POLICE officer nightmares...

[LAWCOP]

OVER all the years I have had 3 that reoccurred in no apparent order or for any special reason. Not after one of those close brushes with mortality or when the times are bad. They would just pop in.

1-in a shooting situation and as the bad guy pulls down on you you try to fire your revolver(always a revolver for some reason) and the cylinder starts to rotate but then the system slowly grinds to a halt alomst as if instant rust seized up the gun...

2- another shooting situation- go to pull the trigger and the revolver goes boom, but then, the bullet slow motions out of the barrel and like in a cartoon the bullet falls to the ground in a slow arc.

3- shooting situation and pull the trigger and the revolver literally disolves as if it were made of sand and just sort of is blown away grain by grain.

the ocassional one about getting shot but nothing to compare to the firearm failure ones.

Over LOTS of years in LE and after talking to LOTS of other cops they all had kind of similar dreams to deal with.....

the interesting thing was that when I went into drug work and doing a lot of undercover, they became more infrequent and then pretty much stopped all together.

anyone else want to join me on the "couch?"

[DesertRat]

Mine was similar to #1 except when it was time I couldn't pull the trigger. I was trying and trying but my finger wouldn't move. It went away after the first time I thought I was going to have to and the guy put down the machette at 21.1 feet or there abouts. After that there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that trigger finger would move. No more dreams.

[Friday]

Interesting that your firearm "fails" but you are doing your best in the situation.

Are you very proficient(expert) with your duty weapon? Do you feel comfortable with your weapon? How many times a month do you go to the range for a workout?

Also, the change to a revolver is significant. Every part and detail of a dream is important and if you think about those details and what they mean to you, I think you might find enlightenment.

Free associate with each element of the dream as a starter.

Dreams are fascinating. Keep us posted

[FLLawdog]

I've had the weapons malfunction ones as well as the "mute" ones, where I couldn't say anything no matter how much I tried.

[pups72]

Man great topic, I use to have these dreams where the trigger pull was so hard that was unreal. Then after being involved in two (2) shootings in which i survived both physically and mentally i have never had another one of those dreams. I think that it is the sub-conscious thing. That is why we must always be on point and stay tactical, it is always the ones you think nothing is going to happen and it goes to 100 mph real quick. Be proficient in your fitness, firearms, and mental conditioning, while we are eating pizza and subs, Pinto Beans(which i love dearly) we continue to fail our bodies and families. while JoeShyt the Ragman is getting three hots and a cot, pumping iron everyday waiting for the moment when he can get us, and some bleeding heart jury says that he had a terrible childhood. And when he goes to prison he is the man because he killed a COP. Folks instead of us worrying about officer safety, lets make the BADGUY start worrying about his safety when he encounters us. Well let me get off the box. Stay SAFE.

[Rider]

I have had similiar dreams of #2, particularly when I was in the army. I would have a target in my sights but the bullets would drop to the ground after I shot. I also kind of have ones like #1 where I am being attacked by an inmate and I am trying to yell for help. I can see another officer, who cannot see what is going on because their back is turned to me, and no matter how hard I yell I can only get a mumble out, its really weird.

[txinvestigator1]

Dreams dispatchers would not answer calls for backup, I kept calling, they kept answering routine calls.

I also had the couldn't pull the trigger and bullet drops out of the barrel dreams.

I have been shooting since age 12, revolvers then semi-autos. I am very profecient, even while moving, target moving, after exertion, etc. I love to shoot, but still the dreams.

I understand this is a VERY common dream among LE. Something about performance anxiety.

[Dinosaur]

At the risk of being psychoanalyzed by Friday, I'll admit to number 2.

It's a revolver with me, too. I still carry one, BTW. The bad guy usually misses. His gun works fine. Sometimes I get shot, but not too badly. I attack the guy and we fight. I wake up beating the pillow. My wife doesn't sleep too close.

Other than that, I feel pretty good.

[goodside]

Definitely #2, all the way. Also I dream that I am fighting a suspect and he is punching really fast and my arms are like lead. It seems that it is all that I can do in these dreams to just move...do anything. In life though I have been in several use of force situations and have never hesitated, I really don't understand why the dreams plague me. I learned some time ago that most cops have these type of dreams and it doesn't really bother me now.

[LAWCOP]

Originally posted by Friday:
Interesting that your firearm "fails" but you are doing your best in the situation.

"Are you very proficient(expert) with your duty weapon? Do you feel comfortable with your weapon? How many times a month do you go to the range for a workout?"

