ON TARGET … Deputy Jacob moves into a room where he was told an active shooter was. He used cover from the wall before making entry slowly to find the threat. (PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER, STAFF)
By: Jacob Kessler
The Williams County Sheriff’s Department held a live scenario-based training event on Thursday July 22nd. The event took place at the Superior Athletic Complex in Montpelier from Noon to 4pm.
Deputies entered the building after removing anything on their person that would be considered a real weapon.
They were then given an inert taser and a handgun that had been loaded with training rounds as well as a radio, safety glasses and handcuffs.
Due to safety reasons regarding the training rounds and to prevent the deputies from being distracted, the only ones allowed in the room for the scenarios were the deputy doing the training, the actors, and the observers such as Sheriff Tom Kochert.
Deputy Ken Jacob was the first one to go through the scenarios for the day. Sheriff Kochert explained to him that the scenarios would be anything that he could encounter in Williams County.
He also told him that he was not being evaluated, judged, or recorded. The whole purpose is to watch behaviors in order to catch something that may be unsafe before it happens in the real world.
Deputy Jacob proceeded to the room where the scenarios would be taking place. The scenarios he went through are as follows.
First, there was a call for a disturbance and an officer on scene was not responding. As he approached, he heard gun shots.
The next scenario was a call involving a gentleman that would not leave a bar in Alvordton and backup was 15 minutes away. The third scenario was for a paper service. An individual had a warrant and was seen sleeping on a bench at a park.
The last scenario was more of a surprise. Sheriff Kochert was explaining that the next scenario was going to be different when one of the actors ran out of the room and started yelling that a man had a gun.
Deputy Kochert went to the doorway taking cover before entering into the room slightly and taking shots at the actor who also tried to shoot back.
After all the scenarios were over, the deputy, other officers and Sheriff Kochert held a debriefing to talk about everything that had been seen.
“Yes, its training, but it’s a refresher. You get complacent sometimes and we need to be ready. We need to be a one stop shop with everything we do so we will be seeing more hands-on training,” Sheriff Kochert said.
The idea was to make it feel like the real thing. “It felt real. These are the best trainings. It’s the unknown where you get to critique yourself. In the end you always resort back to your training,” said Deputy Jacob.
After the debriefing took place, examples were given for pictures by Deputy Jacob and the actors for how each scenario took place.
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com
DIRECTION … Sheriff Kochert speaks with Deputy Jacob before he begins the scenarios. He explains that the taser is inert and, while the training rounds are not lethal, they will hurt.