Compete at Vandenberg

SANTA MARIA
On July 12, S.W.A.T. teams from California and Nevada arrived at Vandenberg A.F.B. near Santa Maria, California sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff's Association.

It was the first event of its kind in the U.S.A.

Each team consisted of four officers who were each required to fire four weapons over a course of fire. Executive Officer and innovater of the competition, Roger Bleile, devised the course of fire to encompass the four basis S.W.A.T. firearms: pistol, countersniper rifle, assault rifle and shotgun. The shooters comppeted simultaneously as individuals and team members in five categories. One category for each weapon plus a Grand Aggregate.

The Grand Aggregate team trophy went to the officers of the Huntington Beach Police Department. Team Captain Val Birkett with officers Pat Gildea, Chuck Poe and Dennis Martin took the trophy with a score of 5805x77 of a possible 7200 points.

Deputy Bill McMillan of the San Diego Sheriff's Department was the top overall individual with a score of 1662x48 of a possible 1800 points. McMillan received gold medals in the Grand Aggregate, Pistol, Countersniper Rifle and Assault Rifle categories as well as a presentation Model 29 Smith and Wesson revolver for his overall skill.

PORAC Newspaper, August 1975

Grand Aggregate (Individual)
Place Name Agency/Service Pistol Countersniper Rifle Assault Rifle Shotgun Total
Winner Bill McMillan San Diego Sheriff 567x21 268x9 565x16 262x2 1662x48
2nd Steve Franks Las Vegas M.P.D. - - 544x11 - 1555x28
3rd John Hoffman San Bernardino Sheriff - - - - 1528x29
Grand Aggregate (Team)
Place Agency/Service Pistol Countersniper Rifle Assault Rifle Shotgun Total
1st Huntington Beach Police - - 2088x20 - 5805x77
2nd Ventura Police 2190x68 821x12 2010x31 - 5771x104
3rd San Bernardino Sheriff 2188x70 - - - 5708x105

Pistol (Individual)
Place Name Agency/Service Score
Winner Bill McMillan San Diego Sheriff 567x21*
2nd Monroe Simpson Ventura Police 567x21*
3rd Cliff Cox Ventura Police 566x20
*Standing Determined by Tie Breaking Rule 12.5 (c)

Pistol (Team)
Place Agency/Service Score
1st Ventura Police 2190x68
2nd San Bernardino Sheriff 2188x70
3rd Santa Barbara Sheriff 2148x46

Countersniper Rifle (Individual)
Place Name Agency/Service Score
Winner Bill McMillan San Diego Sheriff 268x9
2nd John Campbell San Bernardino Sheriff 238x2
3rd Dave Heins Ventura Police 232x0

Countersniper Rifle (Team)
Place Agency/Service Score
1st Ventura Police 821x2
2nd San Barbara Sheriff 793x4
3rd San Diego Sheriff 780x11

Assault Rifle (Individual)
Rank Name Service Branch/Agency Score
Winner Bill McMillan San Diego Sheriff 565x16
2nd Steve Franks Las Vegas M. P. D. 544x11
3rd Val Birkett Huntington Beach Police 542x6

Assault Rifle (Team)
Plast Agency/Service Score
1st Huntington Beach Police 2088x20
2nd Las Vegas Metro Police 2064x23
3rd Ventura Police 2010x31

Shotgun (Individual)
Place Name Agency/Service Score
Winner Dan Olivier Santa Monica Police 270x0
2nd Joe Maes San Diego Sheriff 266x1
3rd Bill McMillan San Diego Sheriff 262x2

Shotgun (Team)
Place Agency/Service Score
1st San Diego Sheriff 970x4
2nd Las Vegas Metro Police 942x5
3rd Santa Monica Police 926x2


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