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Pentwater PD photo
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
PENTWATER — Eight west Michigan police agencies participated in an emergency breaching training session hosted by the Pentwater Police Department at the Park Place Event Center Friday, March 7.
“This one-day training is designed to give officers the knowledge and skills they need to gain entry into buildings in emergencies,” said
Pentwater PD photo
Pentwater Police Chief Laude Hartrum. “This is emergency breaching training — this is how to gain access to locked rooms and buildings.
“Officers can be faced with a variety of calls that require them to gain entry into buildings and homes — active shooter/killers and medical assists, among others. This training was timely and necessary,” said Chief Hartrum. “Patrol officers need to have these skills to keep themselves and citizens safe.”
“The folks in Mason and Oceana counties need to be confident that if we get into a situation where we have somebody who is an active shooter, our priority is going to be saving lives, and if we have to breach doors to do that, that’s what we’re going to do.
Pentwater PD photo
“It is very common to have to do this for medical emergencies,” said the chief. “We can’t gain access to the house — there is no pass key and somebody is down in the house with a medical emergency. It’s not just the active shooter/killer situations, but it’s a skill set you use on a fairly regular basis. It’s good to give guys a chance to practice with the tools they carry with them in the (patrol) cars. All these folks that came have tools that their department issues, so it was an opportunity to take those tools and get some firsthand training — how best to use them; what works; and what doesn’t work. The last thing you want to do is get into a real life situation and find out what you thought was going to work, doesn’t work.”
“The training was great — learning the skills to gain access into a building or room, when the time comes, is critical,” said Pentwater School Resource Officer Darwin Mitchell, who is part of a team of people focused on school safety in Pentwater.
Participating law enforcement agencies include: Pentwater Police Department, Oceana County Sheriff’s Office, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Ludington Police Department, Wyoming Police Department, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Holland Department of Public Safety, and Corewell Health Police Department.
The training was presented by www.deliatactical.com, which is a nationwide tactical training program based in Newaygo, said Chief Hartrum.
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Pentwater PD photo
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