GREENPORT—The first group of Sheriff’s deputies have successfully completed Law Enforcement Disability Awareness Training for this calendar year, Sheriff David P. Bartlett said in a February 25 press release.
This training is offered by the Division of Criminal Justice Services—Law Enforcement Training Unit, in partnership with the Niagara University of First Responders Disability Awareness Training Office. The topics in this eight hour virtual course include, disabilities defined specific to law enforcement, the Recognize-Identify-Approach-Interaction- Response model, victimization/ abuse the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals, de-escalation strategies, and current trends. The training is meant to sensitize and educate law enforcement officers on how to effectively identify, address, and respond to various disabilities they will encounter in their line of duty.
“This is a newer version of existing training many members of this office have already taken. My goal would be to have a member of my office trained to teach this topic, or to bring someone in house, so that I can have every member of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office attend this training. Disability awareness is a topic that is personal to me, and I want to make sure the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office are equipped to properly address persons with disabilities,” the sheriff said in the release.