This document contains information that is proprietary to Applied Research Associates, Inc., First Responder Institute and On•Target Challenge, Inc. and may not be copied in whole or in part, nor divulged by the recipient or his/her employees or representatives, except as required to install, maintain or evaluate for the purchase of the program referred to or described herein. This information may not be used for any other purpose whatsoever, without the express written permission of ARA, FRI and OTC.

LEOPARD Program Defined

The L.E.O.P.A.R.D. Program – Law Enforcement Officer Performance And Reaction Drill – is an “essential skills” training program designed to support male and female law enforcement professionals through practical hands-on training and sustained improvements in job readiness, performance and survivability while performing the skills required for a successful foot pursuit, officer rescue and suspect retention.

The LEOPARD incorporates the state-of-the-art laser “bullet” and target system that is readily adaptable to law enforcement pistols and carbines. The basic LEOPARD course is comprised of the following essential training components: barrier surmount, culvert crawl, window entry, stair climb, carbine and handgun laser shooting scenarios, suspect handcuffing, and victim rescue/relocation.

The LEOPARD Program can be used as a training tool or a performance standard – with an acceptable baseline performance level established by the law enforcement organization using the program. The LEOPARD may also be customized to meet local, state and national requirements or specialized agency standards.

The LEOPARD Program was designed by a prominent team of human factors experts with over 60 combined years of environmental and occupational physiology research. Their collective experience in law enforcement includes such agencies as the FBI, USSS, DEA, USMS, Border Patrol, Customs Service as well as a host of local and state organizations. The LEOPARD Program successfully trains in the mastery of real-world law enforcement threats and challenges through essential skills development and practical hands on training.

The development of the LEOPARD started with a comprehensive job task analysis (JTA) of the specific activities associated with a foot pursuit, and other essential functions of policing. For example: investigation of shooting skills demonstrates that gunfights take place at distances not much greater than 6 feet - with disturbingly inaccurate results of between 12-14%.

The LEOPARD accurately reflects what may be encountered in a real-life pursuit and shooting scenario. The need for split second responses and the stress inoculation produced by both fatigue and adrenalin creates the realism of a foot pursuit in progress.


Instructor Training

The first step of the implementation includes the introduction of the LEOPARD Program to management and training personnel.

The LEOPARD Program will provide “Train the Trainer” sessions including both didactic as well as hands on instruction. Live demonstrations, video-playbacks with diagnostic feedback, as well as formal lesson plans on introducing the LEOPARD into the recruit training program are all part of the deliverables. Competency is evaluated on the basis of the instructor candidate’s performance on the course and through a written exam.

The objective of the Train the Trainer program is to educate each law enforcement agency to be fully capable of properly utilizing the LEOPARD Program to train its employees in the essential skills of law enforcement up to the national standards that FRI has established.


Officer Training

The LEOPARD was developed with three objectives: train, measure, and improve.

Officers are instructed on how to tactically manage a foot pursuit and increase their probability of suspect apprehension.

Gender neutral, navigation of the LEOPARD course requires a basic level of physical fitness. Hand-eye coordination and gross and fine motor control are also put to the test. It requires officers to think ahead and plan accordingly for the use of mandated equipment such as flashlights, handcuffs and fire arms.

LEOPARD Equipment

Each officer supplies his or her own BDU trousers and footwear. Officers may use their own duty belt, gloves, knee pads and elbow pads.

The gun belt is accessorized with: sidearm holster, ammo pouch, flashlight in holster, and oversized handcuffs in holster. Configuration may be arranged at an officer’s discretion. Equipment must be retained throughout the running of the course. Dropped items must be retrieved before moving to the next station. Failure to finish with all gear in tact results in disqualification.

The LEOPARD Course


Obstacles are oriented along an axis that requires agility– the ability to change directions quickly. Arrows on the ground show the direction of travel. Most officers will take a little more than two minutes to run through the LEOPARD Course.

The Start
Officer begins seated in the front of a patrol vehicle with seat belt on. A siren and strobe light signal the start.

