Dreams come true for local CVTC grads

From chippewa.com: “Dreams come true for local CVTC grads” – Eau Claire — Friday night was a dream come true for Lori Hruza of Chippewa Falls and Devyne Gass of Cornell. Their paths were longer and a bit more winding than many of their fellow Chippewa Valley Technical College graduates, but they all came to the same place together: walking across the stage to receive their diplomas.

Hruza, 42, and Gass, 45, received associate degrees in nursing. They are now well prepared to pass their exams and become registered nurses, opening up greater career opportunities than they have experienced before in their lives.

“Dreams do come true,” said Hruza. “I always wanted to do nursing, and after my third child I decided to go back to school.“

Hruza has been many places in her adult life, as her husband pursued a military career. She worked in child care and taught preschool, at one point in Hawaii. But she always dreamt of becoming a nurse.

“It’s interesting learning about the human body, and I always enjoyed helping people,” she said. It became easier to pursue her dream after her children were older, and she chose CVTC’s nursing program.

Now, ready to enter the nursing profession and after seven years living in Chippewa Falls, she’s excited about a new adventure. “We’re moving to Hawaii!” she said.

Gass has already been working as a licensed practical nurse at a nursing home in Ladysmith. She attended Northcentral Technical College in Wausau some years ago for that training. She’s been wanting to advance her career.

“I wanted to get into a school that’s closer,” she said. “But it took a while to get back into the program.“

Now she’s on the verge of being an RN. It won’t mean an immediate change of scenery for her, but Gass knows it will open up many more employment possibilities.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said.

That feeling was shared by hundreds of people at UW-Eau Claire’s Zorn Arena, which hosts the CVTC graduation each fall and spring.

CVTC honored 626 graduates in 47 different programs Friday night, with 375 graduates receiving associate degrees and 251 receiving technical diplomas. On Thursday night, CVTC honored 67 graduates at its River Falls campus, including 60 receiving associate degrees and seven receiving technical diplomas.

The most popular programs among this spring’s graduates were nursing, with 60 graduates, criminal justice/law enforcement with 54 graduates, and business management with 53.

Among the graduates was Randi Johnson of Eau Claire, in the dental hygienist program, who was chosen as the student speaker. She urged the graduates to get out of their comfort zones.

“Being willing to step out of our comfort zones led us here,” she said. “Now that we’ve gotten to this point in life, we should push ourselves to keep improving. We will feel uncomfortable in the future, whether it’s in an interview for our dream job or buying our first house. But the moments where we feel unsure usually turn out to be the ones that change our lives and help define who we are.“

Featured speaker Paul Gabriel, executive director of the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association, put a new twist on the notion of wishing graduates “good luck.“

“For years, I’ve heard graduates refer to themselves as ’lucky’ to have made it here,” he said. “But, what’s luck really got to do with it? … If you feel fortunate to be here, it’s not luck at all. It’s the success that you have created for yourself.“

 

CVTC instructor honored by Girl Scouts

From chippewa.com: “Girl Scouts honor CVTC instructor Judi Anibas” – EAU CLAIRE – When Judi Anibas overheard an inappropriate comment during one of the classes she teaches at Chippewa Valley Technical College’s (CVTC) Law Enforcement Academy, she thought it was time for a quick real-world exercise.

The 25-year veteran of the Eau Claire Police Department had all of the students privately write down the names of four women who they loved and respected and were important in their lives. Then she asked the (mostly male) class if they would ever make such a comment to or about one of those women.

“There was dead silence,” Anibas says. She went on to insist that no such comments would be heard again in that class, and she didn’t need to know who made it. The students, like the law enforcement officers they aspire to become, are to be held to the highest standards of integrity, and sensitivity to the members of the public they serve.

Upholding standards in such a way is one of the reasons the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes honored Anibas at its annual Women of Courage, Confidence and Character banquet Monday evening, April 1. The award honors area women who demonstrate a commitment to serving their communities and embody the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character.

Anyone who knows Judi Anibas will agree that she has those qualities, and a look at her career shows her commitment to serving the community.

Originally from Milwaukee, the UW-Platteville criminal justice program graduate took the first law enforcement job offered to her, with the city of Eau Claire. She was put on a walking beat in the Water Street area, an area with taverns frequented by the local college crowd.

“You see more because you’re on foot,” she recalls. There were enough problems to deal with, including motorcycle gangs and drugs, but she also got to know the local residents and business owners and learned to listen to their concerns.

“Doing that really assisted me later when I had an inside job in crime prevention,” Anibas says.

In the following years, Anibas took on just about every duty that comes the way of a law enforcement officer. She was a patrol officer for nine years, spent four years as a detective and then went back to patrol. She learned to deal with child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence cases and so much more, both as an officer responding to calls and as a detective investigating them.

That role of being the one catching the bad guys held much satisfaction for her, but so did the other duties she took on over the years. She became a hostage negotiator, firearms instructor, evidence technician, community policing specialist and eventually law enforcement instructor.

Anibas says she particularly liked working with community organizations and neighborhood watch groups. She came to appreciate the value of listening, and learned that what people often wanted from their police force was different from what police themselves thought of their duties.

“Wherever I worked I enjoyed myself,” she says. “But it was great to meet people who really enjoyed their community and had respect for the police.

“The cool thing is I can use all of that today when I teach community policing,” she added.

Anibas joined CVTC in 1992 as an instructor and became full time in 2006. She became Dean of the Law Enforcement and other areas, is still working as an instructor in the program, and as a safety instructor for the Business and Industry team.

She has as much enthusiasm for teaching as she does for law enforcement. “It’s inspirational, knowing that with the experience I’ve had I can give back to students.”

Anibas has been generous with her time outside of work as well. Anibas served as president of the board of directors for the Wisconsin Association of Women Police, Eau Claire Police Benevolent Association, Eau Claire Police Local 9, and Eau Claire Police Supervisors Local 39. She has been involved with Indianhead Special Olympics, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and is the current president of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Wisconsin board of directors.

 

Seminar to cover safety, lockdown in the workplace

From beloitdailynews.com: “Seminar to cover safety, lockdown in the workplace” – 

“If you don’t think it can happen where you work, think again.”

That’s what Sgt. Shena Kohler with the Rock County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management said about making a plan for a potentially deadly situation in light of recent mass shootings.

 

She is encouraging people from education, business, healthcare and just about any organization to attend a seminar on forging an emergency plan held by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with Blackhawk Technical College (BTC). Jesus Villahermosa, from Crisis Reality Training, will give a seminar titled “Staff, This is a Lockdown.”

This training seminar will focus on active threats of violence, mass shootings, lockdowns and emergency planning. It will be held at BTC’s central campus, 6004 S. CTH G, Janesville.

