UCSO is awarded a training simulator
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, December 18th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a Virtra Training Simulator and certified training curriculum. The system is valued at about $70,000. The public can see it demonstrated today (Wednesday).
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be from 1-3 p.m. at the sheriff’s office, 4700 N.W. Pioneer Place in Pendleton. More than 90 law enforcement agencies nationwide submitted an application to win the system and the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office was selected.
Simulation training helps prepare officers for real-life incidents by submersing them in intense scenarios that require real-time problem solving and judgement. The scenarios are designed to teach critical concepts including communication skills, less-lethal use of force, and de-escalation.
“We are passionate about sharing this training with other law enforcement agencies in the area, and excited about the training possibilities it provides for the future,” UCSO wrote in a news release.
Evidence of cooperation among regional law enforcement agencies is always present. For example, a number of agencies took part in this past weekend’s Shop with a Cop event at the Pendleton Walmart. UCSO Undersheriff Jim Littlefield says that cooperation is always present.
“We’re a collection of medium to small agencies so we have to partner up with our Oregon State Police or our local police departments all the time,” he said.
The application for the contest was written by UCSO Capt. Sterrin Ward:
As I contemplate how to best describe our agency and our need, it is humbling to consider all the other law enforcement agencies that will submit their nominations. Every one of those agencies will be struggling with staffing issues, with retention issues, and with training issues. Every one of those agencies will have officers that are exhausted, that showed up anyway, that ran toward the danger when others look away, only to be criticized and critiqued afterward on the split second decisions they made during extreme stress. And every one of those agencies have officers that are crying out for better training, for more training that is scenario based and realistic. Because in the seconds that count, no one wants to make a bad decision due to lack of training, and no one wants to bury one of their own because they failed to protect them and train them properly. That is the reality of law enforcement every day. So too is the reality of our agency. So it is with a humble heart that I make my agency’s plea.
Our agency is the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. It is located on the eastern side of Oregon, the rural side, the dry side, the side far away from the city, far from accessible good training or adequate backup. Our deputies patrol an area of just over 3200 square miles with a population of about 80,000. The geography includes “cities”, wheat fields and farm homes, orchards, steep mountain ranges with forest and remote cabins, large rivers and high desert. We deal with intense heat in the summer and then heavy snowfall in the winter. Our calls can be anything from a gang-related drive-by shooting in the “urban” areas to a missing person in the mountains and everything in between.
Our Criminal Division is small; consisting of 12 patrol deputies, 2 Marine & ATV Deputies, a School Resource Officer, 2 Detectives, 4 Sergeants (1 K9 unit), 1 Lieutenant and a Division Captain. We are not self-supporting, meaning our patrol deputies ride solo and we have not achieved 24 hours coverage yet. It is not unusual for an officer to respond to a “hot” call on their own, or to be called out from home in the middle of the night to respond. In Eastern Oregon, patrol officers from all law enforcement agencies depend heavily on each other to respond as backup to other agency calls. (Some are only 2-3 officer departments). We have to work together, we respond together, we depend upon each other, yet we rarely (if ever) train together.
We would like that to change. Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office is a small group of dedicated law enforcement officers, many with less than five years on the road and some currently still at academy. They have a vision and a hunger to be a highly trained agency and then share that training with other law enforcement agencies in our area. Unfortunately with a training budget of $50,000 for the entire year and not enough deputies to provide adequate 24 hours coverage, we struggle with providing training beyond just the state-mandated training for certification.
Although our deputies meet the minimum required training to maintain their state certification, it is rarely (if ever) scenario-based training that prepares them for real life situations. A while back our Emergency Manager brought in a professional training team on a grant. The training was highly specialized for active shooting scenarios and included all area law enforcement. The feedback from our deputies was staggering. They were so excited to have interactive, scenario based training. Over and over the response was, “WE NEED MORE!”. They are hungry for it. They understand that your type of simulated training would literally save their lives and the lives of the community they serve. But the reality is, without the grant, we could never afford this type of training. I would like to change that reality. Our staff and our community deserve better. Scenario-based training would be so appreciated and beneficial and I know our staff would make the most of it.
Our staff is made of outstanding individuals with a heart to serve the public. They are not just law enforcement for a community, they are members of this community. They care about the safety of the community and the safety of each other. Training is the number one thing that ensures both. Law enforcement cannot afford to slack on this, yet it is always something we struggle to find adequate funding or time for. I encourage you to research our agency, you will find stories about hard-working deputies that give back to their community. I would love for them to be able to get your amazing simulation training and then have that training benefit other small law enforcement agencies in our area. We all know simulation training is the most retained and the most beneficial when it comes to being prepared for real-life incidents. Help us rise to the expectations of the people we serve.
For more information on the Simulation Training: Check out Virtra Simulators
