COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Local Police Department officers and 14th Security Forces Squadron Defenders participated in a Joint DUI Training Dec. 6 – 8, 2016, at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.
Tech. Sgt. Nathan Sullivan, 14th SFS NCO In-Charge of Standardization and Evaluation, said the training’s purpose was twofold.
“We work closely with the Starkville Police Department because they have trainers and certifications we don’t have,” Sullivan said. “They were able to bring in five civilian police departments along with our Defenders to receive state certification in Standardized Field Sobriety Tests in accordance with national standards. We provided the training location and volunteers, and they provided the instructors; which saved both the state and Air Force funding the course at an alternate location.”
Participants attended training briefings in the mornings each day and practiced hands-on techniques in the afternoon. There were a total of 30 students in the class, 15 defenders and 15 police officers from Mississippi police departments.
The training demonstrated how to perform three separate field sobriety tests on a driver who may be under the influence. This counts as a certification in Field Sobriety for the state of Mississippi.
“We all share a common goal, but we don’t all have the same resources,” Sullivan said. “In the Air Force, Defenders do not always have the opportunity to receive this certification, so this was a huge success for the unit.”
For the hands-on portion, volunteers with varying levels of Blood Alcohol Contents were brought in for the police officers and defenders to perform these sobriety tests.
“The training was a great experience,” said Senior Airman Joshua Haney, 14th SFS Patrolman. “Not only did I learn a lot, but now I am state certified in field sobriety tests and I can better recognize and evaluate a DUI encounter.”
This training not only educates Mississippi police officers and Security Forces Airmen at Columbus AFB, but also makes the local community safer and strengthens our community ties.
“Having these strong relationships with our partners in the community is extremely important,” Sullivan said. “We have been working together for a long time and we make each other better. The more we do together, the more we can achieve together. Every training opportunity together strengthens the relationships between our organizations.”