The sessions will be held April 29 and 30 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Seating is limited to 150 each day. There is an April 26 deadline to register.

Otherwise if people go to the website, www.crisisrealitytraining.com they can click on “Upcoming Seminars” and go to “Staff, This is a Lockdown” to see the listings for BTC.

The cost is $109 per person, but Kohler said it’s worth every dime. Calling Villahermosa an amazing and powerful presenter is an understatement, she said.

“You will walk out of that training ready to go and to hit the ground running,” she said.

The objectives of the workshop include: teaching employers and employees about what a lockdown plan is, demonstrating why every work place needs one, examining realistic considerations in developing the lockdown plans, empowering the employee with knowledge of the plan and providing those on scene with the necessary tools to increase their survival rate.

Kohler said it’s important not to forget the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., as well as the many mass shootings at schools, movie theaters and businesses.

For example, there have been six mass shootings in Wisconsin since 2004, with two of them being just last year.

In August of 2012, a gunman shot six people and injured four others at a Sikh temple south of Milwaukee before killing himself.

The Azana Spa shooting occurred in October of 2012 when a gunman accused of domestic violence went into his wife’s workplace in Brookfield, Wis., shooting three and injuring four before killing himself.

Kohler highly encourages teachers and school administrators to attend. Although the Sheriff’s Department will look over school district plans and bring up suggestions, it’s ultimately the school district’s responsibility for emergency preparedness. With many school districts reaching out to the Department, she said the seminar was brought to Rock County to help give the latest information on best preparing for an emergency situation.

Kohler also encourages those with malls, big box stores, places of worship and other organizations to consider attending as well. She said it’s important for school districts, businesses and other organizations to communicate and said the event is likely to generate much conversation on preparedness.

Being prepared starts with agreement about who would be called in a crisis situation. Kohler didn’t want to give too much away about the seminar, but said that some of the commonly held beliefs about preparing and lock downs may be challenged.

Jesus M. Villahermosa, Jr. has been a deputy sheriff with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department since 1981. He is currently a Sergeant for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department serving in the Patrol Division at the South Hill Precinct after serving as the Supervisor of the Court Security Division of the County/City Building for four years where he coordinated and supervised the security for high profile criminal and civil cases.

He also served 15 months as the Director of Campus Safety at Pacific Lutheran University in a contract partnership where he worked all security aspects related to staff and student safety at the University. He was the first certified Master Defensive Tactics Instructor for law enforcement personnel in the state of Washington and was also a Firearm’s Instructor. He has been on the Pierce County Sheriff’s S.W.A.T. Team since 1983 where he currently serves as the point man on the entry team.

MSTC students give back to community

From marshfieldnewsherald.com: “Column: MSTC students give back to community” – Winter is ending — I am sure of it! Well, almost sure. Despite the weather, Mid-State Technical College students have been actively engaged in our communities, demonstrating service learning at its finest. MSTC students and employees positively impact hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives each year through volunteerism and service learning.

Service learning is a method of instruction that combines classroom knowledge and skills with real-world experience through community service. Many MSTC students engage in service learning and charitable activities, demonstrating that a technical college education not only provides students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce, but also community spirit to be valuable contributors to central Wisconsin.

The number of MSTC community projects is too great to list them all, but I’d like to share a sample of the spirit of giving among our students.

Many MSTC programs arrange service learning to help meet specific community needs. For instance, the Early Childhood Education, or ECE, Club filled pillowcases with pajamas, toys, personal hygiene items and games for children who have been removed from their home due to possible neglect or abuse. Mid-State Student Nurses Association, or MSNA, sponsors an on-campus blood drive every semester.

Students also are quick to address tragic events and previously unforeseen needs. Corrections students sponsored a walk that raised $9,800 to assist a local family with their child’s medical expenses. The same group of students is raising money for the family of an Adams County deputy injured in the line of duty.

Student projects also increase awareness and educate. Students Environmentally United for a Sustainable Society, or SEUSS, a club made up of students from MSTC’s five renewable energy programs and the Urban Forestry program, regularly promote environmental sustainability through a variety of events and charitable giving. In one instance, the SEUSS club recently bought and prepared locally grown foods and served dinner to about 180 people at The Neighborhood Table in Wisconsin Rapids. MSTC law enforcement students mentor local high school students and members of the community through the police academies.

I am humbled and inspired by these outstanding and selfless acts of kindness. Generosity and service learning are truly a part of our culture at MSTC. The student club concept fosters self-improvement by providing opportunities to develop leadership qualities, social awareness, occupational understanding and civic consciousness. Development of these skills helps students discover new interests, make connections, and enhance opportunities for employment — all while positively impacting their future employers and the fabric of our communities.

NWTC looks to train students to identify human trafficking

From wbay.com: “NWTC looks to train students to identify human trafficking” – Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is exploring ways to help train students in fields like law enforcement how to be on the look out for the signs of human trafficking.

Becky McDonald is the co-founder of Women at Risk International, an organization that raises awareness about human trafficking.

“It is not a foreign problem, it is not an intercity problem, it is not an ethnicity problem, it’s a human condition problem,” explained McDonald.

Staff on Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s campus have been selling jewelry made by survivors through Women at Risk International and raised $6,000 which goes directly back to those survivors.

Those involved say they had no idea human trafficking hit so close to home.

“It’s been amazing. People who’ve seen the sale and have come up and told us stories of people they know. It’s just been amazing and alarming at the same time,” said NWTC regional manager, Sarah  Nelson.

The founder of Women at Risk International is meeting with NWTC staff and professors to find out how students going into things like human services and law enforcement can be better trained to look for the signs of human trafficking.

“How, as a lawyer or law enforcement, do you look at the person as a victim and not a criminal? How do you interview instead of interrogate?” asked McDonald.

Right now students don’t get that kind of specific training.

“When they see something that doesn’t make sense, they haven’t been empowered by the law to address it, they haven’t been empowered with resources and they don’t even know what they’re seeing,” explained McDonald.

NWTC hopes to organize a training program that could be used statewide.

Demand drives need for new dispatcher training course

From wbay.com: “Demand drives need for new dispatcher training course” – Brown County -Action 2 News has learned plans are underway for a new partnership with the Brown County Communications Center, local law enforcement, and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

They’re teaming up to create what they’re calling the area’s first dispatcher certification program.

It’s partly in response to a problem we first told you about back in October, after several dispatchers at the Brown County 911 Center walked off the job, fed up with scheduling issues, overtime, and stress.

At the time, the center was down six full-time dispatchers — about 10 percent of its staff.

The county brought in representatives from the police, fire, and sheriff’s departments to look at the problems and recommend solutions. Employees told them one of the biggest concerns is training.

Now the dispatch center and school are working to start a new training program.

