Officers practice dealing with extreme situations

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Story Published: Nov 5, 2009 at 6:14 PM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 5, 2009 at 8:11 PM MDT

By Wes Horrocks

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POCATELLO - Law enforcement officers have to deal with stressful situations every day.

At Idaho State University Thursday, two dozens officers had to put their training to the test in several crisis simulations.

In five different rooms around the nursing building officers are learning how to deal with screaming, aggressively, mentally unstable people.

All week law enforcement officers have gone through Crisis Intervention Training to learn how to deal with tense situations. Jimmie Gentry, a Sixth District Felony Probation and Parole Officer said, "Even thought it was just a scenario your adrenaline still starts flowing."

They learn how to stay calm, ask good questions, listen, and de-escalate potentially dangerous problems.

They want to make sure people don't hurt themselves or anyone else.

Along with the practical simulations officers also wore headphones for several hours to learn what it's like to have voices constantly talking in your head. Gentry said, "I have a few people on my caseload that have mental illnesses, and that opened up a big door into why they behave the way they do."

ISU nursing students filled in as actors.

While it looks like they are just getting a break from their normal lectures, they're actually putting their psychology into action. Cody Avey, ISU Nursing Senior said, "It's helped me put everything together. Seeing it out there in the actual scenarios, actually acting out the scenarios helps put things together of what I'm reading in the textbooks."

Officers from Chubbuck, Pocatello, Blackfoot, and Preston will wrap up their 40 hour training Friday.

Law enforcement agencies hope to have this type of training at least twice a year with some on-going training as well.

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