The Wall
Officer must unfasten seat belt, exit the vehicle, approach the 6-foot wall located 20 feet away and climb and clear the wall.

Culvert Crawl
Officer draws flashlight and illuminates a photocell sensor while passing through a 6’ long culvert. The sensor will signal when it is engaged.

Window Egress
The window is approached and a protective mask is donned and seal proven. Before passing through the window, the officer has the opportunity to take a bonus shot which can result in a 10 second credit against the total course time.

Stairs
Officers negotiate a setof stairs and must contact every step. Failure to do so results in a 2 second penalty per infraction.

Far End Culvert Crawl
At the far end of the course moving in the direction designated by the arrows, the officer crawls through the second culvert.

Far End Shooting Scenario
From a kneeling position behind a line, the officer engages three targets, hitting each twice. If each target is hit twice, the reactive targets will designate hits. For every miss, there will be a five second penalty. Upon completion of this station, the magazine must be dropped.

Handcuffing Station
The officer runs to the “suspect” mannequin, and pins and handcuffs the 115-lb dummy, ensuring the ratchet engages.

Hostage Rescue
The officer removes the protective mask and moves to the “hostage” mannequin. Using leg strength (not back), the officer lifts the 170-lb dummy by hugging the chest from behind and dragging the dummy a distance of 50’ so that its legs and seat are lifted off the ground. Note that the dummy cannot be carried; it must be dragged backwards.

Front Side Shooting Scenario
The officer must engage three more targets from a standing position. Like the first set of targets, each target will illuminate when each is struck twice. For every miss, there will be a five second penalty.

Wall and Long Gun Shot
Officer must return over the wall and engage a target placed ~100’ away with a long gun. Time stops when the target is hit.

LEOPARD Course

The Laser Bullet
Unique to the LEOPARD Program is the laser training system which adapts to most police service weapons. Each weapon is rendered safe by removing live rounds, placing a laser “bullet” in the chamber and an “inert” laser indicator and blocker in the barrel.

The laser system utilizes a reactive target that displays a blinking LED when it is struck by the laser beam the first time. When the target is struck the second time, the LED stays lit. 

An alternative and cost efficient secondary option to the reactive target system uses individual reflective targets, which are easy to position in virtually any environment and respond under all light conditions.

The benefits of the laser training system are numerous. Officers use their own weapons and have no projectiles. No personal protective equipment is required, as the laser bullet is eye-safe and no ear protection is needed. There is no brass to clean up, no weapons to clean, and one of the biggest cost savings long term - no ammunition cost.


LEOPARD Course Logistics
The footprint for the LEOPARD course is 120 feet long by 40 feet wide and can be accommodated both indoors and outdoors.

Depending on availability of support staff and equipment such as duty belts and weapons, 15 to 20 officers can be comfortably run through the LEOPARD course in one hour.


LEOPARD Applicability
As a program of instruction designed to support law enforcement professionals through practical hands-on training and sustained improvements in job readiness, performance and survivability, the LEOPARD is appropriate in the training of all law enforcement officers: male, female, veteran, and aspiring and new recruits.

The LEOPARD takes only a few minutes to run through the course, making it a very efficient and effective use of training time. The LEOPARD also has the ability to be customized to the various needs of specialized law enforcement agencies or related services.


Incentives and Validation
The LEOPARD is a program of instruction that is designed to train and support law enforcement professionals.

By offering recruits meaningful weekly milestones with marked requirements in the form of timed performance or successful completion for an event or task, the LEOPARD can function as a successful incentive-based program, which can be implemented to reward improvement.

Establishing an awards-based program for incumbent officers creates and stimulates improved and repeated performance. Excellence should be recognized; to support this initiative, we have designed the LEOPARD Club with premiums such as customized tee shirts, caps, pins and certificates for regional programs. As a member of the LEOPARD Club, we also offer opportunities to match performance to a national scale.

Any department wishing to use the LEOPARD for standards with employment implications will find it advisable and necessary to conduct a “transportability study” that will validate the application of the LEOPARD Program as a performance standard and physical ability assessment tool. With a significant expertise in applying job-related standards within the public safety community, Applied Research Associates, Inc., an affiliate of the LEOPARD Program, is thoroughly qualified to assist in the validation effort.