Before Brown County dispatchers ever answer your 911 call or talk to police or fire crews on their own, they undergo three months of intense on-the-job training.

It’s stressful work, and some people are simply not cut out for it. Dispatchers have a national turnover rate of 18 percent a year.

“In our case, that would be anywhere from 10 to 12 people a year that we potentially could lose. And training 10 to 12 people a year for 13 weeks out of the year is an extensive amount of training,” says Brown County Communications Center Interim Director Cullen Peltier.

At the suggestion of law enforcement, NWTC realized a need for what it says would be the area’s first dispatcher certification program, and just a few weeks ago agreed to create it.

“Basically what we’re doing is just giving them very, very basic fundamental skills with regards to dispatching,” says John Flannery, NWTC Criminal Justice Instructor.

Flannery just became certified to teach this new course, a sort of basic training, so dispatchers don’t start a new job feeling blindfolded.

“When I was in law enforcement full time, I didn’t really understand until I went through the training myself the kind of stress that dispatchers have to put up with,” says Flannery.

They’re still working out all the details of the class, but the school hopes to start it as soon as early summer, with 25 to 30 students enrolled right away.

“Shortening up anything for us would be great because it’s time, it’s training effort, it’s dollars that we spend on the trainees while they’re doing the training program, so anything is a benefit to us,” says Peltier.

While the certification won’t be required, Peltier thinks it will make a big difference.

“It’s going to be a good program for the people that are coming through it,” he says.

Peltier says since September, the county has been slowly filling vacancies and has hired 14 new employees. He hopes to be at full staffing of 62 dispatchers in April.

 

Law enforcement recruiters come to FVTC

From nbc26.com: “Job fair focuses on valley trained police officers” – APPLETON – Police departments from across the state are in Appleton looking for the next generation of crime fighters.

Law enforcement recruiters say shrinking budgets are limiting the number of new officer positions. As a result, new recruits are being held to higher standards than in years past in what has become a very competitive job market.

Hundreds of students came to Fox Valley Technical College to speak one on one with police recruiters from dozens of agencies.

Steven Kincaid is in the midst of a career change, making the rounds at the job fair.

The 43 year old FVTC criminal justice has a background in computer forensics.

“I wanted to apply my knowledge in computers to fighting computer crime, internet crime, and all that goes along with that,” Kincaid said.

The college’s 10^th annual recruiting event features about 25 departments from across the state.

Departments are on the lookout for officers to help curb cyber crime.

“Having a background like that it’s as important as having a second language, if somebody can speak a second language we’re also looking for those kinds of skills, said Sgt. Dave Lund of the Appleton police department.

For future officers like Kincaid, these types of networking experiences with police agencies are invaluable.

Each police recruiter speaks with between 20 and 50 potential officers during the 4 hour job fair.

The college will soon offer a class specializing in cyber crime. It’s called “Financial Fraud Detection” will be offered for the first time this fall.

 

NTC receives donation to Emergency Village training project

From wifc.com: “NTC receives donation to Emergency Village training project” – Northcentral Technical College is getting a donation to install state-of-the-art law enforcement training equipment at the Merrill campus. A check presentation ceremony starts at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at Church Mutual Insurance.

NTC’s Emergency Village project will use the funding to provide moving target training equipment, including tactical targets and robots. Police Science and Emergency Medical Service students will face real-time, computer- simulated situations that all public safety workers must know how to handle in a safe and controlled environment.

Campus President Lori Weyers expects several thousand public safety personnel a year to gain practical, hands-on experience at the Merrill center. The Emergency Village project is expected to be fully operational for training by next spring.

FVTC breaks ground on training center

From fox11.com: “FVTC breaks ground on training center” – GREENVILLE – The beginning of a step forward Wednesday in the training of emergency responders.  Those involved in building a $34 million public safety training center for Fox Valley Technical College hope it will eventually improve the protection of area communities.

“This is gonna make us move forward with a public safety training center that is second to none,” said Fire Protection Department Chair Jeremy Hansen.

The facility is going up in Greenville on Outagamie County Airport land.  It’s part of a more than $60 million referendum the community approved last spring.

Hansen told FOX 11 some highlights the 80-acre site will include are a mock village, a water-rescue pond and driving courses.  He said it will provide training for police, firefighters and EMT’s all at once.

“If we respond to it in the real world, we should be training together as well,” said Hansen.

The school trains both new recruits and those already working in public safety.  The Grand Chute Police Department is one of the local agencies that works with Fox Valley Tech.

“This will put officers into an environment that is exactly as they will face on the street,” Chief Greg Peterson told FOX 11.

The airport’s director told us construction will not interrupt airport traffic.  In fact, he said, he hopes the center brings more tourism to the area.

“It gives us a state-of-the-art facility to draw visitors to the area to spend a few days in the hotels, to show, to go to restaurants,” said Martin Lenss

Those involved say the center will also make the area safer.

“My officers will perform better, we will perform better as an organization, but the level of services we provide will dramatically increase,” said Peterson.

But Hansen told us the citizens have earned a good return on the investment.

“If it wasn’t for the community’s support, we wouldn’t have this facility,” said Hansen.

Contractors expect to have the project complete in about two years.

Police officers train at WCTC for “active shooter” situations

 

From fox11nonline.com: “Officers train for scenarios after Sikh shooting” – PEWAUKEE – The Sikh Temple shooting is changing the way police officers train. Some are getting a “refresher course” in dealing with active shooters.

It’s a scenario no law enforcement officer can predict, but if or when it happens, quick action is all it takes to put down an active shooter.

At the Waukesha County Technical College, a dozen officers from agencies across southeast Wisconsin got a refresher course on how to handle the most dangerous situations.

“I can’t emphasize training, training, training. They come to us with various levels of experience and training. and it’s our job to elevate their training,” says Brian Dorow, dean of WCTC’s criminal justice program.

One situation involves a resisting suspect and how to apprehend and handcuff them.

“It’s what we call diminishing skill sets. if you don’t practice them, you may not be as sharp as when you have to do it,” says Dorow.

Another involves clearing a staircase where a suspect may be hiding.

“There’s a skill set as well as a technique to clearing a staircase. We call that metering,” says Dorow.

The most relevant skill is dealing with an ambush situation.

After the Sikh Temple shooting, instructors say it’s the most important training.

“What we’re putting the officers in is the most realistic situation so that their heart rate is elevated. They’re processing it like it could happen anywhere else. It makes them so much better when they’re out on the street,” says Dorow.

This training is part of a rotating 17-week training. By the end of it, instructors will have trained close to 3,000 officers throughout southeast Wisconsin.

 

CVTC grad is new Arcadia police chief

From weau.com: “Arcadia Police Department makes historic hire” – After graduating from UW-Stout and CVTC, 28-year-old Diana Anderson is taking on the role of new mother and police chief.

