FLETC ournal Volume 11

Fall - Winter

2013

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTERS

 ARTESIA CHARLESTON CHELTENHAM GLYNCO 

J

The History and Mission of the BIA Office 

of Justice Services, Indian Police Academy

Page 18

Active Threat Training 

Designed to Save Lives 

Page 22
2 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 

Foreword

Donald R. Lewis

Chief Financial Officer

We are experiencing unprecedented times in the federal budget arena. As a public 

servant with 30 years of federal service I can say that these times are as uncertain, if 

not more so, than any other in the recent past. Our nation has faced serious fiscal and 

economic challenges, and we still have a long road ahead in our economic recovery. 

In this austere climate, the federal government will continue to take prudent budget 

measures to respond to our nation’s evolving international, domestic and economic 

challenges. While we hope the future will bring a more stable budget process, 

continuing resolutions, debt ceiling issues and sequester are the current context in 

which we operate. 

In the midst of these challenges, our staff and our partners remain highly dedicated to our mission to train 

those who protect the homeland. FLETC is the definition of a “can do” organization. We have a spirit of 

excellence and innovation in working with our partners, developing cutting edge law enforcement training, 

and advancing professionalism in policing at the federal, state, local and international level. We take very 

seriously our responsibility to ensure the officers and agents who come through our programs are prepared 

to do their jobs safely and effectively. We come together around a common mission, and we never let the 

importance of that mission slip far from our thoughts. 

Those of us in the backrooms with the green eye shades on, those processing personnel requests, 

those working through the complexities of a contracting action, and those supporting numerous other 

administrative functions know we all have to do our part to ensure our front line instructors can successfully 

do theirs. There is no job that is unimportant and no idea for improvement that should not be brought to the 

forefront. Director Connie L. Patrick recognizes and stresses innovation as crucial to our continued success. 

In this budget climate it is vitally important that we each look at how we can improve individually and 

collectively to do our jobs more efficiently and effectively. Beyond “doing more with less,” we have to think 

differently. 

Looking to the future, the next five years will continue to challenge us from a budget standpoint. I think 

the bottom line is that FLETC will rise to fulfill our commitment to our mission. Our values of “Respect,” 

“Integrity,” “Service,” and “Excellence” aptly guide what we do more than ever before. As you peruse the 

articles in this edition of the FLETC Journal, I encourage you to be mindful of the questions we will all 

confront in the days, months and even years ahead, but more so to appreciate our staff ’s dedication to our 

nation’s law enforcement officers.

Don Lewis

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

1131 Chapel Crossing Road

Glynco, Georgia 31524

Cover Photograph: The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is located at the FLETC in Artesia, New Mexico. A memorial ceremony is held every May to honor those officers who have made the supreme sacrifice in Indian Country.
www.fletc.gov 3

2 Foreword

Message from Chief Financial Officer

Donald R. Lewis

8 A Continuing Story of Firearms 

Simulation

FLETC was looking for a training 

system that could be applied as an 

enterprise-wide tool. 

11 FLETC Cheltenham

Cheltenham facility is the training 

facility of choice in the National Capital 

Region (NCR).

14 FLETC Furthers Partnership with 

INTERPOL

Over the past several years, FLETC 

has actively participated in INTERPOL 

training activities, providing instruction 

in different parts of the world, such as 

Guatemala, France, and Jamaica. 

17 FLETC and CCGA Sign College 

Credit Agreement

The agreement enables FLETC 

students to obtain college credit 

hours for three FLETC basic training 

programs.

18 The History and Mission of the 

BIA Office of Justice Services, Indian 

Police Academy 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), 

Office of Justice Services (OJS), 

provides police, corrections, and court 

services across this broad expanse of 

Indian Country.

27 National Summit on Preventing 

Multiple Casualty Violence

FLETC hosted a second summit in 

which leading experts gathered to 

refine the prevention model. 

29 Wireless Protocol Training

Wi-Fi technology has fundamentally 

changed the way many of us think 

about communications privacy.

34 FLETC’s Role with The Blue 

Campaign

Human trafficking is a modern-day 

form of slavery involving the illegal 

trade of human beings for the purpose 

of exploitation or commercial gain. 

The Active Shooter/Threat Response Training Program, designed and 

implemented by FLETC, is the quintessential example of the necessity 

for law enforcement trainers to constantly evaluate programs and 

either adjust existing or create new programs to address specific 

trends in criminal activity. 

In general, the USMS executes 

arrest warrants on some of the 

most violent offenders living in the 

United States and its territories. 

FLETC Hosts Joint 

Peace Officers 

Memorial Ceremony

FALL 2013 VOLUME 11

Federal Law Enforcement Training 

Centers (FLETC) held its 28th annual 

ceremony Wednesday, May 29, honoring 

those FLETC graduates who lost their 

lives in the performance of duty.

FLETCJ

22

39

32

ACTIVE THREAT TRAINING 

DESIGNED TO SAVE LIVES

U.S. Marshals Take 

Steps to Ensure 

Officer Safety
4 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 

The FLETC Journal is a law enforcement training 

magazine produced and published by the Federal 

Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). It 

is produced, published, and printed through a joint 

collaboration with the Protocol and Communications 

Office and the Government Printing Office. The 

printed circulation is 2,000 and is also available 

electronically on the FLETC website at http://www.

fletc.gov/about-fletc

The content of this publication is written in 

accordance to the guidelines of the Associated Press 

(AP) style. Views and opinions expressed in this 

publication are those of the authors, and do not 

necessarily reflect the FLETC training policy or 

doctrine. Articles, photographs, and other contributions 

are welcomed from the law enforcement training 

community and academia. Publication depends on 

general topical interest as judged by the editors. 

Active Threat Training Designed to Cut 

Response Time, Save Lives

David R. Alexander is a rehired instructor 

currently assigned to the General 

Training Branch at the FLETC 

in Artesia, N.M. He began 

working for the FLETC Artesia 

in 2006 following his retirement 

from the U.S. Border Patrol. 

Alexander retired as the Patrol 

Agent In Charge of the Brackettville Station in 

Texas with 26 years of service. Other positions 

he held were assistant chief patrol agent/director 

of the National Canine Facility, assistant chief 

patrol agent/Operation Alliance, and supervisory 

border patrol agent. 

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sul 

Ross State University, Alpine, Texas, and an 

associate’s degree from Southwest Texas Junior 

College, Uvalde, Texas.