The LEOPARD Challenge
Each year, we take the LEOPARD Course on a National Challenge Tour. Approximately 12 Regional Competition venues across the USA and Canada comprise an intense, spirited and friendly competition that culminates in a televised National Championship.

Through regional representation and television opportunities, our LEOPARD Challenge competitions provide the ultimate platform for publicly showcasing the physical nature of policing and the importance of being prepared for duty.


Corporate Capabilities

First Responder Institute (FRI)
In a day and age where homeland security measures are more important than ever, the First Responder Institute (FRI) is dedicated to providing leadership and support through programs of instruction and education for First Responders. FRI’s programs focus on job readiness, performance and survivability as well as long-term health education goals including: nutrition, health, lifestyle and fitness.
 
Applied Research Associates (ARA)
Applied Research Associates, Inc. is a professional services organization that focuses primarily on job task analysis and conducting empirical research for physically demanding jobs. Founded in 1976, ARA has a list of clients that includes nearly every federal law enforcement agency as wells as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps.

On•Target Communications (OTC)
OTC is a full-service event management firm best known for its exciting competitive events in the public safety arena. The flagship property of OTC is the Firefighter Combat Challenge® (FCC) which as an international competition, culminates with a World Championship event. Additional OTC properties include: The LEOPARD Challenge, a job-based competition for law enforcement officers; The Best Ranger Challenge, a TV program documenting the Army's annual David E. Grange Best Ranger Competition; The National SWAT Challenge, a TV program that follows the annual competition to determine the nation's best SWAT team; and The Marine Corps Super Squad Challenge, a program that covers the annual Marine infantry squad competition.


Leopard Leadership

Paul O. Davis, Ph.D., FACSM

Dr. Paul Davis, an internationally recognized expert witness, is preeminent in his field of job standards development and occupational physiology. Dr. Davis has authored more than 200 manuscripts, manuals, technical reports and articles dealing with his research on the relationship between human physical performance factors and health. His Fitness Coordinator's Manual is the resource manual for a number of organizations, including the US Navy. He has been a regular presenter at annual meetings of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as well as an area reviewer for the Occupational Physiology Interest Section.

Dr. Davis received his doctoral degree from the University of Maryland College of Health and Human Performance where he placed major emphasis on the study of occupational fitness requirements and the quantification of work physiology. His doctoral dissertation, the first study to examine the physical performance requirements of fire fighting, was funded by the US Fire Administration, a part of FEMA. Dr. Davis is a former firefighter/paramedic, with fifteen years of experience as a firefighter, EMT/A Instructor and paramedic in Montgomery County, Maryland. His accomplishments include firefighter of the year and numerous awards and citations for his participation in the Maryland's EMS program.

Under contract to the US Forest Service he conducted the cross-validation study of the new Wildland Firefighter fitness test. For FEMA, he wrote the National Fire Academy's Program of Instruction for Fitness Coordinators. Dr. Davis has served as the project director for a number of programs and research projects, including the multi-year study funded by the US Navy Medical Research and Development Command, developing inventories of fitness tasks required of US Marines operating in various environmentally hostile combat environments. He also validated the current Marine Corps' Physical Fitness Test

Under contract to the US Army's Physical Fitness Academy at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, he produced the instruction program for the newly created Military Occupational Specialty: Physical Activity Specialist. In another study for the Naval Beach Group, Dr. Davis studied the performance degradation impact of CBR (chemical, biological and radiological) protective equipment on combat performance. For the Military Personnel Command (US Navy), he conducted training and certification programs for Command Fitness Coordinators at Naval bases around the world.

Dr. Davis has consulted for a number of organizations, including the DEA, US Secret Service, IACP and the FBI. Projects of note have included the development of job-related physical performance and medical standards for a number of law enforcement agencies. Dr. Davis has also conducted in-depth studies of the physical performance requirements for SWAT, K-9 and industrial security positions.

