BPD plans law enforcement training classes

The Bartlesville Police Department has opened enrollment for three training classes it is hosting in the coming months for local and area law enforcement agencies.

Taught by the Public Agency Training Council (PATC), the classes will each focus on a different subject as it pertains to law enforcement. The first class, held April 18-20, will cost $350 to attend and will cover handling cases involving sexual assault and domestic violence.

The second class, scheduled for May 9, will cost $305 to attend and cover leadership and management skills. The final class, scheduled Aug. 2-4, will cost $350 to attend and will focus on investigating homicides.

The PATC-led classes are among at least six such trainings — hosted by BPD, but open to the greater law enforcement community — that BPD has scheduled for 2022, with more classes to be added.

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“We have a lot of training going on. The first of the year we try to schedule as many as we can to get a broad training environment because each officer might have a different need,” BPD Sgt. Bill Hollander said.

“Bartlesville (PD), in conjunction with Tri County Tech, is striving to become more of a training hub for other departments who may not have access to training. We do broad outreach to those smaller departments. We’re opening it to anyone statewide who is certified.”

Among other training the department has scheduled for the coming months are use-of-force simulations with the department’s MILO system, a class about considering the courtroom setting when collecting evidence and writing reports, leadership classes taught by the FBI and a course about interviewing during an investigation.

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Hollander said the department has worked in recent years to gradually expand its officer professional development — something that reflects the priorities of its leadership and that will, hopefully, help it gain better-trained recruits.

“We have been striving to become a training hub for the past several years under the direction of Chief Roles. He’s definitely a progressive chief and understands training is a necessity. He’s done an excellent job pushing the training section forward as far as making it a priority. Over the last few years, it’s ramped up quite a bit,” Hollander said.

A major expansion to the department’s training came in December 2020 when BPD acquired a MILO Simulation Training System. The advanced interactive simulator allowed the department to train officers in how to respond to a variety of situations, from routine traffic stops to domestic violence and active shooters.

Now, the department has its officers train on the system regularly as well as allowing outside law enforcement to train on the system.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville Police Department plans law enforcement training classes