“This is something that I’ve strived to do in my career. I didn’t think it would happen this early in my career,” said Diana Anderson, Arcadia Police Chief.

The Independence native worked in the Arcadia Police Department for more than five years after working in Dunn County and she says she wants to help people.

“I’ve always wanted to give back to the community and help out the community. A lot of times within our job were seen as the people who hand out tickets,” said Anderson.

Diana says although she has a lot of paperwork to do in the office, she still gets the opportunity to drive police cars and help the community. She also gets to assist officers.

Mayor John Kimmel says the previous police chief served about 25 years in the department but decided to try new things.

“He’s got big shoes to fill but I think she is certainly up to the challenge. She’s energetic. She’s got some great ideas,” said Mayor John Kimmel.

Anderson says she’s not worried about being young as well as the first female chief.

She says she’s respected and hopes to help serve as a role model.

“I hope the younger youth within our community look up to me, e specially young girls and know that they’re able to do this job in the future if they like to,” said Anderson.

“The two roles she’s going to serve is obviously the function of the police chief but I think she’s going to be a great liaison to the city,” said Kimmel.

“I want people and citizens of the city of Arcadia to see us in a positive light and they understand whatever they need us for we’re here to help them,” said Anderson.

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One year later: WCTC facility provides high level of training

From Patch.com:  “One year later: WCTC facility provides high level of training” — PEWAUKEE — One year after it opened its doors, Waukesha County Technical College’s criminal justice training center in Pewaukee is getting strong reviews from area police officers.

The 20,000-square-foot facility, located at a former day care center, provides scenario-based training for police officers.

A recent evaluation of the program has ranged from comments such as “great facility” or “Can’t believe how high-tech it is.”

The Muskego Police trains officers there, and has also included the use of the facility to “train” citizens as part of its twice-yearly Citizens’ Academy.

“It has allowed us to the holistic scenario-based training,” said Brian Dorow, associate dean of the criminal justice program at the college. “We have received just an incredible response from the police officers that are training there. … It is the highest level of training where someone is actively learning when you are able to do the scenario based training. We actually try to replicate what an officer is going to encounter on the streets from start to finish.”

Before conducting exercises in which an officer may have to determine whether to use physical force against a suspect, the training program first does what it can to raise an officer’s heart rate and increase adrenaline before the officer responds to the calls. The trainers will present different variables during the calls.

“They are fatigued, they are breathing hard,” explained Dorow. “That is going a long way.”

About 3,000 officers from throughout southeastern Wisconsin have used the  center. Police officers need 24 hours of continuing education in law enforcement training in order to maintain their certificates.

Waukesha Police Capt. Ron Oremus said his department uses the facility for in-service for annual training updates for its officers. It also gets a lot of use during new officer training.

“It is very helpful to have a facility like that,” said Oremus, who is an instructor during the training.

Before the center was located on Morris Street, the police department used a ranch-style home near WCTC. The training center’s an improvement when it comes to scenario-based trainings.

“I can tell you that while (the ranch-style home) is nice, it just didn’t have the room to train like the new facility does,” Oremus said.

The training center at WCTC could be even more enhanced in the future. Dorow said he wants to add the element of sound into the scenarios. It is not uncommon for area police to be called to scenes that have couples arguing or children crying.

Emily trains with the best at FVTC — Training officers for danger

 

Fox 11 News VIDEO: Training officers for danger:  GRAND CHUTE – Have you ever wanted to see how an officer trains for danger?  FOX 11′s Emily Deem spent Wednesday morning at the Fox Valley Technical College to learn the ins-and-outs of their training.

The police training at Fox Valley Technical College includes: Shooting range simulation technology, a state-of-the-art driving pad, Pursuit Intervention Techniques and more.

 

First Hmong woman in Wisconsin earns law enforcement certification

From wqow.com: “First Hmong woman in Wisconsin earns law enforcement certification” – For one local student, the graduation march is not only significant because of the certification she’s earned but the barriers she is breaking.

Shoua Bauer, from Altoona, is the first Hmong female in Wisconsin to earn a law enforcement certification, and only the second in the entire country. Friday she received her certificate from Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Shoua Bauer, was presented with her law enforcement certification.  She is the first Hmong female in Wisconsin to go into the field.

CVTC Graduate, Shoua Bauer, says, “This is a really hands on, dirty, gritty job that we were taught from a young age this is mens work and then there’s girls work. And I think it’s one of those things where we’re still really new to the country and still changing into the American culture and I think that’s one of the reasons why we don’t see too many Hmong females in this type of profession.”

For a long time, Shoua kept her training a secret.

“I didn’t tell anybody until my dad passed away, it was actually the day before he passed away that I told him I was going into law enforcement” says Bauer.

In 2008 Shoua’s dad passed away suddenly from a heart attack, but she says she is happy she was able to tell him.

She says, “He was supportive, the only thing he wanted me to do was remember, who I was, where I came from, and don’t get a power trip.

“My dad’s final words to me were, leadership is not a position you have, it’s in the actions that you take.” These are the words Shoua shared with her classmates during their graduation ceremony. She was chosen by her peers to be their class leader throughout training.

“She’s a lot of things that were very important to the academy, through communication and leadership. She did a lot of mentoring with the students and helping other students and at the same time she’s trying to get herself through the academy. She’s stepping up and being a mentor and a leader to others” says, CVTC Law Enforcement Academy Director, Eric Anderson.

Shoua stands at 4-feet 10-inches, and as she prepares to enter the work force, she has concerns.

“I am not intimidating appearance wise by any means. I fear that I many not set the right impression to be a law enforcement officer, I do worry about that” says Bauer.

But what has Shoua excited about her career path is one of the reasons she pursued law enforcement in the first place ….. The chance to help other people in the Hmong culture.

“There’s the Hmong females out there that do need help and sometimes they’re not comfortable with speaking to those, to those guys, and so I think by me brining myself out there, I will  be saying, hey, it’s ok. You can talk to me, you can talk to anybody out there” says Bauer.

Shoua says she would like to stay in the area and has been applying for jobs.  Eventually, she would like to be a canine officer.

Teens learn about law enforcement careers

From greenbaypressgazette.com: “Teens, Green Bay police get chance to connect” – Dylan Mancoske’s close friend died in a drunken-driving crash earlier this year.

While coping with the tragedy, the 16-year-old Denmark High School student decided he wanted to one day become a patrol officer.

“After that incident, it really got me to thinking how I could help somehow,” he said of the death of Luke Watzka, also 16, who registered a 0.249 percent blood-alcohol content after the minivan he was driving overturned March 24 on Rosecrans Road in New Denmark.