David Udulutch is a former law enforcement 

specialist (Instructor) for the 

Tactical Applications Branch 

of the Enforcement Operations 

Division at the FLETC. He taught 

tactical applications to students 

from a wide variety of different 

federal participating organizations 

and certifies other instructors on tactical 

applications and tactical response to active events. 

Udulutch’s law enforcement experience spans 

17 years, beginning as a volunteer auxiliary police 

officer in St. Marys, Ga., where he later became 

a full-time police officer and implemented the 

department’s first bicycle patrol program. He was 

also assigned to the Specialized Response Team, 

Juvenile Crimes Unit, and motor unit. He was 

recognized by the St. Marys Police Department 

as Police Officer of the Year in 1998 and by the 

VFW in 2000. He subsequently worked for the 

Glynn County Police Department, Ga., for five 

years.

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTERS

FLETCJournal

DIRECTOR

Connie L. Patrick

EDITORIAL TEAM

LAYOUT/GRAPHICS

Keith Gartman

Front Row (L-R): Alicia Gregory, Jen Tocco, Susan Thornton

Second Row: Carl Milazzo, Preston Farley, Dominick Braccio

Third Row: Bobby Masano, Ed McGuire, Karen Lane

Fourth Row: Ed Sizemore, William Norris, Kevin Miller

Not Pictured: Jeff DuPont, Richard Speed, Kevin Thornton
www.fletc.gov 5

The History and Mission of the BIA Office of 

Justice Services, Indian Police Academy

John D. Chavers, Ph.D., serves as the deputy 

associate director of the Bureau 

of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office 

of Justice Services, U.S. Indian 

Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. 

Although he is employed by the 

FLETC as a deputy assistant 

director, he is currently on a 

three year detail to BIA. He previously served 

as the site director of FLETC Office of Artesia 

Operations (OAO); deputy assistant director of 

Administration, OAO; division chief, Office of 

Artesia Training; and as the director of the Indian 

Police Academy. Chavers has over 33 years of 

combined federal, state and local law enforcement 

experience having served as a uniformed police 

officer, special agent/federal air marshal, and 

in various FLETC positions including senior 

instructor and branch chief in multiple training 

disciplines. 

US Marshals Take Steps to Ensure Officer 

Safety

William T. Fallon is the assistant director for 

Training, United States Marshals 

Service (USMS). In this position, 

he oversees all USMS training and 

leadership development. Fallon 

has led numerous initiatives 

and projects to include the 

development of a comprehensive 

distance learning program which included the 

creation of LearnUSMS, the centralization of 

all agency training to include international, and 

oversight of all agency conference and training 

requests and reporting. Under his leadership, the 

USMS has made many changes to operational 

programs related to officer safety. Fallon currently 

serves on the Federal Law Enforcement Training 

Accreditation Board and the Department of 

Justice’s Leadership Development Council.

Contributors

Fallon has served in the USMS for over 25 years 

and worked in numerous divisions and districts 

to include the Witness Security Division, Human 

Resources Division, and several district offices 

in Western Virginia, Massachusetts, Oregon, 

Rhode Island and Northern Ohio. In 2008, 

he was the national commander of Operation 

FALCON, which resulted in the arrest of over 

19,000 fugitives. Fallon achieved his Bachelor of 

Science degree from Westfield State University 

in Westfield, Mass., and his master’s degree in 

National Security and Strategic Studies from the 

United States Navy War College. 

FLETC Furthers Partnership with INTERPOL

Connie L. Patrick was selected as the fifth 

Director of the Federal Law 

Enforcement Training Centers 

(FLETC) in July 2002. Previously, 

Patrick spent over six years in 

various FLETC Associate Director 

positions. She provides oversight 

for the training of the majority of 

federal officers and agents. FLETC serves over 

90 federal agencies; provides training to state, 

local, and international police; and graduates over 

70,000 students annually.

Headquartered on approximately 1,600 acres 

at Glynco, near Brunswick, Ga., the FLETC 

also operates facilities in Artesia, New Mexico; 

Charleston, South Carolina; Cheltenham, 

Maryland; and provides academic, operational 

and program support for the International Law 

Enforcement Academies in Gaborone, Botswana; 

San Salvador, El Salvador; Bangkok, Thailand; and 

Budapest, Hungary. 

Prior to her appointment at the FLETC, Patrick 

completed a distinguished 20-year sworn law 

enforcement career in Florida, starting in 1976 as 

a deputy sheriff with the Brevard County Sheriff ’s 

Office. She served in uniform patrol, vice and 

narcotics, homicide, and intelligence. In 1981, 

Patrick became a special agent with the Florida 
6 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 

Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). 

The FDLE investigated protracted multi 

jurisdictional organized crime in the State 

of Florida. Patrick was promoted to special 

agent supervisor, Assistant Special Agent in 

Charge of the Tampa Regional Operations 

Bureau, Special Agent in Charge of the 

FDLE Intelligence and Investigative Support 

Bureau, Director of the Florida Criminal 

Justice Executive Institute in Tallahassee, and 

retired as Director of the Division of Human 

Resources and Training. 

Patrick is active in the community and serves 

as an advisor to the College of Coastal Georgia 

Foundation. She serves as the Chairperson of 

the INTERPOL Group of Experts on Police 

Training (IGEPT) and serves on the Executive 

Committee of the National Law Enforcement 

Exploring Committee. 

Patrick has received numerous awards, 

including the Distinguished Presidential Rank 

Award and the Presidential Meritorious Rank 

Award, the government’s highest Civil Service 

awards. Patrick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree 

in Criminal Justice from the University of 

Central Florida.

Jen Tocco began her civil service career in 

2008, and currently serves as a 

management and program analyst 

in the Director’s Office. She 

previously held positions in the 

Office of State and Local Training 

and the Rural Policing Institute. 

Prior to moving to Georgia, Tocco 

worked in the nonprofit and academic sectors. 

Her nonprofit background consists of fundraising and program management positions, 

including Donor Relations Director for the 

Salvation Army’s New Jersey Division and 

assistant director for the Scholarship Fund for 

Inner-City Children in Newark, New Jersey. 

