Officer Jason Falconer received the Congressional Badge of Bravery for actions he took while off duty. Falconer was a part-time officer from nearby Avon, Minnesota when he stopped a mass stabbing in a St. Cloud, Minnesota mall in September of 2016 But Falconer’s more than just a heroic cop. He’s also a professional firearms trainer for the Minnesota carry permit. He’s made it his business to train others to be aware and ready to stop an attack with deadly force, if necessary. Yesterday, he received a piece of hardware for the actions he took in saving lives that day
At a ceremony on Thursday, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer presented Officer Jason Falconer with a Congressional Badge of Bravery, which honors exceptional acts of bravery from law enforcement.
Falconer, a firearms instructor and competitive shooter, was off-duty and shopping at Crossroads Center in St. Cloud in September 2016 when Dahir Adan, dressed in a security guard uniform, stabbed and injured 10 people at the mall. Falconer shot Adan after Adan lunged at him with a knife.
Jason Falconer started as a firearms training professional in 2003 when the Minnesota Personal Protection Act (the state’s shall-issue right to carry law) went into effect. He taught for 10 years before acquiring property and establishing his own shooting range in South Waite Park.
Falconer is a dedicated member of the gun culture. Accord to his bio, he’s still a part-timer with the Avon PD. It’s not unusual for police firearms instructors to maintain a part time position in the local police department, especially if the department is small.
The Avon Police Department is currently not a 24-hour department. We are staffed with 3 full-time officers and 5 part-time officers. If you receive the answering service, police staff may not be on-duty and may not be able to return your call immediately.
Having a proficient firearms trainer on staff part time offers significant advantages to both the department and the instructor. The instructor can maintain their LEOSA status while being able to carry anywhere in United States. The department can keep its officers qualified and conduct training with minimal additional expense. While Jason is a certified peace officer, there are many who are not, who are just as proficient as Jason Falconer.
Congratulations, Officer Falconer. You did well.
©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.