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Chief Jeff O’Dell
With a local school resource officer program recently making headlines, the Kissimmee Police Department is training its officers how to handle critical moments when it involves young people.
The agency will be roleplaying with members of KPD’s Explorer program, which involves residents between 14 and 21 years of age. The members learn about law enforcement through practical application and training in the Explorer program.
Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said training with the Explorers would be “very controlled’ so nobody gets injured.
“We don’t ever give our officers a scenario when they are talking to a kid or dealing with a kid,” O’Dell said.
The chief thought about the new training techniques after the school resource officer program has been getting some recent attention.
Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office Deputy Ethan Fournier, a school resource officer at Liberty High School, is on paid administrative leave after he slammed female student Taylor Bracey to the ground on Jan. 26 while trying to break up an altercation. It was caught on cell phone video and the viral clip drew national attention. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating to see if any charges are warranted against Fournier.
O’Dell wouldn’t say if that incident was the catalyst for the new training because it’s still under investigation.
When it comes to any tactical maneuvers, O’Dell said officers only train with other adults. Normally officers are matched by size when it comes to training. But what KPD is trying to accomplish is to determine how much force might be necessary for officers when dealing with somebody much smaller and lighter.
“If I trained over the years and it takes me this much force with an adult to get their arms under control, I don’t have any other point of reference,” said O’Dell. “So that’s what we want to do is to give them another point of reference in their training.”
It’s new training that the Kissimmee Police Department could be taking the lead on because O’Dell said he didn’t know of any other agencies that were practicing such tactics.
“I wish I would have though of it sooner,” he added.
He hoped that it might provide a model for other law enforcement agencies.
“In a critical moment, you’re always going to revert back to your training, and so I want to build this into our curriculum,” O’Dell said. In order to be an Explorer
In order to be an Explorer with the Kissimmee Police Department youths must be keep a 2.0 grade point average, be interested in public service and be in good standing with local law enforcement. For more information, visit https://www.kissimmee.gov/departments/police-department/services-and-programs.