While completing her graduate studies, 

Tocco served as a research fellow at the Rutgers 

Graduate School of Education’s Center for 

Educational Policy Analysis, where she worked 

on research teams conducting studies in a variety 

of topics, including educational accountability 

and evaluation, charter schools, and school 

voucher programs. She was responsible for data 

collection, data analysis, and writing, with a 

specialty in qualitative research methods. Tocco 

holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major 

in Political Science and History from Drew 

University, a Master of Education degree with 

a focus on Educational Policy and Qualitative 

Research Methods from Rutgers University, and 

a Master of Public Administration degree from 

Valdosta State University. She also completed 

all doctoral coursework in educational policy 

while at Rutgers.

FLETC’s Role with The Blue Campaign: DHS’ 

Unified Effort to Combat Human Trafficking

Scott Santoro is a program manager with the 

FLETC Washington Office in 

Washington, D. C. He is currently 

assigned as the training advisor 

to the Senior Counselor to the 

Secretary of Homeland Security. 

He manages training programs for 

the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign. These 

programs include training federal, state and local 

law enforcement about human trafficking; issues 

surrounding unaccompanied children illegally 

crossing the U.S. border; and other courses 

related to violence against women and girls. 

Prior to his position with the FLETC, Santoro 

was a prosecuting attorney for more than 15 

years, working in the Seattle, Wash., area. In 

addition, he has more than 18 years of law 

enforcement training experience. 

Notable projects Santoro led include: a 

computer-based training program for state, 

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTERS

FLETCJournal
www.fletc.gov 7

local, tribal and campus officers to identify 

indicators of human trafficking; a second 

web-based course to train all DHS personnel 

about human trafficking; an advanced human 

trafficking course for federal agents and 

prosecutors, a training for ICE Field Office 

Juvenile Coordinators and most recently two 

roll-call videos explaining immigration relief 

provided by DHS to foreign crime victims and 

how that relief benefits law enforcement when 

investigating those crimes.

A Continuing Story of Firearms Simulation

Ed Sizemore, M.A., M.S., CPP, is a Senior 

Instructor at the Federal Law 

Enforcement Training Centers 

at Glynco, Georgia, where he 

has served for fifteen years. With 

graduate degrees in security 

management and counseling 

as well as postgraduate work 

in homeland security, he currently serves in 

the Firearms Division, and previously served 

as a Senior Instructor in the former FLETC 

Management Institute. Ed is a 2011 graduate 

of the FLETC Future Leaders Program. A 

retired Coast Guard officer and a former 

Special Agent of the Coast Guard Investigative 

Service, Ed is a true believer in providing 

quality professional law enforcement training 

to all of FLETC’s students. 

FLETC Cheltenham: Training facility of 

choice in National Capitol Region

Duke Speed is a senior instructor in the 

Cheltenham In-Service Tactics 

Branch at the FLETC in 

Cheltenham, Md. He joined the 

FLETC in August of 2009 and 

currently serves as the program 

coordinator for the Protective 

Detail Refresher Course, the 

Contributors

DHS International Pre-Deployment Training 

Program and co-coordinator for several other 

center advanced and agency specific training 

programs. Prior to joining FLETC, Duke 

served in a variety of training and operational 

roles for various government entities. 

Speed is a 20-year veteran of the United 

States Marine Corps with various leadership, 

operational, and training assignments in force 

reconnaissance, division reconnaissance, special 

operations, infantry, aviation, and recruiting. He 

is certified as a military free-fall parachutist, 

jumpmaster, combatant diver, dive supervisor, 

mountain leader, helicopter insert/extract 

officer, and various firearms/tactics instructor 

ratings. Speed has a Bachelor of Science 

(graduating magna cum laude) in Criminal 

justice from the National University, La Jolla, 

Calif., and was the recipient of a leadership 

scholarship.

FLETC’s Wireless Protocol Training

Ken Wagoner is a senior instructor in the 

Technical Operations Division 

at FLETC in Glynco, Ga. He 

has been involved with the 

FLETC Electronic Surveillance 

Programs since his arrival in 

2006. Previously, Wagoner 

served 22-years as a special 

agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special 

Investigations working in counterintelligence 

investigations and crimes against persons 

and property, with an emphasis on narcotics 

investigations. In 1996, he received the Special 

Intelligence Award from the Director of the 

Central Intelligence Agency. 
8 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 

(A + W + R + S + I) x HrI x M = TM – A formula 

for basic firearms training. Ammunition plus Weapon 

plus Range plus Student plus Instructor with the last 

two being multiplied by Hours of Instruction and 

Money equals a Trained Marksman – simple math! 

Or is it? 

When organizations begin to factor the other 

elements of firearms training into the equation, 

the concept becomes much more complicated. 

Ammunition continues to increase in price and is 

subject to numerous trends that make it difficult 

to obtain and expensive to store. Weapons require 

constant maintenance and are prone to wear and 

tear. Ranges need extensive upkeep and are subject 

to intense scrutiny by communities and agencies due 

to environmental concerns. With the current fiscal 

conditions, budget scrutiny and austerity practices are 

norms that all agencies – large and small – must live 

within.

In addition, students remain a constant in planning, 

but instructors and safety officers are often in short 

supply. To become a proficient marksman, a certain 

amount of training is essential. When faced with 

these limitations, where can an organization turn? 

A fortuitous cascade of events turned what 

could have been a negative into a positive. In 2010, 

the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers 

(FLETC) in Glynco, Ga., was faced with a unique 

problem. One of its indoor ranges – a 50-yard range 

with 25 firing positions – was determined to have 

significant damage that made renovation as a livefire range cost prohibitive. At the same time, there 

was also a call for new ideas in training methods 

and a continuing struggle to do more with less while 

maintaining or increasing the quality of the training. 

FLETC Firearms Division (FAD) decided to look 

at how it could best utilize the range’s tremendous 

space in a way that could make it available for 

numerous other uses. This range (Range E) offered an 

opportunity to think “outside the box” and develop a 

new and innovative training venue on a grand scale 

that could potentially fill several vital niches at the 

FLETC. 

With this environment as the backdrop, innovators 

on the FLETC staff embarked on a firearms 

simulation study (see ‘Firearms Simulation Study’ 

in the Spring 2011 edition of the FLETC Journal) 

to look at the effectiveness of training students with 

firearms simulators. The initial concern was to look at 

simulation for the Basic Marksmanship Instruction 

(BMI) phase of training. This segment of the firearms 

training encompasses the basic competencies of sight 

A Continuing Story of 
www.fletc.gov 9

picture, sight alignment, trigger control and general 

weapon handling skills. 

