Training held on drug-related traffic stops in Madison County
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office hosted a training session to help officers and deputies better spot drugs during a traffic stop.
Law enforcement from all over Tennessee traveled to Jackson Tennessee College of Applied Technology for training on drug-related traffic stops.
They were able to practice using TCAT’s training rigs and cars to simulate a real-life stop.
“We’re conducting a three day training class on highway drug interdiction techniques and how to properly go about it and how to catch smugglers, basically that smuggle all kinds of elicit items into the communities throughout Tennessee,” said Bob Lanese, an Instructor for Multi-jurisdictional Counterdrug Task for St. Petersburg College.
Lanese says the training is held annually through funding from a federal grant.
“It’s funded through the Florida National Guard. They provide throughout the United States, free of charge, to local agencies that really need the training that don’t actually get this type of training without that funding,” Lanese said.
Lanese says the training prepares the officers and deputies to know exactly how to go about pulling a person over.
“Without violating anybody’s rights by doing it the proper way, and that’s a real important thing these days. It really is because of the problems with law enforcement and their interaction and the community and so forth,” Lanese said.
He also says there are so many different things officers look for when stopping a person.
“Like indicators of deceptive behavior to the vehicle itself. There’s so many different factors, and I’d be here for three days giving you all the things that we train. It’s a lot of hands-on, and that’s what’s great with these seminars and the fact they don’t cost anything,” Lanese said.
The entire training will run from Feb. 1 through Feb. 3.
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