PW_4_2018

Professional Development

Defending America: The Defensive Tactics Group Crosses the Atlantic Ken Pennington

With the help of a £300 bursary from the IPA, Ken Pennington crossed the Atlantic to take in both the Young Police Officers’ Seminar (YPOS) and the Defensive Tactics Group’s (DTG) first trans-Atlantic course. I spent my first day in Chicago sightseeing , attending a Chicago Cubs Baseball game at Wrigley’s Field and climbing up the Willis After a dinner of pizza we headed to a nearby gym to have a go on the MILO use of force simulator, using laser enabled Glocks to deal with scenarios such as domestic violence, active shooters, suicidal persons and traffic stops. Amazingly all of my shots hit the target! fun! After lunch we used one of the houses in the ‘town’ to practice room clearing, building containment and various tactics, moving inside and out of the building. We also watched Jefferson

Tower. I had submitted an IPA Travel Form and local members supplied tourist tips for the city. That evening I was collected in a Chicago Police Department Ford Interceptor SUV. Officer Kane and his partner took me out for a ride along. I was equipped with body armour and although offered a Taser (I hope in jest) I was confident the heavily armed officers I was with could protect me! We toured the roughest areas of the district, popped by Barack Obama’s family home and ended with the ‘Breaded Steak Challenge’ which consisted of a baguette rammed full of bread crumbed steak,

County SWAT team practice on the house next door including blank rounds and flashbangs. They practiced their scenarios over and over again throughout the morning at full intensity and speed, with actors playing the ‘bad guys’. For dinner that evening, Kenyan members cooked us a traditional meal, delicious and extremely generous of them. Plates were literally licked clean. The fifth day began with tactical shooting on the indoor ranges at Fox Valley Technical College.

Day two covered suicide bomber behaviour, terrorist attack methodology, and explosives, from the Toronto Transit Police. It was also time for photos in our ‘formal’ uniforms. It is always interesting to see the differences in styles across the world. Day three had participants split into two groups. First of all one group headed off to a local

cheese and marinara sauce. I couldn’t finish it! The ride along enabled many discussions around the policing challenges and differences between London and Chicago. The four or five ‘shots fired’ calls we attended told a grim story, especially when coupled with three armed robberies in the space of a few hours. The next morning I took a Greyhound Coach up to Green Bay, via Milwaukee. Day one started with an amazing breakfast cooked by the Brown County 911 dispatch ladies. Then we headed to the lecture theatre for a welcome by Joe Johnson, President of Section US and an overview of DTG from Rob Stenhouse. Introductions were followed by a really interesting talk on narcotics, crime scenes and drug trends from Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Keil - an expert in the field and author of a book full of useful info. After a lunch of sub sandwiches we had talks on human trafficking and sex offending from Brown County Sheriff Office Sergeant Matt Wilson and social worker Dawn.

shooting range. We were shown around the County SWAT truck and then got to fire some of their carbines from the truck door and roof turret. Then we did some tactical shooting with a variety of handguns from .22 up to .45 calibre. The afternoon consisted of a defensive tactics input, focusing on unarmed combat and knife defence tactics, from the very capable and experienced Rob Stenhouse. The skills he taught were effective and something all officers should receive, particularly in the UK where we often don’t have a Taser or a firearm to hand. On the fourth day we visited the amazing facility of Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, where Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS staff from across the state of Wisconsin learn their trade and carry out CPD. The facilities were fantastic and included a full sized jumbo jet, derailed train, tunnels, trenches and a small town. The morning session focused on vehicle ambush tactics including how to defend yourself from a vehicle and how to use tactical cover. I even got to drive the Dodge Patrol Car at speed across the skid pan - amazing

Practice on the rifle and handgun from various positions was carried out with expert guidance from Brown County Sheriff’s Department Officers. After lunch we had an input from the FBI on how they tackle gangs, using Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs as an example. The fifth and final day marked the course coming to an end. As usual, it was terribly sad to say goodbye to all the lovely friends made through the IPA. Lots learned and unique memories made.

POLICE WORLD Vol 63 No. 4, 2018

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