FLETC was looking for a training system that 

could be applied as an enterprise-wide tool. Taking 

simulations used in various programs and developed 

by one of FLETC’s enterprise suppliers, the FLETC 

Training Innovation Division (TID) worked with 

FAD to conduct research using weapons outfitted 

with laser inserts and resetting triggers. The results 

of the research, which involved students from the 

local College of Coastal Georgia and the United 

States Marshals Service, shows that the differences 

between groups initially trained with laser simulators 

before switching to live-fire weapons was statistically 

insignificant from those who progressed through all 

their handgun training with live fire weapons.

In addition to solving many of the problems noted 

in the formula at the beginning of this article, the 

use of shooting simulators gave instructors an often 

overlooked advantage – the ability to communicate 

with the students in a normal voice since hearing 

protection was no longer required. Simulators also 

allowed for more effective use of range time since the 

time normally allotted for range cleanup on a live 

fire range could now be used for additional practice. 

Further, there were numerous safety advantages to 

using laser pistols with basic students learning their 

grip, stance, trigger pull and other essential weapon 

handling skills on their road to firearms proficiency. 

For many firearms instructors, the lack of recoil 

on laser outfitted weapons seems counterintuitive. 

However, given the current status of training weapons 

equipped with recoil kits (inherently high prices and 

efficiency issues) and with the positive results from 

the use of non-recoil weapons in the simulation 

study and from studies done by other agencies, FAD 

decided to proceed with non-recoil weapons to the 

next step in developing a system for student training.

The FLETC, with significant input from many 

of its divisions, began the process of looking at the 

space available and brainstorming ideas that would 

allow for the maximum amount of quality space 

utilization. The first step was the development of plans 

for the transformation of the range into something 

that would be both cutting edge and also a practical 

addition to the training needs of the law enforcement 

students. With the ability to handle far more 

students in a given space than a live-fire range, lower 

maintenance costs, and greater sustainability; firearms 

simulation training can be seen as a firearms facility 

multiplier that quite literally offers more “bang for the 

buck.”

 Firearms Simulation

By Ed Sizemore
10 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

Sight picture, trigger control, grip, stance = SUCCESS!

A new (and quieter) approach to learning basic marksmanship skills. The 

shorter difference in range depth was overcome by manipulating the size 

of the projected targets to simulate distances from three to 25 yards. Using 

weapons converted for laser use, the projected targets can provide realistic 

shooting opportunities for the student.

Given the amount of space made available by the 

now-defunct live fire range, there could be multiple 

areas developed for firearms training and other 

firearms related use. As the plans were developed, 

there was an opportunity for an added benefit – an 

area for the development and testing of innovative 

training and simulations. Of primary concern was 

the area to be dedicated to basic marksmanship 

training.

For this training, the FLETC decided to establish 

three classrooms that could handle 24 students in 

a simulated range setting much like the live-fire 

ranges that are currently used, but with significantly 

shorter distances. The difference in range depth was 

overcome by manipulating the size of the projected 

targets to simulate distances from three to 25 yards. 

Using weapons converted for laser use, the projected 

targets can provide realistic shooting opportunities. 

For example, the student has the ability to shoot a 

wide range of firearms courses of fire while receiving 

feedback from both the system itself and from the 

assigned firearms instructors.

As earlier mentioned, the benefit of working on 

firearms basics without the need for hearing or eye 

protection allows for better communication with the 

student and far greater comfort for all involved. The 

limited range maintenance required, ease of setting 

up a range for a class, and savings in ammunition costs 

are added benefits for the FLETC and its more than 

90 Partner Organizations who use the FLETC to 

train their agents and officers. Further, the new virtual 

firing ranges have significant flexibility that will allow 

for use for other training efforts, such as judgment 

pistol shooting.

In addition to the three virtual firing ranges, a 

fourth classroom was opened for the development 

of integrated tactical training. This room does 

not represent a test bed for theoretical exercises, 

but, rather, an area for applied technologies and 

applications that will benefit FLETC students in 

their law enforcement training. Finally, after the 

development of the four classrooms, room was still 

available for an ammunition storage area (completely 

separated from the classrooms for safety reasons) that 

allows for ready storage in more convenient proximity 

to the FLETC’s indoor ranges. The ability to store 

ammunition in a climate controlled environment near 

the site of its use will be a further savings. 

As the Range E Project nears culmination, the 

FLETC can expect to see significant cost savings 

during the basic marksmanship phase of firearms 

training while providing an increased opportunity for 

an expanded use of cutting edge technology. Range 

E represents a big step forward for the FLETC by 

incorporating advances in facilities and technology to 

enhance law enforcement training.

A CONTINUING STORY OF FIREARMS SIMULATION
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) Cheltenham facility 

– one of four domestic FLETC training delivery points – is located eight miles 

southeast of Washington, D.C. and one mile from Andrews Joint Military 

Base. It has been in operation for less than 10 years, yet it has quickly become 

the training facility of choice in the National Capital Region (NCR). Several 

agencies have staff assigned onsite, including three with academies co-located 

at the facility: The United States Capitol Police, the Pentagon Force Protection 

Agency, and the Prince Georges County Fire Academy. 

The training facility specializes in firearms, driving, tactics, and physical 

techniques training while serving nearly every federal agency in the NCR and 

a host of state and local law enforcement agencies.

FLETC Cheltenham: 

Training Facility of Choice 

in the

National Capital Region

By Duke Speed

www.fletc.gov 11
12 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 

FLETC Cheltenham and its History with National 

Defense

The original site served as a U.S. Naval Communications 

Station for 60 years from 1938 to 1998. Several historic 

events occurred at the Cheltenham site, but the most 

notable took place on December 4, 1941, when U.S. 

Navy personnel intercepted the fateful “Winds Execute” 

message that was sent to the Japanese Embassy in 

Washington, D.C. indicating Japan’s intention to break 

relations with the United States. Three days later, on 

December 7, Cheltenham received notification of the 

infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

The FLETC Cheltenham Concept is Visualized

As the Navy’s operational requirements for the 

Cheltenham facility decreased, the operational training 

requirements for NCR law enforcement agencies 

increased. Because of increasing community concerns 

and more stringent environmental requirements, 

several NCR law enforcement firearms ranges were 

closed while the demand for firearms qualification 

and requalification increased. This training shortfall 

was recognized in November 1999, when the Treasury 

Under Secretary of Law Enforcement commissioned a 

working group to examine the firearms requalification 

needs of law enforcement agencies in the metropolitan 

Washington, D.C. region. 

