TPD hosts regional training events

Holly Dorman
Posted 12/14/21

The Torrington Police Department hosted a week of training events

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TPD hosts regional training events

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TORRINGTON – The Torrington Police Department hosted a week of training events for dispatchers and officers from across Wyoming and some from Montana where dispatchers learned tips on handling 911 calls and officers learned how to conduct better interviews.

A total of four Torrington dispatchers and six Torrington police officers attended the training. Not every Torrington officer was able to attend the trainings due to still needing 24-hour coverage to keep the department running and the community safe.

The interview class for officers focused on building connections aimed towards helping interviewees share information with officers.

“This is one of the most critical skills that police officers have to have,” TPD Chief Matt Johnson said. “We have to have conversations with folks about some of the most difficult, sensitive, critical pieces of their lives, and sometimes some really unpleasant things. Not to mention, we also try to get people to tell us the truth when sometimes they don’t want to tell us the truth.”

Dispatchers took classes called Basic Spanish for Dispatchers, Crisis Call Handling and 911 Customer Service, skills which tend to come in handy when helping someone in crisis.

“Essentially, you’re talking about how to help people when they’re under stress,” Johnson said. “That’s what we do. We help people when they’re having some of the worst moments in their life.”

Along with helping callers through difficult situations, dispatchers learned tips on how to maintain a healthy state of mind while being exposed to trauma-heavy situations through the calls they take.

Laura Spell from Professional Dispatch Management, the teacher for the dispatch training, came from Mississippi to teach the classes for dispatchers. Instructors like Spell come from across the country to teach classes in small departments like Torrington’s. One of Johnson’s focuses since coming to Torrington has been bringing quality training events to the officers here.

“From an economic standpoint, it’s a big deal for us to be able to host training,” Johnson said. “It allows us not to have to pay for travel, not have to pay for per diem, not to have as much impact on our staffing because we can bring the training here.”

Johnson says it hasn’t always been easy to bring training here, but still believes in its importance. These trainings also help TPD focus on its core beliefs.

“We function on the mantra that the way we treat people defines us,” Johnson said. “Learning how to be intentional about building relationships, being kind to people, learning indications of untruthfulness…It’s just a critical skill for police officers.”