Union County Sheriff’s Office holds Trainings at North Powder Fire House
By Braden Way on Thursday, October 21st, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
NORTH POWDER – The Union County Sheriff’s Office held a training at the recently completed Fire Station in North Powder on Wednesday afternoon, October 20th.
Both Patrol and Corrections deputies participated in the training, which according to Sheriff Cody Bowen offers each group the chance to learn from each other as the difference in responsibilities between the two group can lead to differing tactics.
As a part of the Sheriff’s Department’s ongoing outreach efforts, County Commissioners Matt Scarfo and Paul Anderes were in attendance as well as a member of Elkhorn Media Group staff.
The training was structured so that one group of the attendees participated in Defensive Tactics (DT) training, in which Deputy Kyle Witty and Corporal Luke Stonebreaker walked them through various techniques and exercises, many revolving around grappling, striking, joint locks and more.
According to Sheriff Bowen, one area where the Union County Sheriff’s Department stands out is in physical fitness. Deputy Justin Hernandez, the La Grande School District School Resource Officer, is the number 1 record holder on the Oregon Police Academy Power Index Test in Physical Fitness, which measures overall physical fitness and Deputy Witty holds the 2nd place on the record board. Other deputies in the department are also serious about physical fitness, including one newer recruit who, Sheriff Bowen said, has lost over 40 lbs over the last few months alone.
While one group worked on Defensive Tactics the other was in another set of rooms walking through Con-sim or Confrontational Simulation scenarios. Participants were given a scenario, a burglary call for example, with someone else acting the part of the suspect or suspects. In these scenarios, deputies were “cleared” of any dangerous weapons then outfitted with airsoft pistols and rifles. Through these scenarios the deputies are able develop, in a controlled environment, the skills they need to deal with the split-second decisions which they come across. These scenarios were facilitated by Deputy John Sutton who also debriefed and gave pointers to participants.
Among the skills needed is, as its known in the Law Enforcement community, Verbal Judo. These are verbal techniques in which the deputy seeks to communicate in ways that diffuse rather than escalate a confrontation. This is not always possible but the important thing, according to Bowen, is the ability to maintain control of a given situation. “When you lose control of a situation,” he said, “that’s when stuff goes sideways and someone gets hurt.”
Halfway through the block of time set aside for the training, the groups traded places and those in DT training began running scenarios and vice versa. Once the second training, scheduled for later this week, is concluded every deputy in the department will have participated in the training, helping to keep them ready to do a dangerous job with added competence and clarity.
Much thanks to Sheriff Cody Bowen and Deputy Tad Butcher for the invitation to observe the training and for answering follow up questions. Thanks also to North Powder Fire Station for providing their beautiful new space for the training event.