President Clinton signs the Establishment of FLETC 

Cheltenham into Law

On Oct. 23, 2000, President William J. Clinton signed 

Public Law 106-346 (Department of Transportation 

and Relations Appropriations Act of 2001) authorizing 

the “establishment and operation of a metropolitan area 

law enforcement training center for the Department 

of the Treasury, other federal agencies, the United 

States Capitol Police, and the Washington, D. C. 

Metropolitan Police Department. The principal function 

of the center shall be for firearms and vehicle operation 

requalification...and training for other state and local 

law enforcement agencies on a space-available basis.” 

On Nov. 9, 2000, the FLETC Director requested 

the General Services Administration to transfer the 

former Naval Communications Detachment to the 

organization. 

Cheltenham Develops it Training Complex

The first renovation project, Building 3, was completed, 

and the United States Capitol Police (USCP) Training 

Academy took temporary residence and began training 

operations. 

The “Number One” construction priority, the 

permanent home of the USCP Training Academy, 

Building 31, was completed on schedule in midSeptember 2002. The $3.6 million dollar rehabilitation 

project was completed within six days of the project 

completion date, and the formal rededication/opening 

ceremony was held on Sept. 30, 2002. In attendance 

during this historic event were 250 Congressional 

staffers; current and former USCP officers; former 

USCP Chiefs; FLETC staff; federal, state, and local 

agency representatives, and members of the local 

community. Attendees heard words of congratulations, 

appreciation, and commitment to consolidated law 

enforcement training.

The U.S. Capitol Police Training Academy consists of 

30,285 square feet, which contains five large classrooms, 

a defensive tactics classroom, seven breakout rooms, 

a media center, gymnasium, locker and shower 

facilities, and 23 offices for instructional staff. In 2008, 

construction was completed on a 40,000-square-foot 

Practical Applications Complex (PAC) that resembles 

many of the venues found in the U.S. Capitol, to 

include the Gallery, Grand Staircase, and the Visitors 

Center.

In December 2003, the $24 million dollar indoor 

firearm facility (Building 5) was completed. This stateof-the-art complex is one of the largest indoor firearm 

ranges in the United States. The completely climatecontrolled complex features a four 25-yard, two 50-

yard, and one 100-yard indoor firing ranges, for a total 

of 108 firing points. Firearms training began in the new 

firearms complex on Feb. 9, 2004. 

The 1.3 mile Driver Training Complex was completed 

in 2005, in conjunction with the Driver Training 

Branch classroom and office facility. Unlike the 

relatively flat grade of other FLETC driver training 

ranges, the Cheltenham complex utilizes the natural 

contours of the terrain in order to present officers and 

FLETC Cheltenham: Training Facility of Choice in the National Capital Region
www.fletc.gov 13

The indoor firearm facility (Building 5) is a state-of-the-art complex and one of 

the largest indoor firearm ranges in the United States. 

agents with real-world driving conditions. The design 

includes rolling terrain and elevation changes, a NonEmergency Vehicle Operations (NEVO) range, a skid 

control range, a highway response range, and an urban 

grid. 

The design of the driver training facility includes 

purpose-built hazards that a driver may encounter, 

including loss of traction, changes in pavement texture, 

wet pavement areas, and bridge expansion joints. 

Other hazards, deliberately designed, include blind 

intersections, “suicide” lanes, and operational traffic 

signals.

Additionally, the Office of Cheltenham Operations 

Partner Organization Building 50 was established, 

creating much needed office space for Cheltenham 

Administration Division personnel, Base Operations 

Services contractors, and onsite instructional staff 

for the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Police 

Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the 

Pentagon Force Protection Agency. This three-story, 

20,481-square-foot, former Navy dormitory was 

completely renovated and converted into much needed 

office space. 

It is not just the buildings that make up the training 

complex. The heart of any organization is its personnel 

and FLETC Cheltenham is no different. The staff is 

composed of an eclectic group of management, training, 

and support personnel, all with diverse personal and 

professional backgrounds. Not long after taking control 

of the site, FLETC personnel strength grew from the 

original two to a staff of 19 personnel. The core of 

FLETC Cheltenham’s instructor staff is found in its 

Advanced Weapons, Driver Training, and In-Service 

Tactics training branches.

Ted Sparks, Cheltenham site director stated, “The staff 

is outstanding and have served in some of the largest 

departments in the Mid-Atlantic Region and from the 

military. All instructors are cross-trained to work in 

a variety of areas and routinely assist outside of their 

primary training branch. When something needs to get 

done, everyone pitches in to make it happen, whether 

it involves training or removing snow so we can open 

the doors. The Training Management Division and 

Scheduling keep the students and customers rolling 

in, and Facilities ensures the training venues are ready 

for use. Information Technology, of course, keeps us 

connected to the rest of the world.”

“Cheltenham operates much differently from 

other FLETC sites in that the primary mission is 

requalification training,” said Sparks. “Given the 

limited staff, the agency conducting training generally 

provides instructors and Cheltenham supplements 

with instructors on each range. Of course, this isn’t the 

case for center-advanced programs, where Cheltenham 

provides all instruction.” 

The staff of subject matter experts work together to 

ensure that the students attending the facility have the 

best training environment available. In 2006, FLETC 

Cheltenham received recognition as an accredited law 

enforcement academy by the Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board.

Sparks sums up FLETC Cheltenham by stating, “Our 

number one priority is excellent customer service; happy 

customers are our best advertisers. I am proud of what 

we’ve accomplished here and take pride in the fact 

that we’ve continued to grow even through the lean 

times and tight budgets. We’ve seen the student and 

customer throughput go from a little over 3,000 during 

the first year to the 21,000 range we’re seeing today. 

Along with the increase in numbers, we’re finding that 

the customers are staying longer. The one thing you 

will never hear from the staff is that we can’t do it.”
FLETC 

Furthers 

Partnership 

with INTERPOL

By Connie L. Patrick

and

Jennifer E. Tocco

14
www.fletc.gov 15

Partnerships have been a defining feature of the Federal 

Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) since 

its founding four decades ago. Its core functions of 

developing and delivering law enforcement training have 

always involved close cooperation with federal partner 

organizations, and over the years, the state, local, and 

international law enforcement communities have become 

more and more enveloped in its mission. Collaboration 

is thus interwoven into the fabric of the FLETC culture, 

which ensures that different agencies learn from one 

another, adopt others’ best practices, and engage in 

dialogue that facilitates working together in the field. 

