Officials Talk Training for Crisis Situations

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– Following the shooting that killed a trooper in Louisiana and other incidents around the country, officials here in the Midlands are speaking out about training law enforcement to handle crisis situations “An officer never knows what he’s getting into,” says Instructor Kevin Smith. This is a point instructor Kevin Smith tries to impress upon his students at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy each and every day. According to Smith,”It can go very bad very quickly.We’ve seen just recently in South Carolina several instances where officers were more or less ambushed and that tends to lead to why officers appear to the public as aggressive or very assertive.” Instances of violence towards law enforcement in this state and across the nation have instructors emphasizing officer safety, staying alert and not judging a book by its cover. But officers in training say the risk just comes with the territory. “It’s part of the job, training properly getting as much time, hands on training as you possibly can gives me the confidence I need to be able to go into this job,” says student Michelle Wright. Officials say that training simulations like the one going on right behind me are critical in preparing officers for real life scenarios. Smith says,”The recent incidents simply drive home the points the need for training exists, the need to take your career seriously, but certainly we can’t be deterred because there’s still a lot of good people that depend on us to do our jobs on a daily basis.” New members of law enforcement go through 12 weeks of training before they can get their badges. Officials say the program which includes shooting, driving and instruction on the law, is constantly evolving. “10 years ago it was very seldom that you heard about an officer being ambushed while they sat in their patrol cars so certainly, as the threat that we encounter continues to escalate we make steps to try and address those threats,” says Smith. Training that is essential to keep officers and the communities they serve safe. Smith says, “I don’t think officers have a difficult time in the field willingly making the sacrifice. we undertake this profession to make the world a better place.”