Jim Cirillo served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Jim went on to join the New York City Police Department where he was a police officer from 1954 to 1976. While with the NYPD Jim spent five years (1968-1973) on the controversial "Stakeout Unit" (SOU). Jim Cirillo survived seventeen armed encounters while serving on the SOU. After retiring from the NYPD, Jim became a firearms instructor for the US Customs Service and then for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).After retiring from law enforcement in 1991 Jim went on to a successful career as a private firearms instructor. In 1996 Jim wrote the book, “Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights”.Jim Cirillo died in a car crash in 2007 in Upper State New York.
“There is no better way to learn practical defensive shooting tactics and techniques than from an experienced instructor who has been there. Jim Cirillo has been there.” – Ray Chapman