RCC hosts advanced SWAT training

Special to The Pee Dee Post

Room clearing and shoot and move drills aren’t Richmond Community College’s (RCC) typical course fare, but last week those were a couple of the topics covered in an advanced Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) training last week offered by the College.

A Richmond Community College photo

A Richmond Community College photo

Officers from the Hamlet, Laurinburg, Rockingham and Southern Pines Police Department SWAT teams and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Response Team (SRT) spent four days learning new tactics, team work and skills with Alvin A. Boone of Specialized Realistic Training. After an initial classroom session on Tuesday, the officers cleared rooms at the former Glenwood Rest Home in Rockingham and at Oak Grove Technologies in Hoffman and shot at the Hamlet Police Department range.

“This training is invaluable to our officers,” said Rockingham Police Chief Billy Kelly. “It’s really the only way they can stay up-to-date on the most current SWAT tactics.

You guys have got to get used to rolling hard!

A.A. Boone is one of the most sought after police tactical trainers in the country. His demand is not due to his soft touch with his students.

“You guys have got to get used to rolling hard!” Boone bellowed at a group of tactical-shield wielding “bunker men” at Hamlet Police Department Range Thursday afternoon, when temperatures reached nearly 90 degrees. Boone felt the officers took fractions of a second too long reloading their weapons between drills.

“This training is intense and demanding,” said Boone. “It is designed to train officers how to fight, how to stay in a fight and how to win a fight.

“These places where these tactics, skills and instincts are going to be used in the real world are not nice and pretty,” Boone continued. “You gotta want to come home when you get in these situations and go in these places. This training will help you do that.”

A Richmond Community College photo

A Richmond Community College photo

“My biggest takeaway from everything that we have been doing here this week is safety,” said Laurinburg Police Officer Sal Marcano. “The focus has been on doing the little things right and relying on your team members so that everyone can do their jobs safely.”

Working as a team

Central to the training components offered by Boone is teamwork. Each agency’s members worked either as a two-, three- or six-man unit for the drills that Boone ran them through over the four days.

“These types of tactics require precise movements that are coordinated with other members of your team,” said Laurinburg Police Officer Larry Bowman. “With this training, we are learning to move comfortably with our team.”

Beyond that, there is a benefit to training with officers from other jurisdictions, according to Detective Keith Mabe of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

“There could be situations in which we will have to call upon any of these other agencies to assist,” Mabe said. “Speaking a common language and being trained in the same tactics, the same way, is very beneficial and gives us all a tactical advantage in a situation where we have to work together.”

Kelly agreed.

“Our SWAT team training with other agencies both inside and out of the county gives our tactical officers the chance to work along side and become familiar with their officers and vice versa,” said Kelly. “It also gives them a chance to share knowledge about different tactical solutions.”

Greater opportunities through RCC

In addition to gaining familiarity with other law enforcement agencies, conducting training through Richmond Community College has other advantages for officers.

“Training through RCC allows me to send more officers to one training event than if they had to travel to a training event out of the county,” said Kelly. “The College can also attract a broader range of expertise for our officers.”

“Having a partner like RCC to offer this training is invaluable,” said Mabe. “We do most of our training internally and bringing in someone like A. A. Boone allows us to up the quality of the training that is available to our officers.

“This type of training is what is going to keep our officers alive.”

 

Filed in: Latest Headlines

You might like:

M. Bishop sinks putt for Mixed Division playoff win M. Bishop sinks putt for Mixed Division playoff win
Von Hagel wins drawing for Pixel Von Hagel wins drawing for Pixel
Application period open for club sponsorship Application period open for club sponsorship
S. Farris wins Player of the Year S. Farris wins Player of the Year
© 2024 AlleganyPlayground.com. All rights reserved. XHTML / CSS Valid.