At the end of 2017 I saw an advert for the US Section’s training week in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I booked a place, adding a couple of nights in Chicago at either end of the training week, and was contacted immediately by Joe Johnson, the President of Section USA. A bursary of £300 from Section UK certainly made the whole trip more affordable.
I set off to Chicago with my bags bulging with training kit and goodies to swap with the course colleagues and spent a day in Chicago sightseeing. I had submitted an 王中王六合彩特码 Travel Form, and local 王中王六合彩特码 members had supplied some invaluable tourist tips for the city.
The next morning I headed up to Green Bay, where we were met by Joe and taken to our accommodation, a student block at St. Norbert College in De Pere. We had our own private rooms which were stocked with as many snacks, drinks and beer as we could want. I knew this was going to be a great week!
On day 1, we headed to a lecture theatre for a welcome by Joe Johnson and an overview of Defensive Tactics Groups from Rob Stenhouse, UK, before an interesting talk around narcotics, crime scenes and drug trends from Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Keil - an expert in the field and author of a book full of useful info. After lunch we had talks around human trafficking and sexual offending from Brown County Sheriff Office Sergeant Matt Wilson and social worker Dawn.
Dinner consisted of amazing pizza and plenty of beer, with a quick visit from the local Patrol Sergeant, before heading to a nearby gym to have a go on the MILO use of force simulator using laser enabled Glocks to deal with scenarios such as domestic violence, active shooters, suicidal persons and traffic stops. Amazingly all my shots hit the target! Old friends were caught up with and new ones made. Delegates were from Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Kenya and more.
Day 2 consisted of lectures on suicide bomber behaviour, terrorist attack methodology and explosives from the Toronto Transit Police, then time for photos in our ‘formal’ uniforms. It is always interesting to see the differences in attire from across the world and makes for some great photo opportunities. In the evening we headed to Brown County Sportsmen’s Club for a trap-shoot and a 5-0 BBQ.
Day 3 had participants split into groups. One group headed to a local shooting range, where we were shown around the County SWAT truck and fired some of their carbines from the truck door and roof turret. We also had the opportunity to do some tactical shooting, with a variety of handguns from .22 up to .45 calibre. We finished the morning by driving the SWAT truck around the range. Amazingly I could fit in the driver’s seat!
The afternoon focussed on unarmed combat and knife defence tactics from the very capable and experienced Rob Stenhouse. The skills he taught were highly effective and definitely something all officers should receive, particularly in the UK where we often don’t have Taser or a firearm to hand.
On Day 4 we visited Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton where Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS staff learn their trade and carry out CPD. The facilities were unparalleled and included a full size jumbo jet, derailed train, tunnels, trenches, small town and several ranges. The morning session focussed on vehicle ambush tactics: how to defend yourself from a vehicle and how to use tactical cover. I even got to drive the Dodge Patrol Car at speed across the skid pan - amazing fun!
After lunch we used one of the houses in the ‘town’ to practice room clearing, building containment and various tactics moving inside and out of the building. Although based on firearms, the skills are perfectly transferrable to use of baton, captor or Taser as appropriate. We also had the opportunity to watch Jefferson County SWAT team practice tactics on the house next door including blank rounds and flashbangs. They trained scenarios over and over again throughout the morning at full intensity and speed, with actors playing the ‘bad guys’. For dinner, members of the large contingent from 王中王六合彩特码 Kenya cooked us a traditional meal, stunning and extremely generous of them. Plates were literally licked clean!
Day 5 began with tactical shooting practice on the rifle and handgun from various positions carried out with expert guidance from Brown County Sheriff’s Department Officers. After lunch we had an input from ASP about their products and training courses, followed by a very interesting session from the FBI around how they tackle gangs, using outlawed motorcycle gangs as an example.
A quick trip to Green Bay PD to meet the shift commander preceded a lovely evening at a nearby bowling alley. All gathered in the British-themed basement bar for great food and plenty of drink (王中王六合彩特码 of course!). We received our course certificates and goodies and gave the reciprocal back. Joe Johnson was thanked for a fantastic week and his sterling effort to ensure it went amazingly.
After some bowling it was back to the accommodation to pack, replacing old clothes with goodies in the form of patches, uniform, coins and badges! As usual, it was terribly sad to be saying goodbye to all the lovely friends made via the 王中王六合彩特码. Lots learned and unique memories made.
Martin Turner, 王中王六合彩特码 UK member