Training

The Sheriff’s Office is committed to providing the most professional and current law enforcement services possible to the citizens of Churchill County. To deliver those services in an effective and efficient manner constant training is paramount.

The Sheriff’s Office employs a contract training officer on a part time basis to maintain training records, coordinate training and insure compliance with department policy, as well as state law.

Initial certification for peace officers under Category I (patrol) is done through the P.O.S.T. academy in Carson City. Category III officers (detention) attend in house training using the Field Training Officers program, certified instructors, and video courses to meet the 280 hours of training required by P.O.S.T. This training is geared to prepare the officer(s) to pass the State’s exam for category III.

Each employee, depending upon his/her assignment, is required to possess and maintain, as a requirement for continued employment, either a Category I or Category III peace officer certificate from Nevada P.O.S.T., or required state certifications for dispatch personnel. In order to maintain a P.O.S.T. certificate, state law requires an additional minimum of 24 hours of P.O.S.T. certified training annually. In maintaining their certification the deputies of this department greatly exceed this minimum requirement.

To comply with these, and other, standards all officers have quarterly weapons qualifications and yearly training in many other areas. Such as hazardous materials training, defensive tactics training, baton training, capstun training, CPR and first aid training, current legal trends, domestic violence investigations, as well as the equipment used by the department, such as the breath alcohol machine, in car computers, radar and emergency vehicle operations.

All of this training is accomplished by using a number of resources including department instructors, instructors from other agencies and the Law Enforcement Television Network.

TRAINING

C.P.R.

First Aid

Firearms Qualifications

E.V.O.C.

Hazmat

Defensive Tactics

Capstun

Field Training Officer

Radar

Weapon Retention

Field Sobriety

Crime Scene Investigation

Death Investigation

Accident Investigation

Sexual Harassment

Domestic Violence

Handcuffing

NCIC, CJIS Recert

Stress Management

First Line Supervision

Policy & Procedure Writing

NACO Supervisor Series

Narcotics Investigation

County Safety Series

AED’s

The Law Enforcement Television Network is used by the department to conduct monthly training. All officers are required to watch one training segment per month, recorded off of this network. The training officer maintains a video library with over 800 training segments; many of these are college accredited, so officers may keep up with an ever-changing field. On occasion the instructors are also called upon to teach the monthly county safety training.
The department has state certified instructors in different fields of law enforcement. These instructors are used to teach classes for officers from this department, as well as other departments. Each instructor must have completed a 40 hour course from the state on instructor development, then an instructor course in the field that they are certified. To stay certified most instructors have to attend training, teach at least one course and submit a lesson plan for P.O.S.T. approval, each year.
The courses that are taught by department instructors are; Defensive Tactics, Firearms, Radar, Standardize Field Sobriety Testing, Baton, Emergency Vehicle Operations, FACT (First aid, AED, CPR Training), O.C. (Pepper) Spray, Hazmat, Railroad Crossing Accident Investigation, National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Nevada Criminal Justice Information System (NCJIS). This also includes the Patrol Field Training program, and the Detention Field Training program (CAT III POST training.)

Over and above this required training, department employees are encouraged to attend college courses and to seek higher-level post certificates. Many members of the department have their Intermediate, Advanced, or Management certificates from P.O.S.T., as well as college degrees.

The department is committed to continually provide training to personnel. As an example of this, the patrol shift sergeants provide a short (about 10 minute) pre-assigned training to the patrol deputies at the beginning of each shift, during briefing (when time allows). This training provides each patrol deputy with approximately 40 hours of training per year.