Enormous changes to technology, transportation, and 

communication over the past few decades have required 

law enforcement to look beyond internal borders to the 

vast international landscape in efforts to investigate and 

combat criminal activity. Consequently, FLETC has 

become increasingly engaged with partners all across the 

world. In addition to training and leadership activities at 

the International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEAs) 

in Bangkok, Thailand; San Salvador, El Salvador; 

Gaborone, Botswana; and Budapest, Hungary, FLETC 

has fostered a key partnership with INTERPOL, the 

world’s largest international criminal police organization. 

With 190 member countries, INTERPOL’s mission is to 

prevent and fight crime through enhanced international 

police cooperation, which it accomplishes by connecting 

member countries through a secure communications 

system, providing expertise in forensics, performing 

criminal intelligence functions, and deploying specialized 

response teams to serious crimes or disaster scenes.

Over the past several years, FLETC has actively 

participated in INTERPOL training activities, 

providing instruction in different parts of the world, 

such as Guatemala, France, and Jamaica. FLETC 

staff has served as guest instructors for INTERPOL 

programs in topics including instructor development, 

capacity building, and organized crime. In 2010, 

FLETC coordinated with INTERPOL to hold a police 

technology and research exercise at its headquarters 

in Glynco, Ga., during which more than 80 managers 

and experts from national and international police 

training entities shared best practices on how the latest 

technologies such as simulations, multimedia, and virtual 

environments are used in the field of police training. 

Through these activities, FLETC is able to share its 

expertise with international law enforcement partners, 

and in turn, learn about the law enforcement practices 

in other parts of the world. As part of its partnership 

with INTERPOL, FLETC has trained hundreds of law 

enforcement officers from six continents.

In addition to providing law enforcement training in 

INTERPOL programs, FLETC has shared expertise 

during INTERPOL symposiums and conferences. 

For example, at the 18th INTERPOL Police 

Training Symposium in Turkey in November 2011, 

FLETC briefed on its Women in Law Enforcement 

Leadership Training Program, which continues to be 

in high demand internationally. At this symposium, 

FLETC senior leaders delivered presentations titled 

Law Enforcement Ethics Research Project; Linking 

Innovators, Researchers, and Police Practitioners; and 

Future Emerging Technologies for Police. In September 

2012, FLETC briefed on the benefits of consolidated 

law enforcement training at the European Police College 

(CEPOL) Police Research & Science Conference in 

Lyon, France, an opportunity that arose based on its 

partnership with INTERPOL. FLETC was honored 

that this marked the first occasion when personnel from 

outside of the European Union were invited to present at 

this event. 

In the midst of FLETC’s growing presence on the 

international stage, the Department of Homeland 

FLETC/INTERPOL Technology and Research Exercise attendees at the Federal 

Law Enforcement Training Centers, Glynco, GA, December 14-15, 2010.
16 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

Security’s (DHS) Office of International Affairs (OIA) 

agreed that FLETC was ideally suited to take on a 

leadership role in INTERPOL, supporting the FLETC 

Director serving a two-year term as the Chair of the 

INTERPOL International Group of Experts on Police 

Training (IGEPT). This group consists of members from 

13 countries who advise INTERPOL on the execution 

of its training mandate and promote INTERPOL’s 

training activities to stakeholders globally. One of the 

key benefits for countries participating in the IGEPT is 

the opportunity to learn about innovations in training 

occurring throughout the world. For example, during the 

October meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany, representatives 

from Canada gave a presentation on the Investigative 

Skills and Education Program that is delivered in Alberta, 

Vancouver, and throughout Canada online. Attendees 

also heard about law enforcement executive development 

programs developed and delivered jointly by Hong Kong 

and Canada and also by Australia and New Zealand. 

FLETC shared the results of its international research 

on police ethics, and attendees discussed INTERPOL’s 

initiative for certification of INTERPOL officers. 

During this meeting, a diversity of ideas emerged in 

the midst of such varying cultures creating a kind of 

synergy that would not be possible if law enforcement 

organizations looked only in their own backyards. 

Looking to the future, INTERPOL is in the process 

of constructing the INTERPOL Global Complex 

for Innovation (IGCI), a cutting edge research and 

development facility for the identification of crimes and 

criminals, innovative training, operational support, and 

partnerships. Set to open in Singapore in 2014, it will 

complement the INTERPOL General Secretariat in 

Lyon, France, and will enhance INTERPOL’s presence 

in Asia. A key component of the new facility will be the 

INTERPOL Digital Crime Centre, which will aim to 

boost cybersecurity and counter cybercrime, featuring a 

forensic laboratory to support digital crime investigations. 

Because of the successful partnership FLETC has 

developed with INTERPOL, during 2012 DHS OIA 

requested that it facilitate an agreement between DHS 

and INTERPOL that will result in the assignment of a 

FLETC staff member to the IGCI to assist INTERPOL 

in applying the instructional systems design process to 

training development. FLETC looks forward not only 

to furthering its partnership with INTERPOL through 

this initiative, but also to advancing police professionalism 

worldwide through training. 

Undeniably, law enforcement officers face new kinds of 

threats every day that are not necessarily contained within 

any one nation’s borders, in areas such as cybercrime, 

human trafficking, environmental crime, terrorism, 

maritime piracy, counterfeiting, and organized crime. 

INTERPOL creates a network through which countries 

can share expertise and resources in combatting and 

investigating the complex array of crimes we confront 

in the 21st century. As FLETC has done since its 

inception, sharing best practices is a critical component 

to delivering the best possible law enforcement training, 

and thus FLETC remains dedicated to fostering a strong 

partnership with INTERPOL as an integral component 

to its worldwide mission.

In October 2012, former DHS Secretary Napolitano and INTERPOL Secretary 

General Ronald K. Noble sign a series of agreements to advance global security.

Fourth Annual Meeting of Experts on Police Training (IGEPT) at the BKA 

Wiesbaden, October 23-24, 2012.

FLETC FURTHERS PARTNERSHIP WITH INTERPOL
Connie L. Patrick, Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and Dr. Valerie A. 

Hepburn, former President of the College of Coastal Georgia, signed a historic agreement recently 

that will enable FLETC students to obtain college credit hours for three FLETC basic training 

programs. 

The signing ceremony took place following the college’s trustee meeting and was attended by 

both the FLETC and the college senior leadership. Both Director Patrick and Dr. Hepburn 

acknowledged the work performed by the loaned executives that FLETC has had working at the 

institution over the past several years to provide this benefit to the thousands of eligible agents and 

officers.

