The RDS (Red Dot Sight) Handgun for Law Enforcement program from Victory First was the first RDS course to be approved and selected by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions to be taught at their firearms training facility.
The Owner of Victory First, Matt Jacques is a retired Law Enforcement Officer from Virginia. Since his retirement, he has had over 15 years of RDS experience in firearms development and instruction specifically focused on the specialty of RDS handguns and Law Enforcement. As the Senior Manager of Assault Weapons employed by FN America, he was part of the development team for the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) program which was eventually offered on the commercial market as the FNP45 Tactical. That was the first handgun with RDS mounting capabilities to be offered on the market from a manufacturer. He has conducted RDS transition programs for several Federal and major Law Enforcement agency teams and Firearms Training Units in the last decade since starting Victory First.
In 2019, Matt was contracted by VirTra, the advanced Law Enforcement firearms simulator company to develop and assist in launching the first simulator based RDS Transition program. Launched at Shot Show 2022, that program was the first of its kind and now allows VirTra customers to train in the simulators on RDS based training and sustainment programs.
“It is an honor to have been chosen to help get the Officers from the state of Maryland RDS implement their handgun training.” said Matt Jacques of Victory First. “This program was developed to help them make educated decisions on how to choose the gear that meets their requirements, but how to write the requirement, then conduct proper testing and procurement of that gear, then how to employ it correctly to keep themselves safe and protect their citizens with better equipment. The speed at which the RDS Handgun has been growing in acceptance within the Law Enforcement community is moving faster than anything I have witnessed in nearly 30 years of being a cop or involved with the training of this profession.”
Jamie Green, Rangemaster for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions contacted Victory First about their program. “I was hearing from police agencies throughout the state and felt like there was quite a bit of interest in red dot sights for duty weapons. That being said, I also knew there would be a need for both regulation and different training protocols for their use. That’s when a work group was formed to research the sights and recommend changes to the existing Code of Maryland Regulations.”
The first class will be in July at the Maryland State Training Facility in Sykesville, Maryland and agencies can register for any of the classes on the Victory First website www.Victory-First.com.
If your department or agency would like to learn more about the RDS programs or other LE specific courses offered by Victory First, please contact Matt Jacques directly via email: Matt@Victory-First.com