Lethbridge Police training focuses on how to eliminate threats

LETHBRIDGE- We’ve all watched the scenario unfold on television: A Hollywood actor dressed as a cop takes down the bad guy. But it’s a very real situation for officers with the Lethbridge Regional Police.

For officers like Cst. David Easter, protecting residents is part of his daily job.

“The whole effort today was to try to take the Hollywood picture out of it and to bring a little more realism into it,” said Easter.

Global Lethbridge took part in a training seminar with members of the LRPS, going through situations officers could face daily.

“Having to escalate with a person or potential victim and then come back down with them and act appropriately to what they need in that situation is important,” said Training Officer Cst. Brent Lorenz.

The scenarios range from verbal confrontations, to high-tech simulators, right down to a real attacker.

“There is some ground fighting, firearms training, all kinds for the use of force, handcuffing, pepper spray, Taser, even down to verbal judo. How do you talk to someone appropriately at every level of the  game?” said Easter.

Tristan Tuckett was one of the participants in the training exercise, and said the hands-on experience was eye-opening.

“Just realizing how little time there is to make these very fast decisions about whether someone coming at you has a knife, or is it a cell phone, and it felt like under a second to decide before you are already getting hit with it.”

These extensive training exercises give officers the confidence they need to enter a situation that could be deadly.

“There is no question about what they do, I trust them with my life,” said Easter.

Tuckett said he has a new appreciation for the men and women who serve and protect.

“Just being able to be calm and go into a situation like that, and to be able to eliminate the threat—I think it’s incredible.”