Police cars converge on Port Angeles mill site for training exercise
Published 12:01 am Friday, September 19, 2014
PORT ANGELES — The number of Port Angeles Police Department patrol cars at the former Peninsula Plywood mill on Marine Drive on Thursday made a training day look like a major police action.
“It’s a regular training exercise,” said Brian Smith, deputy police chief.
All of the department’s off-duty patrol officers were involved in the exercise, he said.
Police officers used the vacant two-story building at 439 Marine Drive to conduct a realistic training scenario, complete with Airsoft marking weapons and role players, he said.
Officers train regularly at various area buildings to make sure their skills are honed so officers are prepared when confronted with a similar scenario, Smith said.
Smith said officers train with marking weapons that do not require special protective gear.
Marks left on walls are cleaned up after training is complete.
Training sites
The PenPly building is one of several buildings police use for training.
They also train in churches, homes and office buildings to familiarize officers with multiple types of surroundings, Smith said.
Although Thursday’s exercise included only Port Angeles officers, representatives of other agencies often participate in city training, while Port Angeles officers will sometimes train with Clallam County sheriff’s deputies or other officers, Smith said.
Training officers from all of the North Olympic Peninsula law enforcement agencies meet regularly to coordinate, he said.
He said that in addition to the hyper-realistic training scenarios used Thursday, the department also has a computerized video training system that allows officers to use training weapons that look and feel like the real thing.
The computer training system was purchased several years ago with a law enforcement grant, he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
