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ON THE JOB NEWS EYE ON EDUCATION LEADERSHIP JUST HANDED DOWN MISSION CRITICAL SYSTEMS concentrated on individuals as they closely watched and coached offcers in the skills need to complete the training. It was not uncommon for instructors to have their backs to much of the training that was occurring, especially if one offcer was having diffculty or needed additional instruction. Cannon Falls Police Chief Jeff McCormick noted, "Early on in my career, I was a frearms instructor. I found out how quickly I could lose sight of the whole picture on the shooting range." The Looping Tactic The instructors took advantage of the TSOs and started a quick check-in that came to be known as "looping." As the instructor began to rely on the TSO to keep track of the entire session, it was common to hear the instructor ask, "Am I missing anything?" The TSOs did not have much to report during the frst couple of check-ins other than an occasional reminder about safety equipment or to point out that a mat needed to be repositioned. However, as a training session progressed, TSOs brought forward valuable information that the instructor had missed. Typical TSO observations: They are getting tired; they are losing concentration; they need a break. Sometimes they had very specifc information about individuals such as the offcer who was pointing his gun a dangerous direction during magazine changes, or that two offcers were becoming overly aggressive during a defensive tactics class. Here, a TSO told the instructor it was time for a break, and it was time to change training partners because, he said, "I could see where things were going." That phrase has become the informal motto of the TSO program as the TSOs repeatedly worked with the instructor to catch minor problems early and keep the training on track by following the lesson plan. The TSOs also identifed the "offscript" actions to watch for, and they pointed out that these actions were more likely to occur toward the end of training. The active-shooter training session at Cannon Falls High School was complicated and fast-paced. The TSOs had identifed the safety of the volunteer citizen role-players as their priority. A TSO detected that the role-players were becoming bored as they acted out the same scene for different groups of offcers, and he saw that they were starting to go off-script. His friendly reminders and constant oversight made a night of very dynamic, realistic training go safely. He even covered a Smart Board to protect it from an errant paint ball round. Another aspect of risk management: protection of equipment! came the foundation for the program. It helped the instructor and the TSO organize the training from a risk management standpoint. Woodbury Police Commander Kris Mienert observed, "It is more work up front, but it is important." Cannon Falls' McCormick echoed those thoughts. "We were starting to do some of this already, but the TSO program formalized it and gave it structure." The TSO needs to be highly visible during the training session. The test site evaluation revealed that the TSO needed to wear a refective vest both to stand out from the other training participants and to serve as a visual reminder that the session was being observed. LMCIT staff believe the highly visible TSO had a bit of a "Hawthorne Effect" on the trainees. They were very aware they were being watched, and that helped keep them on script. The TSO program works and greatly reduces law-enforcement training injuries. It also works for emergency medical, fre and emergency management training. Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate stated, "The TSO program has gone well. It is here to stay, as the offcers have bought into it. I am pleased with the gains we've made." "It is a fabulous program," said Police Chief McCormick of Cannon Falls. The IACP Report on "Reducing Offcer Injuries" The Minnesota TSO program fndings are consistent with the recently released IACP study on "Reducing Offcer Injuries." The report supports the adoption of "safety lectures" prior to training activities that could result in offcer injury and measured the reduction in severity and number of training injuries when a safety lecture was used. The report also calls for an increased amount of training in the areas of use of force and in "effecting an arrest" as these areas of training may actually decrease OSHA reportable offcer injuries. It further stated, "Data fndings from the IACP study show a relationship between use-of-force training and overall decreased severity of injury, suggesting that proper, proactive preparation for such inherently dangerous encounters is imperative." Scenario-based training is here to stay because it works. But as realism and stress are added to training environments, risk of injury (even death) increases. A TSO program is not about watering down effective law enforcement training. It is about using all of the controls reasonably available in a training environment to deliver that training safely. It costs only some extra time and effort—clearly a bargain when compared to the full cost of training injuries. Results and Lessons Learned The connection and communication between the TSO and the instructor makes the program work. That connection starts during the planning of the training and continues through the training session as they check in with each other and maintain a high level of situational awareness as to what is occurring. This constant looping was found benefcial at every site. The safety plan, pre-site inspection, and safety briefng be- 12 LAW and ORDER I January 2014 LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com