Students who have completed the Criminal Investigator, Uniform Police or Land Management 

training programs within the last three years can earn up to 12 hours of college credits that can be 

applied toward degree programs at Coastal Georgia or potentially transferred to another college 

or university. The trainee may also enroll in the program while attending one of the basic training 

courses. The credit earned is equivalent to college courses in criminal justice and law enforcement.

FLETC and College of Coastal Georgia 

Sign College Credit Agreement

www.fletc.gov 17
By John Chavers

The History and Mission of the 

BIA Office of Justice Services, 

Indian Police Academy

U.S. Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

18 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11
There are more than 566 registered Native 

American Tribes within the boundaries of the 

United States of America. The Bureau of Indian 

Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services (OJS), 

provides police, corrections, and court services across 

this broad expanse of Indian Country. BIA OJS is 

responsible for oversight of tribal programs that have 

contracted these services through Public Law 93-

638.

Prior to 1968, availability of police training for 

tribal officers was extremely limited. While a few 

state police training academies granted access to 

BIA and tribal officers, there was a long wait. At 

the federal level, candidates faced a wait of up to 

three years for admission to the FBI academy. 

Consequently, actual job experience and 

on-the-job training, supplemented with 

limited formal in-service instruction, 

were the dominant forms of Indian 

law enforcement training and 

education. These limitations 

precluded effective, professional 

law enforcement services from 

reaching the Indian people.

The U.S. Indian Police Training 

and Research Center had its 

beginning as the U.S. Indian Police 

Academy established at Roswell, N.M., 

on the site of a former Air Force base on Dec. 

17, 1968. The program was designed for the training 

of BIA and tribal law enforcement officers, qualified 

potential Indian Police Officers, and other law 

enforcement personnel working on or near Indian 

reservations. The basic program soon expanded 

to provide specialized training on an “as needed” 

basis for police officers, supervisors and managers, 

juvenile officers, criminal investigators, and 

jail personnel. By 1971, the academy 

was involved in assisting and/or 

conducting field in-service training 

as necessary for specialized 

subjects through short duration 

training sessions.

The academy was operated 

during this period by the 

Bureau’s division of Judicial, 

Prevention and Enforcement 

Services, through a contract with 

the Thiokol Chemical Corporation. 

Fiscal administration was provided by a 

resident coordinator from the Employment 

Assistance Division of the Office of Community 

Services, while Thiokol administered the program 

with instructional staff drawn from local, state, 

federal and tribal agencies, as well as universities and 

private firms.

In 1973, the functions of the police academy were 

relocated to the Inter-mountain, Inter-tribal School 

campus, Brigham City, Utah, as an operation of 

BIA’s Central Office, Division of Law Enforcement 

Services. The Division of Law and Order, Research 

and Statistical Unit, established in 1970 at Pierre, 

S.D., was also reassigned to the Brigham City 

campus and the two units were combined as the 

Center for U.S. Indian Police Training and Research. 

In 1979, the Center was removed from the Division 

The U.S. Indian Police Academy’s main entrance sign - FLETC, Artesia, NM.

U.S. Indian Police Academy students in formation for the day’s training.

www.fletc.gov 19
of Law Enforcement Services and assigned to the 

Office of Technical Assistance and Training.

On Oct. 15, 1984, the academy opened in 

Marana, Ariz., under auspices of the Federal Law 

Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). Then, in 

January 1993, the BIA OJS became a participating 

organization of the FLETC and the academy was 

moved to its present location at the FLETC in 

Artesia, N.M. Basic Criminal Investigator Training 

is conducted at the FLETC in Glynco, Georgia. In 

2011, OJS recognized the need to expand the IPA 

to include a satellite office in Albuquerque, N.M., 

for export and in-service training related to nonFLETC providers like the United States Attorney’s 

Office, Department of Justice, and other contractual 

Indian Country specific export training venders. The 

BIA OJS has also established an additional regional 

training site in partnership with the United Tribes 

Technical College in Bismarck, N.D. This training 

site is used to conduct advanced and outreach 

training programs and has a full-time Indian Police 

Academy training sergeant assigned to the college. 

Together the three training sites conduct 

basic training for police, 

corrections and telecommunications, along with 

advanced training opportunities for BIA and 

tribal public safety personnel.

The IPA is also the home of the Indian Country 

Law Enforcement Officers Memorial which honors 

those officers who have made the supreme sacrifice 

in Indian Country. Each year on the first Thursday 

of May a sacred ceremony is held at the IPA FLETC 

Artesia Site in remembrance of those enshrined on 

the memorial. 

The Memorial Site was designed with the Native 

American traditions in mind. The Memorial is 

encompassed by the Circle of Life. The circle is 

broken in one location to allow for entrance and 

departure. There is sage planted in all four directions 

The History and Mission of the BIA Office of Justice Services, Indian Police Academy

Above: The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony 

is held every May to honor those officers who have made the supreme 

sacrifice in Indian Country.

Left: Late 1800’s photo of tribal law enforcement officers and recent 

graduating class of the Rural Police Officer Training program.

20 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11
next to the Memorial to sanctify the site. The four 

planter areas are filled with white, yellow, black, and 

red rocks. This indicates that we are all brothers 

and sisters in the world. The formation area is done 

in earth-tone brown indicating Mother Earth. 

The foliage is configured in a manner relating to 

the Native American beliefs and traditions. Upon 

completion of the ceremonies conducted each 

year, the site remains sacred ground for all Indian 

Nations. This year two more names were added to 

the memorial on May 2nd.

Christopher Lee Dewey, Deputy, 

Mahnomen County Sheriff ’s Office

“On February 18, 2009, Deputy Dewey and 

another deputy responded to a “vehicle in a ditch” 

call. Earlier in the day both deputies had responded 

to a “shots fired” call, but were unable to locate a 

shooter. When the tow truck driver arrived on 

the scene, he reported hearing shots fired again. 

Both deputies responded to a residence. They 

were approached by two men and a confrontation 

occurred. Deputy Dewey was shot several times. 

The armed subject was apprehended later that day. 

Deputy Dewey after being wounded underwent 

several months of treatment and rehabilitation. Due 

to ongoing complications from the shooting, Deputy 

Dewey succumbed to his injuries on August 10, 

2010.” 

