Twenty-one officers from law enforcement agencies in Mexico graduated from a 10-day dignitary protection training course at the Allan Hancock College Public Safety Training Complex (PSTC) at the Lompoc Valley Center on Sept. 4.
The 80-hour training, conducted by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, provided the officers with the knowledge and skills to plan and execute operations involving the protection of dignitaries, including local officials and governors, and to participate as members of a dignitary security detail.
“These officers came from several different state and local law enforcement agencies in Mexico,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lt. and Hancock PSTC instructor Juan Camarena. “They are assigned to protect state and local politicians and other dignitaries, and this training will help them build those skills.”
The training took place Aug. 26-Sept. 4 and included modules involving high-speed driving, physical security and other key skills.
The class was able to practice those skills at Hancock’s state-of-the-art facility, which includes a shooting range, Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC), and several simulated residential and commercial buildings in the complex’s “scenario village.
“Allan Hancock College is honored to have played a part in providing this important law enforcement training in conjunction with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to our colleagues from Mexico,” said Mitch McCann, associate dean for Hancock’s PSTC.
“The Public Safety Training Complex is a renowned training facility, and these police officers will be able to take the new skills they learned at Hancock back with them to better serve and protect their communities,” he said.
The training is the result of the Sheriffs Office’s participation with the Santa Barbara and Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Law Enforcement Exchange Program. This is the first time the training has been held at Hancock’s PSTC.
“You have been in good hands the last 10 days,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown, who attended the graduation ceremony. “I am certain that you have learned tactics that you will be able to take with you for the rest of your lives.”
— Christopher McGuinness for Allan Hancock College.