Steven, I respectfully disagree about standards and your preception thereof! I have shot/competed with individuals from many different branches of LE and find that many (more than I would have believed) leave because they don't want to be put to shame in competition! This tells me they wouldn't fare well or haven't, in the real world either whereas those who stay have done/do well in real world situations "under the gun". Those that stay came in as top notch LEO's, gun handelers and shots and get better. There is no need for them to be there but they stay because they see things that help them every day. I have watched this trend for over 25 years. Some, as TO, even take USPSA/IDPA back and use it as part of training for their officers! I have watched them train and some of the things they do are too dangerous for words and more dangerous than USPSA/IDPA COF have ever been and I see a lot of what is done in USPSA/IDPA used in this training. I beleive that when the shoe drops their training takes over and they go home at the end of the day! This is not to say that USPSA/IDPA makes everyone, myself included, a prime candidate for the FBI Hostage Rescue Unit or any LEO agency for that matter, but I do feel confident I can walk into the local "Stop & Rob", walk out, and enjoy the rest of the day when I get home.
Richard