Street Survival Seminar For Police Officers

They're trained to uphold the law and protect people every day.

This week, several area police officers are getting a refresher course on handling deadly situations.

Former police officers who instruct the course say the most important thing for area officers to take away is to be alert and ready even on minor calls.

Because when officers become complacent or relaxed, that's an opportunity for terrible things to happen.

The room is packed with police officers and sheriffs deputies. They've come from around the state for a two day course on law enforcEment.

Dave Smith/ Dir. of Video Training: "It's essentially almost like an athletic course where you'd teach people to be coaches only we're teaching them to be self coaches because what are they going to do on the street? They're going to perform a motor skill under very great stress just like an athlete."

Calibre Press instructor Dave Smith uses actual situations including pictures and video to show the officers lessons and proper procedure.

"We show violent images, you see people die, you see body parts, you see people get hit by trains, you see people hung off roofs, getting shot, police officers dying, so everything we see there's some lesson to be learned afterwards."

Dave Smith/ Dir. of Video Training: "Every lesson we teach either comes from a great sacrifice or great risk and so we revere that sacrifice and the people who've given us these lessons."

Smith and Glennon say officers learn best by repetition. But after going out on the same calls and situations in a rural area, they can become too relaxed.

Dave Smith/ Dir. of Video Training: "Even a simple call, things that we talk about a family disturbance, statistically is one of the deadliest calls law enforcement officers do. "

Jim Glennon/ Lead Instructor: "There's only 600,000 people that live in this state, but if you look at the numbers by ratio, they have as many attacks on police officers here as they would in the city of Chicago."

That's why they tell officers to expect the unexpected. Glennon says even in a small town, there is violence.

Jim Glennon/ Lead Instructor: "Try to arrest a friend you played football with when he's drunk, and he'll feel as though you betrayed him and that's where the violence comes.

You might recognize Smith by his more famous name JD Buck Savage, a series of videos shown to officers at the academy.

The seminar wraps up on Friday afternoon.

Tags: joel porter, police training, grand forks, street survival seminar, dave smith, jim glennon, news