Law Enforcement Staying Prepared For Any Emergency

During Spring Break the Tactical Response Team including Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputies and Newport Police worked on an Active Threat training at the Newport Middle During Spring Break, an elite group of law enforcement officers, part of the Tactical Response Team featuring Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputies and Newport Police, took to the halls of Newport Middle School for an Active Threat training drill. This annual event is meticulously planned in collaboration with the school district, ensuring that their valuable training occurs during the quiet of spring break when students and staff are absent. The empty classrooms and echoing hallways provide a realistic backdrop for honing critical skills in response to potential threats.

Lt. Vertner from the Sheriff's Office emphasized the importance of conducting these trainings in real educational settings. "It’s a unique opportunity," he noted, "to train in the very buildings where we may one day need to respond." Each year, local law enforcement seizes this chance to equip their teams with the latest strategies and techniques for handling active threats, ensuring the safety of the community they serve. Here is a video of their training.

Tactical Response Team leader Deputy Patrick Dougharty explained that realism is key in these simulations. "We want our deputies to train with the weapons they would actually use in a real-life situation." To ensure safety while still maintaining that realism, the weapons are modified to fire non-lethal rounds. Deputies wield AR-15s that have been adjusted to prohibit regular ammunition and operate instead with modified handguns shooting low-velocity paint rounds. Indeed, the experience is designed to mimic genuine combat conditions, as some firearms have been altered to prevent modern ammunition use, only allowing the specific non-lethal munitions that feel akin to being hit with a paintball.

Safety is paramount during these intense sessions, as all participants are outfitted in body armor to protect against any mishaps. “These types of trainings are incredibly important,” Deputy Dougharty remarked. “They give us the chance to practice skills that could save lives.” He pointed out that using the schools during spring break is beneficial, providing the perfect environment to simulate a commercial-style building scenario without the typical interruptions of daily operations.

While spring break emphasizes their largest drills, this dedicated team trains at least once a month alongside the SWAT team and other law enforcement units. Each session reinforces essential skills, ensuring all officers remain sharp and ready for real-life incidents, whether it's an active shooter scenario or responding to a burglary in progress.

Lt. Vertner shared that the techniques learned in these trainings have practical applications even on routine patrols. For instance, when deputies respond to a call about a forced entry, they employ the same systematic procedures they've practiced during training to clear the house safely, minimizing risks for those involved. “We approach each situation with the same attention to detail we practice during our drills,” he explained.

The partnership among Lincoln County law enforcement, including the Sheriff’s Office, local police departments, and State Police, ensures that every corner of the community is protected. With such dedicated training, they stand ready to face any emergency, committed to keeping citizens safe no matter the challenge.School. According to Lt. Vertner with the Sheriff's Office officers coordinate with the school district to hold these trainings during spring break as there are no students or staff in the schools and it offers a great opportunity for training in the actual buildings. Local law enforcement takes this yearly opportunity to train our members with the most current and best practice response to Active Threats. This training is not exclusive to school buildings however educational buildings have regularly planned breaks where our trainings do not disrupt normal business operations.

Tactical Response Team leader Deputy Patrick Dougharty explained that during the training they want the deputies to utilize the weapons they would be handling in a real situation. They have modified the weapons however so they shoot non-lethal rounds for the training. They used AR 15's that have been modified to where it will not accept by ammunition. The deputies and police officers in the training were also armed with it handguns that have been modified to fire a munition round, which this is a low velocity paint round. It functions just like a regular firearm. In fact, in many cases Lt. Vertner added they have utilized a patrol firearm that's been modified with a top slide and barrel. This will not accept modern ammunition, will only accept low velocity munition it's like getting hit with a paint ball. He said during the trainings all of our trainers and those participating are required to wear body armor,

"These types of trainings are very important, the skills that we teach put them into practice. Deputy Dougharty said "the schools give us a good benefit for a commercial style building during the week of spring break." This isn't the only time that the tactical response team trains, they meet at least once a month with the SWAT team and other law enforcement but the big active shooter training is usually done during spring break.

Lt. Vertner explained that the trainings come in handy for officicers everyday, such as when they are out on patrol or when they are doing a burglary investigation. The owner comes home, sees their door has be forced open. Deputies and officers will respond and then clear the house the same way they would clear a building under a threat. By using slow, methodical consistent procedures that they have practiced they can make sure there's nobody inside the home enabling a safe means of continuing the investigation and working with the home or property owner. Lincoln County law enforcent officers from the Sheriff's Office, local police departments and State Police all work together to ensure citizens are safe no matter what the emergency.