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Jail officers from 17 counties converged on Kosciusko County Wednesday for a special training session hosted by the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department.
Eighty-two officers, including nine from the Kosciusko County Jail, along with 12 training officers from Knox and Hamilton counties, headed to the basement of the Kosciusko County Justice Building Wednesday to begin the training, which continues today.
"We are pleased with the turnout," said Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine. "We were expecting maybe 40 people. We are honored to have this group here."
The hands-on training focuses on defensive positions, defensive maneuvers and shielding against various weapons. Information about how to react in critical situations is included in the two-day seminar as well.
Wednesday afternoon, the safety training highlighted what officers should do if they come in contact with an inmate who has a knife-like weapon.
"We do our best to make sure the inmates have no objects that can cause harm," said Rovenstine. Unfortunately, he said, sometimes unauthorized objects are found.
Another section of the training focuses on the verbal de-escalation of dangerous situations to avoid physical confrontations.
"Sometimes mental patients will become unruly or people who are intoxicated or high on meth or other drugs will try to get out of hand," said Rovenstine. "The majority of inmates are good, but a few want to be disruptive."
The Basic Jail Safety Course also includes techniques for three-man and five-man cell extractions.
Along with valuable information for individual departments, the group training sessions will be beneficial for inter-county situations.
"It's nice to have all the officers here to train together," said Kosciusko County Jail Officer Refugio Ramirez. "That way if we are called anywhere else, we will know what to do."
The course, which will be presented in several areas throughout the state, is headed by trained officers from Hamilton and Knox counties. Knox County Sheriff Stephen P. Luce and Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter initiated the program to increase safety in dangerous situations in jails. They feel it is important to work with other departments throughout the state to increase awareness and education.
"Hamilton County was the first to put on the school," said Hamilton County Midnight Sergeant and Certified Commander Josh Carey. "During one school we were introduced to Knox County."
The Hamilton County and Knox County groups now are working together to present the classes.
"Besides the 40-hour course at the (Indiana Law Enforcement) Academy, this is the first basic jail safety course," said Carey. "Our goal is to train 300 officers in four courses this year."
Knox and Kosciusko counties already have hosted the course, and the next is scheduled for June 12-13 in Tippecanoe County.
Master Instructor Eddie Moore, who leads many of the course demonstrations, said the training they offer is very affordable.
"The training here is fairly inexpensive," Moore said of the $25-per-person course fee. "Something like this should cost $250-$400."
Along with affordable education, the course offers a chance for officers to improve their professionalism on the job.
"This course increases the level of professionalism and increases safety," said Moore.
"This will raise the professionalism of the whole system," said Rovenstine. "I think the course will help with the morale and professionalism overall."
According to Rovenstine, Kosciusko County hopes to have its own specialized cell extraction team by the end of the year. The county has applied for grants to pay for specialized equipment and more training.
