Altus Air Force Base News

 

Altus Airman provides Taser training to community police officers

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Megan E. Acs
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  An Airman from the 97th Security Forces Squadron recently trained 23 police officers from the Altus Police Department on the proper use of Tasers.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Leach, a certified Taser International Master Instructor since 2009, provided the training at no cost, saving the Altus Police Department approximately $9,200.

To maintain their certifications on the Taser X26, law enforcement members are required to complete this training annually.

Normally, police departments would have to pay to send their officers to this training, pay to have a member trained to be an instructor, or pay for the nearest civilian instructor to visit the department. Leach is one of only three certified master instructors in Oklahoma, which means Altus AFB and the Altus Police Department reap the financial benefits of him being stationed here, as well as the knowledge of less-than-lethal weapons he brings with him.

During the training, Altus officers learned Taser-specific nomenclature, which breaks down how the Taser functions, how to use it, the different uses of force, case law decisions which determine if a use of force is justified in a specific situation and more.

"The purpose of this training is to give the officers a less-than-lethal force option to deal with certain situations where lethal force may not be the best option," said Leach. "This gives them another tool to use in any given situation."

There are several means of force available to law enforcement officers which range from verbal commands, to potentially lethal uses of force. It is the responsibility of the officers to know when each level of force is acceptable, and often, the decision has to be made within seconds.

"If a person is a threat and has a weapon, it's not particularly safe use a hands-on approach. The odds of them turning on you are pretty high. They may turn their anger to the police officer, and the officer may then be forced to use lethal force," said Leach. "If a person comes at you with lethal intent, you have justification to use lethal force. If you have a Taser however, you have the option to put them down with potentially less injury to yourself, other officers and the public."

Due to the nature of their work, and to save money, the Altus Police Department and the 97th frequently share their training capabilities with each other.

"During Police Week, one of our driving instructors at the police department got permission to set up a private training course on base," said an Altus Police Department officer. "This not only keeps our officer's skills sharp, but it also teaches the security forces members here about defensive driving, which includes making sharp turns, quick braking, and so forth."

The Altus Police Department also occasionally assists with active shooter exercises which are held either at local schools or on base at Rivers Elementary School.

"Sometimes they come here and use our facilities and other times we'll go train in their facilities. We each have instructors for things the other may not have instructors for, so we share that education at no cost to one another," said Leach. "This saves everyone a lot of money and gives us all more tools to better serve our communities."