New Swedish study examines red dot sights on police duty weapons
When a police officer is forced to act in a threatening situation, decisions are affected by stress, lighting conditions, distance and time. A new Swedish pilot study examines a factor that has so far received surprisingly little research attention: the impact of the sighting system on a duty weapon on accuracy, stress and the ability to perceive what is happening.
The study, conducted at Södertörn University, is one of the few Swedish attempts to systematically compare iron sights and red dot sights in exercises designed to reflect situations police officers may actually face. The study was carried out by Police Inspector and firearms instructor Martin Falk and Daniel Castillo, Associate Professor of Sociology at Södertörn University.
“Today, it is primarily SWAT teams and other specialist units that receive the most training and have access to this type of equipment. At the same time, it is often regular frontline officers who are first to find themselves in high-pressure situations – and who may therefore stand to benefit the most from the technology,” says Martin Falk.
The study tested 24 police students in five exercises: varying distances, low-light conditions, moving targets, high stress and rapid threat assessment. Differences in shooting performance were rarely statistically significant, but the group using red dot sights performed as well as, or marginally better than, the iron-sight group in several exercises, despite having received only three hours of training with the new sighting system.
More notable were the survey results: the red dot sight group consistently reported lower stress levels in the more complex exercises, with differences that were statistically significant in several cases. This is not a minor finding. A police officer who experiences a greater sense of control in a threatening situation is better positioned to make the right decisions.
For Aimpoint, which invented the red dot sight in the 1970s and today supplies law enforcement agencies and military forces around the world, the study is a welcome contribution.
“What makes this study particularly valuable is that it addresses relevant questions under realistic conditions. We know that red dot sights reduce the shooter’s cognitive load, which can be critical in high-stakes situations. At the same time, their impact on decision-making and situational awareness under stress needs to be explored further,” says Albert Rödfalk, Senior Product Manager RDS at Aimpoint.
One recurring conclusion in the study is that technology cannot be assessed in isolation from training. The participants using red dot sights had only three hours of training before the exercises began, and this was noticeable, especially in the early stages.
“Red dot sights are intuitive to use and help simplify the shooter’s task and target acquisition in high-pressure situations. At the same time, training is required to fully unlock their potential, which is why training has always been a central part of our work,” says Albert Rödfalk.
The short training period is also one of the points Martin Falk highlights for future research. For someone already accustomed to iron sights, the transition may require more than a brief introduction.
“The best approach is to introduce the technology during basic training, so that its use is established correctly from the start. If you have long experience with iron sights, there is a risk that you fall back into old patterns when it really matters.”
The study is a pilot study and the results should not be overinterpreted. The next step is a larger study with more participants and a longer training period. At the same time, an international trend is underway, with an increasing number of law enforcement agencies adopting red dot sights on duty weapons.
For Martin Falk, the conclusion is clear: the technology needs to be studied further, but it also needs to be understood in context.
“The aim is to understand what actually works in practice, and which factors affect police capability in real-world critical incidents.”