Sgt. Tamara McDiarmid – Supervisor
Dep. Tim Essig – Training Coordinator
Dep. Mike Gaboury – Training Coordinator

As the Training Unit passes its 5-year anniversary, many of the planned improvements and additions have taken place. In addition, we have moved beyond our own expectations and taken training to an unexpected level.

Our training classrooms, Defensive Tactics room, and Firearms Range are typically booked months in advance. In addition to our own Law Enforcement, Emergency Management, and Corrections Divisions, many outside agencies utilize our state-of-the-art facility. We regularly host training for the FBI, DEA, and many countywide police agencies. We have also developed a program in which we exchange training resources with agencies outside Kent County, thereby reducing expenditures while maximizing available assets.

The Training Unit currently uses the FATS (Firearms Training Systems) Simulator. This system provides realistic and dynamic training by placing officers in “shoot-don't shoot” scenarios, while maintaining a safe and controlled environment. The addition in 2009 of the wireless BluFire© technology allows for the use of OC spray and Taser, so all of the scenarios have the ability to have several, realistic outcomes. As this tool will allow the instructor to interact via computer commands to students actions, no two situations will be the same. This prevents the “known outcome” mindset often encountered in a controlled setting.

The use of Simunitions has become a regular part of training due in part to its popularity with staff. Simunitions are low-velocity marking cartridges fired from a specially modified standard duty-weapon. This provides for a “live-fire” exchange in various scenarios between officers wearing protective gear. These unique ballistic rounds offer post-training identification of both lethal and non-lethal hits. Officers and instructors can then discuss tactical variations the officer may have taken to alter the outcome.

We continue to examine the latest technological advances in training, while maintaining a strong contact with developing legal trends and court decisions. It remains the goal of the Training Unit to provide the best possible training to our officers, which in turn provides the safest achievable environment to the citizens of Kent County.