“I don’t want that to happen to other teenagers,” Mancoske said.

He was one of 26 teens who recently took part in a weeklong series of activities as part of the Green Bay Police Department’s 12th annual teen police academy, which gives participants an insider’s look at several law enforcement careers to dispel myths and builds relationships with young people.

Previously, the program only accepted teens from Green Bay high schools, but this year partnered with several agencies to recruit teens interested in policing across Brown County.

“For high school kids who are thinking about going into a career in law enforcement, we’re trying to give them a little taste of what that would be like,” Green Bay police crime prevention officer Dave Schmitz said. “We want to make that connection with teens so they feel comfortable connecting to law enforcement.”

School resource officers informed many students about the academy, which required all participants be in good academic standing.

Students were treated to presentations from Green Bay SWAT team and K-9 officers, probation agents and others. Participants also completed an obstacle course and went to a gun range. This year’s program was bolstered by a $1,825 grant from the Crime Prevention Foundation of Brown County, which supports initiatives focused on teens and other at-risk groups.

“The academy works to open doors for them,” Schmitz added.

Law enforcement jobs

Nationwide, police and detective jobs are projected to grow by 7 percent from 2010 to 2020, which is slower than average for all jobs, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Agencies are increasingly looking for bilingual applicants and those with a bachelor’s degree or military experience.

Following those projections, more people are graduating with law enforcement degrees at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay.

The number of graduates with two-year law enforcement degrees increased from 62 in 2009 to 100 in 2011, a 61 percent jump. During that span, more graduates also completed a two-year degree program to work at jails or prisons, and the college’s 13-week law enforcement academy.

Chris Madson, public safety training manager at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, said a growing number of officers retiring statewide has opened up opportunities in law enforcement. Graduates learn about firearms, defensive tactics, traffic accident investigations and the law.

“The need is out there. Every day there is new technology and new challenges and you have to step in and address those right away before you fall behind,” he said.

Students who pass the law enforcement academy become certified to become an officer in the state. About half of those students say that they have wanted to be officers since childhood, Madson said.

A good fit?

Teenagers considering policing careers should have no criminal record. Even too many traffic violations can hurt an applicant’s chances of being hired, he said.

“The little things that they don’t think of how it will affect them five years down the line does affect them.”

Andy Lundin, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conservation warden, spoke to the teen academy and said some people do not know wardens have arresting powers.

“People may not understand that conservation wardens get involved in a lot more than hunting and fishing,” he said, noting cases that involve weapons, drugs or alcohol. “The goal is to give these kids a clear understanding of law enforcement and all the different areas and fields.”

Teens who participate in the program also received a tour of the maximum-security Green Bay Correctional Institution in Allouez, which included a walk through the prison cafeteria.

Kaitlin Nimmer, 17, who is going to be a senior at Green Bay Preble High School, said she expected the prison would be more raucous.

“I thought people would be shouting,” she said, but found there wasn’t much noise. Kaitlin, one of five girls in the program, said she was impressed by the K-9 presentation, which revealed how a dog could be trained to detect drugs.

“It’s really interesting to see how smart a dog can be,” she said. “The program gives you an actual idea of what law enforcement is compared to TV shows.”

Mancoske, one of the participants in Green Bay’s teen police academy, said he plans to study law enforcement in college after graduating high school.

“The academy just made me want to be a cop even more,” he said.

Crime scene investigation at WITC

From superiortelegram.com: “Crime scene investigation” – Dead bodies littered the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College-Superior campus Thursday.

One had been bludgeoned to death with a dumbbell. Found wrapped in a tarp and dumped near the parking lot as a stabbing victim. A drug deal gone bad led to the shooting death of one male. A daycare accident led to the death of a 4-year-old. A body hung from a ceiling in a classroom.

Teams of law enforcement officers gathered around each crime scene wearing blue booties and carrying clipboards. They took photographs, notes, then tagged and bagged available evidence.

Corpse-riddled scenarios were the final step in a weeklong training course on crime scene processing offered by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

“It’s just not an evidence tech class, per se,” said Nick Stahlke, forensic science training coordinator for the state. Along with teaching the basics of collecting, preserving and submitting evidence, the class teaches officers how to determine what could be evidence at scenes to develop a strategy for collecting it.

“It’s not just the evidence handling part of it. It’s also identification of, collection of, processing of and then ultimately submitting to the crime lab,” Stahlke said.

The first three days of the week offered presentations by members of the crime lab. The law enforcement officers learned about DNA, latent print development, tire tracks, firearms, tool marks, questionable documents, trace evidence, drug identification and toxicology.

“It’s all helpful,” said Brad Wyss, a deputy with the Marinette County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputy Jason Janecek with the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department said the course covered the gamut from refresher items to advanced training on how to better collect minute or trace evidence. And it has definitely enhanced their photography skills.

“Probably the biggest thing we’ve learned is just the limitations to what the lab can do and what they need from us in the field,” Janecek said.

“It’s an eye-opener,” Wyss said.

The intent of the training is two-fold, according to Kevin Jones, director of the crime lab bureau for the Department of Law Enforcement Services. It increases the quality of evidence sent to the state’s three crime labs, and it keeps the experts at the lab instead of in the field collecting evidence.

“That’s the intent of the whole course is to keep people at the lab working case work,” Stahlke said. Currently, crimes against persons have a 45-day turnaround time at the state crime lab, Jones said.

In prior years, the state provided this type of training only twice a year, once at Fort McCoy and once in the Milwaukee area. This year, four courses were added including the first ever in northern Wisconsin. Response to the regional training has been overwhelming.

“There were more applicants than we had spots,” Jones said. Twenty-seven law enforcement officers from agencies throughout the area, including Ashland, Douglas, Manitowoc, Marinette and Washburn counties as well as Chetek, Crandon, Bad River, Clear Lake and Iron River, attended the weeklong training.

Increasing training sessions statewide has led to a drop in the number of calls for crime lab techs to process scenes, Jones said. However, the most helpful part of the training has been the connections forged between DOJ staff and law enforcement. They now have someone they can call for advice.

“We’ve been getting less calls for service and more calls for consultations,” Jones said. “When you’re out at a crime scene at 12:30 at night it’s just nice to know you can call somebody and get some advice.”

The scenarios Thursday were tailored to fit the available rooms at WITC while pulling from actual scenes the crime lab has processed, Stahlke said. Each included a dead dummy.

“Each one of these scenarios has a body as part of the scene,” Stahlke said. “I figure if they can process a homicide scene, they’re going to be able to process anything else.”

The training streamlines the evidence collection process and strikes a balance between efficiencies at the lab and out in the field, Jones said, for a “better product all around.”

He said he hopes to expand on the training by offering future classes in more advanced fields like blood spatter analysis and photography.