Started shooting at age 7. Started doing my reloading at 14, During my teens during the summers I would burn between 500-1000 rounds of .22 a WEEK, all summer long through the Nylon 66 or the Woodsman Colt. At 19 got into serious centerfire handguns.
First part of police career would shoot 500 rounds a WEEK, most of it going from the leather with my department issue model 19. Used to do tricks like go from snapped holster, draw and fire on 6 targets while on 3 second bob, always keeping rounds inside the 8 ring and tighter. Would dump 14 rounds out of Browning HiPower(ocassional backup ) in less then 3 seconds on 3 targets all inside 8 ring.
When I changed jobs and went to ghetto policing, my new department said we could carry any revolver we could qualify with. I burned 200 rounds a week shooting expert with my model 57 .41mag. then they said either auto or revolver. Tricked up Colt Gold Cup for the next many years where high master rating was earned.
eventually they went to S&W autos as issue but could still carry .45 and I finished out my uniform career with a them using a 4567.
Because of my speed was definitely considered a department "hot gun" held most of the speed drill records for dept, amd still did when I retired. Don't have any idea if I am still on the boards but I was advised I was a tough act to follow.
Personally I live in the middle of the woods and have for almost 30 years and have a range in my back yard. Pistol range with dueling tree, steel Porta Targets, a reactive pop and flop steel target.
have a covered bench area for rifle at 100 yards. If I use my neighbors adjoining property I get 300 yards on the range. In case you haven't guessed by now shooting is my hobby that takes up most of my free time.
Shot competition for years both PPC and IPSC as well as attending 2nd Chance for years.
lack of Firearms familiarity I don't think was part of the reason for the dreams

As for confidence in ability, I think I DIDN'T get into as many bad situations because of the confidence I had in my ability. Street animals can smell fear and indecision, No one ever wanted to push that envelope THAT far unless they had absolutely NOTHING to lose. That .45 caliber hole kept a lot of crooks "honest"

"Also, the change to a revolver is significant."

I always preferred the auto over the revolver, but I shot expert with everything I ever carried so I really don't see any significance to it other then it was ALWAYS a revolver in the dreams.

Every part and detail of a dream is important and if you think about those details and what they mean to you, I think you might find enlightenment.

as far as the bad guy, it was always just one, even though I spent years in the ghetto it was always a white guy and it was always interceeding in a crime of violence where we come face to face and the BG swings a gun in my direction. Never the same bad guy, not the same gun as far as I remember, just the flash recognition of a gun being turned in my direction.

Free associate with each element of the dream as a starter.

Dreams are fascinating. Keep us posted

[Mike Tx]

I used to dream I was being atacked by some nut, and I would shoot him six times with a 44 magnum and it would not even slow him down. Had that dream several times. Now I don't have those dreams anymore. Also had dreams where the gun wouldn't work.

[MadMax]

I once had a dream long befor I was in LE. I was walking west, down (desert rat will know where this is) Jones Blvd, by Smiths Food King, between Hi95 and Washington Ave. When this rust colored Ford Econoline van pulls up, 2 guys jump out, they attempt to rob me, I resist and get shot in my right side (kidney area). I immediatley woke up with a sharp pain in that same area. It freaked me out.

I have a had a number of dreams, where I have been fighting and my arms felt like led and when I threw punches it was in extreme slow motion.
MadMax

[Niteshift]

I'm with pups72......those stopped after being in my first shooting.

[Mike Tx]

I wonder what it all means? TO expand on my shooting dreams, before I stopped having them, my attacker changed into a woman that the 44 would stop, somewhat. I always woke up before anything else happened.

Had another dream several times where I was working on a ford, and the buzzer that goes off when the door is open and the key is in the ignition would not stop. So they wanted me to fix it. I looked under the dash and at the door switch to see what was wrong. Nothing was wrong. So I disconnect the buzzer thing under the dash, and it still keeps going off. I'm really getting frustrated in this dream, so I disconnect the battery and it still keeps going off! I finally wake up and it's the alarm clock going off! How wierd!

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: MikeTx ]

[SGT Dave]

pups-

I didn't know you were such a thinker, dude! Good point-lets make the BG think about HIS safety. I can forsee this used as a mindset/training tool. You da man!!!!!

I haven't been in a shooting, but I used to have the "trigger that wouldn't pull" and "BG that wouldn't stop" dreams ALL THE TIME, but they quit after I became older and more confident.

I have however, woke up twice in my life dreaming I was fighting a coked up BG and upon waking, be lying on top of the wife with a choke hold or the defensive tactic known (in NC ) as "the chicken wing."

Of course, I felt TERRIBLE, and had to do some MAJOR explaining, but it's okay now. Hasn't happened in several years.