Spartanburg Police Department prepares officers with annual training exercise
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) — Police officers in Spartanburg have asked residents not to be alarmed if they see police activity or hear gunfire near the Temple B'nai Israel — it's all a part of training exercise.
In moments of high pressure, officers have only seconds to make a serious and potentially consequential decision.
There is no telling what any given call may bring, but officers said it is their job to be prepared for the worst of situations. That's where the training comes in.
Sgt. Dylan Davis with Spartanburg Police said 100 to 150 officers are working through incident command response plans and practicing active shooter response.
'We test that decision making ability like you saw in the PID drill again, again and again,' davis said. 'We ramp it up and we ramp it down because you never know what you're walking into. So as instructors, if we can train, if our training is harder than anything you'll ever encounter — that's good.'
Officers are given complex scenarios to navigate through and are tested on how they react.
'Is the officer able to make a clear decision under stressful circumstances? Because that's the nature of law enforcement,' Davis added. 'So that probably above all else, is what we're looking at now.'
Police are also receiving assistance from role players; many of whom are family of officers.
'I come here every year with my dad, I like to be a hostage with a couple of my friends, so we come in and put fake wounds on,' said Warren, a 13-year-old family member of a participating officer.
Dashanti Tillotson said she enjoyed helping officers practice.
'We did drills and stuff for like shootouts to help police officers get more experience and prepared for stuff like that,' Tillotson added. 'I had to stand in the front, say 'Help' and stuff and wait for them to come and get me.'
Police will train inside the Heywood Avenue-based temple through Thursday.
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