NEW BEDFORD New Bedford police are forming an official shooting team for the first time in nearly a century, the department said Friday, and 20 officers turned out for its first tryouts earlier in the week.
The department announced the team in a Facebook post late Friday morning, Nov. 13, under the heading "A first in nearly 100 years." The tryouts were held Monday, Nov. 9, and police said the 20 officers who "stepped forward to compete for a position on the team" mark "the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our department."
The department said the team is meant to build officers' skills as well as give them a chance to compete, describing the program's goal as "to promote firearms proficiency, encourage professional development, build camaraderie, and provide officers with an opportunity to represent the department in competitive shooting events."
Who helped
Police thanked the Hero Down Foundation and the Massachusetts Police Shooting Team "for their support and expertise in helping bring this initiative to life." A photo the department posted with the announcement shows a group gathered at an outdoor range, some of them in Hero Down jerseys.
The Hero Down Foundation describes itself on its website as a nonprofit "founded by veterans and law enforcement" that gives "rapid financial relief to families impacted by service-related injuries or loss." The foundation also runs a competition series that, in its own words, "uses practical shooting events to restore purpose, confidence, and community for veterans and first responders."
The Rod & Gun Club of New Bedford hosted the tryouts, police said. The club lists its home at 1407 N. Hixville Road in North Dartmouth on its website, along with action pistol, high power rifle and precision rimfire among its shooting sports.
What comes next
The department has not yet named the officers who made the team. "This is the start of something special for the NBPD," police wrote. "We look forward to introducing the officers selected for the team in an upcoming post." South Coast 360 will add the team members here when the department introduces them.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact about the team comes from the New Bedford Police Department's own Facebook post of Friday, Nov. 13, which went up at 11:40 a.m. and which we read in full that afternoon. The description of the Hero Down Foundation comes from the foundation's website, and the club's address and sports come from the Rod & Gun Club of New Bedford's website, both read Nov. 13. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: the post went up on a Friday, so its "Monday" is Nov. 9. The photo is the department's own, from the post. Not heard: because this story reports the department's own announcement, South Coast 360 sent no questions for it.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (3)
- New Bedford Police Department, Facebook post "A first in nearly 100 years: NBPD launches new shooting program" (Fri. Nov. 13, 2026, 11:40 a.m.)The team, the first in nearly a century; the Monday tryouts and the 20 officers; the program's goals; thanks to the Hero Down Foundation, the Massachusetts Police Shooting Team and the Rod & Gun Club of New Bedford; the team members to be introduced in a later post; the photo. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
- Hero Down Foundation, home pageThe foundation's own description of its mission and its competition series. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
- Rod & Gun Club of New Bedford, home pageThe club's address in North Dartmouth and its listed shooting sports. Read Nov. 13, 2026.