An internationally recognized authority on the subject of fitness standards and employment opportunity issues, Dr. Davis has participated in over 60 legal proceedings as an expert witness. He has appeared on behalf of organizations such as the US Department of Justice, OSHA, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the FBI, as well as many other state and local governments. He has also testified before the House Select Committee on Aging regarding performance-based health and fitness assessment. Dr. Davis was recently lauded by a federal judge as "Preeminent in the field."

John S. O'Connor, II, Ph.D.

Dr. O'Connor is an exercise physiologist by education and has over 20 years of experience in human factors research, performance training, and executive management. Following his retirement from the US Army he has been in senior executive positions in corporate America with a focus on improving corporate performance through programs that emphasize people first leadership, aggressive management, efficient administration and cost reduction.

Dr. O'Connor has made over 200 presentations around the world on topics ranging from leadership, performance training, sales and marketing methods and organizational development. As a former head of the America's delegation to the International Olympic Academy he has briefed the President of the United States and worked with a number of European countries on health and fitness issues. Dr. O'Connor is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a past Chairman of the Occupational Physiology Interest Group and a former member of ACSM's Ethics Committee. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Integrated Benefits Institute, as well as a host of advisory panels to business, government and non-profit organizations. He has published over 50 articles as well as several book chapters.

On the athletic side, over the past 30 years he has coached a variety of athletes from runners to basketball and football players to "Challenge" competitors. He emphasizes a psychobiologic model of training designed to prepare the athlete's mind and body for peak performance. He has also written extensively for several publications about the design of training programs and specific methods for improving performance applicable to both weekend athletes and professionals. He has participated in a variety of sports as both an athlete and coach and is a professional SCUBA and ski instructor. A strong believer in physical fitness, he has run over 15 marathons/triathlons and numerous road races.


Keith B. Barrett

The LEOPARD Program is managed by Trooper First Class Keith Barrett, a product of over ten years of experience in the US Army and eight years with the Maryland State Police. A majority of those ten years was spent in and around the Special Operations Command. In the US Army he was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion in Ft. Lewis, Washington where he was assigned to a weapons platoon. He served in numerous different job assignments including rifleman, grenadier, team leader and door gunner. His tour of duty with the Ranger Battalion culminated with the invasion of Panama in Operation Just Cause for that country's liberation.

Trooper Barrett was later transferred to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. There he served in several units including the Pathfinder detachment, The Air Assault School and Combat Line companies. He was deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm where he was assigned to an augmented unit with the responsibility of tracking and neutralizing SCUD launchers and providing advancing units with forward intelligence. While stationed at Ft. Campbell, he was able to pursue his Associate Degree in Corrections Management Austin Peay State University.

After his return from the first Gulf War, he was selected for Special Forces Command where he was then assigned to 7th Special Forces Group in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There he served in the capacity of an 18B Weapons Sergeant. Trooper Barrett was associated with numerous deployments to several theaters of operation including Somalia, Haiti, The Ivory Coast, Central and South America and is a survivor of the ambush that occurred on October 3, 1993 in Mogadishu. He was a member of one of the A-teams responsible for security of the outer perimeter during that operation

His final duty station assignment was to the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (Official Escort to The President). There he ended his time in service and took advantage of the Troops to Cops program to become a Maryland State Trooper. He then pursued another Associate’s Degree in Administration of Justice. Most of his career was spent as a Patrol Trooper in one of the most violent counties on the eastern seaboard. There, he learned and honed his officer survival, criminal interdiction and patrol skills. He was a standout officer and led his Barrack, Region and sometimes the entire State in specific areas of enforcement, including the interdiction and arrests of drunk and drugged drivers and arrests of drug trafficker's resulting in the seizures of currency, vehicles, guns and large quantities of Controlled Dangerous Substances. The quality and quantity of Trooper Barrett’s work is reflected in the award of "Barrack Trooper of the Year" five years running, a feat never before accomplished

Trooper Barrett's interests and dedication to physical fitness have led him to the arena of competitive power lifting. He currently holds numerous world records in the bench press and push/pull lifting for the World Police and Fire Games and the South Eastern Police and Fire Games.