by Michael A. Black

Another interesting person came into view as I turned a corner and was face-to-face with a mean-looking guy pointing a shotgun at me. The menacing individual (pictured here) was one of a series of targets being marketed in the United States by Belgium police officer Francis Dorao.

Monsieur Dorao came up with the idea of using his well drawn figures on the police shooting range. He has several overlays that can transform a bad guy holding a pistol into the same mean looking dude holding a bottle, an ice cream cone or a wrench which are ideal for "shoot-don't shoot" training programs.

The targets, which are drawn by a European comic book artist, Malik, give a more three-dimensional look than the flat photographic representations that most police departements use.

Francis DORAO has developed an unusual new shoot-don’t shoot target system using a variety of silhouette cartoon-style figures that can be modified by covering the guns the characters are holding with a variety of less threathening objects.