The training is free to law enforcement officers and each department receives a crime scene kit at the end of the class. The cost to put on the course, paid by the justice department, is about $10,000.

MATC training brings Oak Creek programs together

From oakcreek.patch.com: “MATC training brings Oak Creek programs together” – A training exercise ongoing at Milwaukee Area Technical College provides a pretty good glimpse at what goes on at the Oak Creek campus.

The situation is this: a (fake) person fell out of a tree and had to be hospitalized, which put nursing students to work. After he got out, he got his hair done, got some cosmetic services, saw a dietician. All things taken care of by students in those particular fields.

On his way home, however, he got into a car accident, which was staged Thursday on the west end of the campus, 6665 S. Howell Ave.

Students training to become police officers, firefighters and paramedics responded. The crash required extrication of two mannequins, a car fire that needed extinguishing, CPR and a police investigation.

The person — played ably by a talking mannequin — will later have complications in the hospital and die, necessitating the work of students training in the funeral services field.

The exercise shows how the MATC programs work together and helps build collaboration among disciplines, officials said.

Thursday’s two-hour training also included two Oak Creek paramedics who lent their services and an ambulance.

Police officers learn first-hand combat medic skills in realistic tactical training

From onmilwaukee.com: “MPD officers learn first-hand combat medic skills in realistic tactical training” – 

When Milwaukee police find themselves in a bad situation – a really bad situation – there’s only one way out: and that’s to rely on their training to save victims and each other when a scene is too hot for traditional paramedics.

While police are regularly shouldered with the job of neutralizing a threat, the task of tending to the injured while an active shooter looms in the foreground is both extremely stressful and perilous.

But proper training can make such situations at least more familiar.

That’s where Tactical EMS Training, or TEMS, comes in. For the last several years, a handful of police officers and EMTs have led a week-long seminar at the Waukesha County Technical College to bring law enforcement up to speed on the latest modalities for applying triage care while the bullets are flying.

At the April course, 28 MPD officers and EMTs studied, in classrooms, the Tactical Emergency Casualty Care guidelines for civilian EMS and law enforcement. The development and implementation of this course is taken straight from the pages of the Department of Defense’s requirement to establish mission-specific combat casualty care.

On the final day of the class, they put what they’ve learned to the test in three ultra-realistic scenarios. I was fortunate enough to join them.

Scenario one: “cult house,” with active shooter and an unknown number of wounded

After grilling out for lunch, the tone of officers becomes much more serious as they go through a safety check to make sure their real guns have been replaced by “airsoft” pistols and rifles. The instructors, led by MPD Officer Chad Stiles, literally frisk each and every one of them.

“This training can mean life or death to officers,” says Stiles. “We have taken evidence based military medicine concepts and adapted them for the law enforcement setting to treat injuries that can kill an officer or other victim in 3-5 minutes. Even given the fact that we have one of the best EMS systems in the state, and access to a hospital in less then 10 minutes from anywhere in the city, if the officer can’t get to that definitive care due to an unsafe scene or prolonged extrication time, they will die.”

The group is split up into three teams, and they’re given the rules of engagement: “deadly” force is authorized, but officers must be careful not to hurt the “victims” or the “suspects.” The victims in this scenario are friends and family of the students. The suspects are fellow officers, and they will get shot with pellets.

At 12:10 p.m., the officers switch their police radios to channel one and pile into three vehicles. They have a general idea of what’s about transpire, but they don’t know details.

At 12:20 p.m. Stiles and I drive just off campus to a ranch house donated to the college for these kind of exercises. He puts up a “police training” sign in the driveway, then feigning breathlessness, he relays the situation to dispatch: a loud music complaint at a house with previous issues. Suddenly he yells, “Shots are fired! There’s a male suspect wearing some type of red hoodie!”

As the teams pour onto the scene, the “cult leader” steps outside and begins firing his gun. The officers leap out of their vehicles and begin to advance upon the house; first from behind trees then across the driveway, guns drawn.

Inside the house, it’s a scary scene, and for a moment, I forget that I can walk amongst the action – because, like the instructors, I’m wearing a yellow vest and safety goggles.

It feels like I’m a ghost, actually, taking photos and video with guns pointed in my face. I do my best to stay out of everyone’s way.

It’s dark, and loud music is blaring. A smoke machine makes the carnage hard to discern, but screaming and moaning victims lie strewn throughout. The police apprehend the suspects – the mock cult leader has already committed suicide – and bring the victims out for triage by 12:45 p.m.

During the debriefing, Stiles notes that this group performed the quickest entry of all his classes, and that’s important, because a person can bleed to death in 3-5 minutes. The officers discuss how hard it was to hear each other (in a typical scenario like this, they would’ve killed the music and turned on the lights, but were instructed not to for training purposes). A student also notes that one of the victims in triage had a gun, and they need to ensure they separate the victims from the suspects. The amateur radio volunteers who coordinated the radio response report that they are impressed with the smoothness of the operation.

For me, it all feels more surreal than terrifying. Little do I know how much more intense it is about to get.

Scenario two: officers down at the “fire grounds,” call for backup

This situation is more precarious. When we pull up to the fire tower at 1:20 p.m., sirens are already blaring as bleeding “officers” lie on the ground outside their squad cars. We advance upon the tower and quickly notice that we’re taking fire from the upper floors. I follow one team onto the second level, where we come upon an injured policeman. As the officers consider how to evacuate him, they realize they’re barricaded in.

The next few minutes are tense, and two officers aim their guns at the door, while another calls down for a rope. Eventually, one is tossed up, and two officers make an impromptu pulley to get him down.

The floor is cleared, and we head out of the room and up the stairs, when suddenly, a voice screams, “Bomb! Everybody get the f*ck out!”

A wave of officers come flying past me, and because I feel dumb just standing there, I join them in sprinting down the stairs and out the building to “safety.” During the debriefing, the sargeant explains that he found an improvised explosive device on the top floor. Obviously, the participants didn’t know this was coming, and it made for an interesting wrinkle in an already scary scene.

Scenario three: school shooting with active shooter and multiple victims

Ripped straight from the headlines, this is the most chilling scenario for me because it feels the most real. At 2:15 p.m., the dispatcher announces that a while male, dressed in black, standing at 5 feet, 8 inches, is shooting up a school.

The three teams assemble at an actual school across from campus and enter from the parking garage. They gather up in a diamond formation, hands on each others’ shoulders, so all angles are covered.

It seems like organized chaos as the teams split into two groups to storm the building. They go room to room, finding and treating victims, but also confronting potential armed suspects. What is unexpected is the breakdown in communications as the radios became overloaded in chatter.

