The Police Department recently completed construction of a multi-purpose Active Resistance Laboratory, which is located behind the City Public Works facility off Ridge Road. Agency instructors, along with Public Works Department personnel, worked together to format and build the wooden structure, which will now serve as a live scenario-based training location for the department’s Officers throughout the year.
Earlier this year, instructors attended an intense State Active Resistance course, which helped spark the idea for the agency to build its own Laboratory where Officers can train close to home and develop their skill-sets in dealing with critical force incidents. Agency instructors will use the new structure to create different mock sites (residences, businesses, etc.) for Officers to respond to and address the given Active Resistance situation.
The department’s goal for the new initiative is to continue to hone Officer’s knowledge as it relates to the following:
1. Reasonable application for Active Resistance;
2. Situational de-escalation techniques through live scenarios;
3. Legal aspects and guidelines for the use of force when faced with Active Resistance;
4. Teach skill building / transition drills to personnel on use of force and non-deadly force;
5. Instruct Officers on the latest Supreme Court decisions as to “When is Force Reasonable.”
6. Get Officers out of the classroom and into realistic training drills and scenarios;
Chief of Police Mark J. Mitchell added, “We are excited to get this new and very important training course underway. I strongly believe the Active Resistance Laboratory will give our Officers the vital instruction, confidence, experience and knowledge needed when dealing with Active Resistance situations. Classroom instruction is important but live scenario-based training is key to building skill-sets in our personnel and the "know how" to help them as they make split second decisions that inherently come with many Active Resistance encounters. This multi-use structure was simple and very cost effective to build but is so very important to have in our back yard because of the many training benefits it will have for our Officers, organization and community we serve, engage with and protect each day.”
The department will begin using the facility for training in the coming months.
See pics below....