“Communications took a header,” Sgt. Walter McCollough says during the recap, and he relied on verbal – and very loud – communication to take over. “Shut up now! Pay attention!” he screams, and people do.

As the police neutralize the threats, they then focus on the victims, first bringing them into a safe room for triage, then carrying them back to the parking garage to stabilize them until the Flight For Life helicopter arrives.

Even though it feels sloppy – and what disaster isn’t – Stiles says he is pleased with what he saw. “Medically, it was good, all three,” he says.

Adds Stiles, “The officers that took this course were able to treat, tactically extricate, triage and prepare for transport and turnover to EMS over 20 critically injured patients in three major mass casualty scenarios all in a hostile environments, and arrest or stop the treat of all the all bad guys in a matter of minutes.

“These officers, who represent many of the districts and units all over the city – many of which have never worked together before this week – were able come together and work as a team to save lives. The scenarios were designed to test the limits of the their past training as they implemented their new training they learned this week … They are heroes who really do risk their lives everyday to keep the citizens of Milwaukee safe.”

And for Officer Christopher Martin, who used personal days to attend this workshop, the seminar was helpful. An officer on the Major Incident Response team at District One since 2004, he says this kind of training saves lives, and it could even save his own.

“You always want to better yourself,” he says.

One of the trainers, Chris Cook, of the Walworth County Sherriff’s Office SWAT Team, would know. While serving in Iraq with the Army National Guard, his vehicle was struck with an IED in 2004 and he had to apply his own tourniquet, barely saving the amputation of his left leg.

“Traditional EMS general comes to a scene when it’s deemed safe, and these guys are already working in an unsafe environment.

“We’re utilizing military medical skills,” says. “Prior to doing any medical care, we’re asking the officers to stop the threat, rescue themselves, injured officers or civilian, and then do these medical skills.”

Before the first scenario I asked Cook if the officers took this seriously. At the end, I know for sure they did.

Says Cook, “We try to make it as real as possible, but the different scenarios, there’s an adrenaline dump going on for sure.

“Statistics show that survivability is increased when care is rendered at that point of wounding. This is akin to a combat zone; a bullet does not know geography. We’re just giving these guys an opportunity to save their life.”

Tech college shares technology with law enforcement

From fox11online: “3-D technology benefiting local law enforcement” – GRAND CHUTE – It’s a 3-D camera invented for architectural engineering that is now being used at crime scenes.

“It spins around and takes photographs of everything in 360 degrees,” says Joe LeFevre, forensic science instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Grand Chute.

It does more than just take pictures. The device can recreate a crime scene down to the smallest detail.

“It mixes photographs and laser measurements to actually create a virtual world for you to walk through,” said LeFevre.

Local police departments are benefiting from having it in our area.

“Our partnership with the technical college is just outstanding from that perspective in that it makes that equipment that would otherwise not be available to us, accessible and available at a moment’s notice,” said Grand Chute Police Chief Greg Peterson.

The technology was originally developed for use in architectural engineering but it’s quickly being adapted for use at a crime scene.

“It’s a great investigative tool, a great tool to remind investigators what that crime scene looked like when they were there,” said Peterson.

Fox Valley Technical College has the only camera of its kind in the state. Chief Peterson says Grand Chute used the technology for the first time at a homicide investigation last month. He says it will also benefit agencies beyond a police department.

“We can actually replicate the crime scene digitally and present in court lets say or to help prosecutors make charging decisions, an actual depiction of what the crime scene might look like in three dimension,” Peterson said.

LeFevre says the partnership helps keep his skills sharp to teach students about what he says is the future of crime scene technology.

“We’ve been able to go out and use this technology so not only are we going out and assisting local law enforcement, but it’s keeping me fresh in my abilities so that when I am teaching it in the classroom I am actually using something that I can use both ways,” he said.

State funds police, fire training at different levels

From greenbaypressgazette.com: “State funds police, fire training at different levels” – 

Police and firefighters both are necessary for public safety, but the state funds training for each group differently.

A state Department of Safety and Professional Services fund helps pay for firefighter training. It is covered by 2 percent of the premiums homeowners pay for fire insurance, said Peter Silva, fire service education director for the Wisconsin Technical College System, which governs firefighter training for the 16 technical colleges statewide.

“Most volunteer departments wouldn’t be able to afford the training without it,” he said.

Technical colleges that provide the training are to be reimbursed by the state. About $600,000 a year in that fund helps pay for training costs statewide, said Clark Wagner, director of financial operations for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

The state covers training tuition but not a student’s books, travel or lodging fees, said Tom Vandenack, fire training coordinator at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Some fire departments can pay for training through their budgets, he said.

“We try to provide as much training as possible to the departments that our budget will allow us to do.”

The college trains up to 800 new and experienced firefighters a year and makes an effort to lower costs by increasing class sizes and coordinating sessions, he said.

Paying for police training

The state handles funding for police training differently.

Wisconsin law enforcement officers are required to have at least 520 hours of training before entering the field.

The state Department of Justice’s law enforcement training fund pays $2,950 for an officer to receive that training, in addition to some travel and mileage expenses. However, officers must first be employed by a law enforcement agency and finish the course.

The state paid more than $625,000 for employed officers to receive minimum training requirements from July 2010 to June 2011, according to state data. And that number could grow by another $12,500 for training that occurred during that time, said Dana Vike, compliance officer for the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Training and Standards Bureau.

The state has covered training for fewer officers in recent years because more recruits are paying for their own training before being hired by a law enforcement agency, she said.

“It’s nice that the state pays the training tuition and covers some of the costs, but at the same time, the agency is still responsible for that person’s salary and other benefits. Then they are out of money if it doesn’t work out. With budgets being tighter, I think more agencies are trying to find individuals that have finished training.”

About 80 percent of students pay for their own 13-week training, which costs about $3,000, according to Chris Madson, who coordinates public safety training at NWTC.

“The trend is now going to hiring officers after they’ve already finished with training,” he said.

The state also pays up to $160 a year for each employed officer’s continued training, Vike added.

“It can get extremely expensive to bring somebody in who hasn’t been through the state-mandated 520 hours of training,” Green Bay police Lt. Jody Buth said.

Police departments must pay an officer’s salary and benefits, but the officer must finish training before he or she can respond to police calls, Buth said. If the officer drops out of the course or fails, the department is left with the costs.

The Green Bay Police Department rarely pays for a recruit’s training, Buth said.

Green Bay police recently hired six new officers, ages 22 to 32, all of whom arrived having met training requirements, Buth said.

Police also look for candidates who at least have an associate degree in police science or a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement, Buth said.

The state Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement Standards Board, which sets training guidelines, was created in 1970. The state has 19 certified law enforcement-training facilities, also known as academies. Some law enforcement agencies have their own academies, including the State Patrol and Milwaukee and Madison police departments.

Recruits are now equipped with video cameras on their helmets when learning to handle traffic stops or domestic disputes, Madson said. Those playing the role of suspects during the scenarios also wear cameras, which allows recruits to later review their own demeanor and body language.

“It has worked out very well for critique purposes for students,” he said.

Madson expects patrol officers to use the cameras in the future.

Trainers also have put more focus on communication, he added.

“It’s important to know how to talk to people and know how to listen to them. It can make a difference whether you need to go hands-on or resolve a situation through normal talking.”

Fire training

The funding differential comes at a time when fire crews are presented with new dangers, noted Silva of the Wisconsin Technical College System. For example, a firefighter attempting to free a person trapped in an electric car can become electrocuted by cutting an electric line, he said.

“People don’t design things with firefighters in mind, so we have to work around them,” he said.

House fires can involve burning furniture made of hazardous materials, he added.

State law requires an on-duty firefighter to have at least 60 hours of training, he said.

The Wisconsin Technical College System follows the standards set by the National Fire Protection Association.

Green Bay fire Capt. Dustin Ridings said the scope of firefighter training has increased in the past 10 years.

“It’s not just riding a truck and squirting water out of a hose,” said Ridings, noting that firefighters must know about fluid dynamics and search and rescue techniques.

Many applicants for the Green Bay Fire Department already are certified paramedics with credentials that require at least 162 hours of training and coursework.

Former General Motors workers build new lives

From gazettextra.com: “Former General Motors workers build new lives” – JANESVILLE — Three years after her last day at the Janesville General Motors plant, Pam Good has a better appreciation for how people survive on low wages.

“I don’t take money so much for granted anymore,” she said. “I see how others have had to struggle with the wages they make.”

Good earned more than $29 an hour at GM plus excellent health benefits. Today, she earns $11 an hour drawing blood at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center and has health insurance with fewer benefits.

“When I worked at GM, I knew I could support myself if something ever happened to my husband,” she said. “But there is no way I can support myself on this wage.”

Good’s husband is an ironworker. She has two children, ages 21 and 11.

Like so many former GM workers who did not move to take jobs in other auto-making plants, she has adjusted to a lifestyle built on lower wages.

“We do a lot of cutting back,” she said. “You can’t afford the extra stuff, even going out to dinner. We don’t go to the movies as much. We don’t have as many vacations.”

The family is spending less on Christmas as well.

Read more from gazettextra.com

NWTC Using Head-mounted Camera to Train Police Officers

From wbay.com: “NWTC Using Head-mounted Camera to Train Police Officers” – Green Bay - Police officer recruits going through training at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College are testing some new, high-tech equipment that gives them a unique way to learn.

Officers are wearing a tiny camera on a helmet. It’s constantly recording, but it only records what an officer sees.

NWTC says it’s the first school in the country to test this technology.

“Rather than being a remote video someplace, like a squad car or passively being used by somebody else, or even on the officer’s chest, it’s actually on the ear,” NWTC criminal justice instructor Bob Willis said.

Wherever the officer looks, the Axon camera captures those images but it doesn’t see anything outside his line of sight.

Instructors say that helps them with training because it shows why officers react in a certain way and helps justify their decision whether to use deadly force.

The video is all recorded on a secure site where it cannot be edited, but it’s immediately available for officers to review and analyze their actions.

“They can actually see themselves. They can watch what they did during the day, critique themselves, review what they did during the day, make improvement plans for the next day. So for us in training, it’s an excellent tool,” Willis said.

“I’ll go on and think I should have done something differently, but I watch it and say, ‘Oh, I reacted properly,’ or, ‘Next time I’ll react differently,’” Jacob Smetana, a Racine Police Department recruit, said.

Law enforcement and medical professionals train for tactical emergency

From fox6now.com: “Law enforcement and medical professionals train for tactical emergency” – Gunfire erupted at a staged scene on the campus of Waukesha County Technical College Saturday, as tactical teams tried to save victims in a mass-casualty training exercise. The training is new to the state, and it’s meant to train teams to react to situations like those at places like Virginia Tech and Ft. Hood.

Instructor Chad Stiles says the training is as realistic as possible, with fake blood and injuries.

“By having the bad guys actually shoot the air-soft at the teams coming in, it helps increase their tactical awareness of situations,” Stiles said.

 

SWTC staff create ‘tactical fitness’ program

From policeone.com: “Implementing a ‘tactical fitness’ program” – The law enforcement profession presents a variety of unique physical challenges which can cause serious — sometimes career-ending — physical injury. For just one example, you may spend two straight hours seated in your squad car, followed immediately by a foot pursuit which ends in a wrestling match. Some departments are good at giving officers the time and the equipment required to work out and prepare your body physically for the many outside physical forces which will be placed upon you in the line of duty — other agencies leave it entirely up to the individual officer.

I’ve recently been in touch with some folks who have implemented a program that piqued my interest. Dubbed “Tactical Fitness” this health and wellness program targets specific muscle groups with exercises created specifically for situations officers encounter in the line of duty, with the objective of preventing injuries and health-related issues. Tactical Fitness was created by staff members of the criminal justice program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College and instructors at Orange Shoe Personal Fitness (based in Fitchburg, Wisconsin). The program’s goal is to bring a new culture to departments and recruits using a cost-effective wellness model with stability balls, resistance bands, and TRX Suspension Trainers, a versatile piece of exercise equipment that is portable, lightweight, and can be used in a minimum amount of space.

Southwest Tech received a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Justice to offer a workshop for local Wisconsin law enforcement agencies providing Tactical Fitness training designed to give officers the tools to train their individual departments. Local agencies that participated include the Iowa Country Sheriff’s office, Dodgeville Police Department, Fennimore Police Department, Dubuque Police Department, and Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office.

Read more from policeone.com

Terrific Teacher: NWTC Criminal Justice Instructor

From wearegreenbay.com: “Terrific Teacher: NWTC Criminal Justice Instructor” – The criminal justice program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is so popular, classes have been added to eliminate the waiting list.

Our Terrific Teacher is part of that program.

Instructor Ron Connolly says “they [students] know that I have an open door, I advertise I have a comfortable place, offer them a cool beverage and really let them talk about any issue that is on their mind at that particular time.”

NWTC Criminal Justice instructor Ron Connolly is famous on campus for his comfy green chair and genuine interest in listening to students.

“This is my opportunity to have an impact and make sure our next generation of leaders or heroes are better than their predecessors” he explains.

Connolly believes his open door policy is the first step in teaching these future officers to be caretakers in their community.

“The awesome responsibility isn’t enforcing the law, its treating people with respect, keeping them safe, and as a last resort absolutely we enforce the law” says Connolly.

Read more from wearegreenbay.com