Frederick Albert Riggenbach, Sergeant, 

Chitimacha Tribal Police Department

“On January 26, 2013, Officer Riggenbach 

responded to a request for assistance with a report of 

a residence and vehicle on fire. Officer Riggenbach 

arrived at the scene where two St. Mary Parish 

Deputies in a patrol unit were backing away from 

the scene. At that same time an armed suspect fired 

upon the officers, who returned fire. Both deputies 

were wounded in the exchange, Sergeant Riggenbach 

continued to engage. Sergeant Riggenbach 

was critically wounded by gunshots from the 

armed subject. The armed subject was eventually 

apprehended.”

The U.S. Indian Police Academy in partnership 

with the FLETC continues to provide the finest in 

law enforcement training to BIA and Tribal Officers. 

The U. S. Indian Police Academy serves as the proud 

“Guardians” to the Indian Country Law Enforcement 

Officers Memorial honoring the traditions of Native 

Americans.

U.S. Indian Police Academy’s Memorial Plaque honoring each fallen officer.

www.fletc.gov 21
22 FLETC FLETC

JJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 FALL 2013 Volume 11 
www.fletc.gov 23

The FLETC Active Shooter/Threat 

Response Training Program endeavors 

to provide first responders with the 

tactics necessary to minimize the 

devastation typically rendered during 

an active shooter/threat situation 

while maintaining officer safety.

www.fletc.gov 23
24 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

The teacher turns to the chalkboard to scribble another 

quadratic equation for the students to solve when a loud 

bang comes from down the hallway....then another...

followed by three more in quick succession. In years past 

the teacher would have walked to the door to berate the 

student that was banging on lockers. Since the 1999 

Columbine High School incident, the reaction must be 

decidedly different. 

 Most schools in the country are now training their 

teachers and administrators how to react in an active 

shooter/threat scenario. The Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Centers (FLETC) is proactive in training 

federal, state, local, rural, tribal and territorial law 

enforcement officers (LEOs) on how to respond from a 

law enforcement perspective. 

At this point little is known about the mindset of these 

types of killers even though there are some consistent 

similarities. This is due in part to the fact that very few 

assailants have survived the incidents to be evaluated; 

most end in suicide or with the assailants being killed 

by responding officers. Links to societal influences such 

as bullying and an affinity for violent video games and 

other media have not been fully evaluated. The question 

of mental illness and accessibility to firearms is heavily 

debated, not to mention mainstream media’s obsession in 

reporting active shooter/threat incidents. 

Prevention, of course, is ideal and there is an effort 

made to look at what can be done to deter future attacks. 

Schools, churches, shopping malls and movie theaters 

are all places individuals visit often and vigilance is 

necessary. Many past tragedies could have been averted 

had suspicious activity been reported and some have 

likely been prevented because someone saw something 

and said something. 

Law enforcement response is only one aspect of a 

complex and rapidly evolving situation, and even officers 

prepared to deal with such an event may not be able to 

prevent an injury or loss of life caused by a determined 

criminal. However, history shows that an immediate and 

direct response by law enforcement is the only catalyst 

to reduce the loss of life in these incidents. A study 

conducted by George Mason University indicates that 

to date the average duration of active shooter incidents 

in institutions of higher education in the U.S. is 12.5 

minutes. Tactics that enable officers to respond quickly 

are essential.

Although there were predecessors, the Columbine 

School incident in 1999 was the first to bring to light 

ACTIVE THREAT TRAINING DESIGNED TO CUT RESPONSE TIME, SAVE LIVES

Single Officer first responder in plain clothes and role players. 
www.fletc.gov 25

Two Officer multijurisdictional first responders, one in plain clothes and one in 

uniform. Role player victim and suspect.

that the traditional protocol of setting up a perimeter 

and waiting for SWAT to deal with an active shooter/

threat is not the most effective way to address the 

situation. As a result of frequent active shooter and 

threat incidents, the FLETC began developing a tactics 

program to deal specifically with the active shooter/

threat situation. Recognizing that time was one of the 

most important factors in dealing with the active threat, 

FLETC subject matter experts developed tactics for the 

first responding officers’ use when there is no time to 

wait for special response units. The speed of deployment 

and application of the developed tactics significantly 

decreases the overall response time, while potentially 

decreasing the loss of innocent life. 

The training is primarily focused on the first responder, 

the patrol officer, the officer most likely to receive the 

call and be in a position to respond. The tactics are 

designed to provide the first responder a practical tactical 

approach that enables them to quickly locate and isolate 

the threat and utilize reasonable force to stop the killing. 

These tactics have been proven, time and time again, to 

minimize the loss of life by innocent civilians who are 

most likely to be the targets of an active shooter. 

The Active Shooter/Threat Response Training 

Program, designed and implemented by the FLETC, 

is the quintessential example of the necessity for law 

enforcement trainers to constantly evaluate programs 

and either adjust existing or create new programs to 

address specific trends in criminal activity. Criminals 

(domestic and international) are persistent in their 

attempts to thwart enforcement efforts by identifying 

typical responses by officers and creating inventive 

ways to offset them. It is known that many of the 

active shooters to date have studied the actions of their 

predecessors and used that knowledge in an effort to 

offset the perceived weaknesses in their planning. Law 

enforcement training must remain flexible enough to 

address those constantly changing trends. 

The Active Shooter/Threat Response Training 

Program endeavors to do just that. The program provides 

the first responder with the tactics necessary to minimize 

the devastation typically rendered during an active 

shooter/threat situation while maintaining officer safety. 

Every new active event is reviewed to determine if the 

tactics developed in the program continue to be a viable 

law enforcement response. New trends are identified 

and program changes made as necessary. The safety and 

awareness of law enforcement officers and the people 

they serve is the paramount concern of the Active 

Shooter/Threat Response Training Program.

One change to the program since its creation was the 

introduction of the single officer response. Although 

the concept of a single officer responding to such a 

dangerous event has been controversial in the law 

enforcement community, the ability to equip the officer 

with the tactics required to effectively, and safely, respond 

individually is invaluable. Even if a team of officers 

responds to an active shooter/threat incident, there are 

contingencies such as multiple suspects or officer down 

Two Officer multijurisdictional first responders, in uniform, with a four officer 

multijurisdictional back up team.
26 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

that may split a team of officers into a single officer 

response. There may be no time to wait for back up, 

hence the need to train the individual officer with the 

skills and confidence for, and familiarity with, responding 

alone. It is far better to face this contingency in a training 

environment than for the first time in an actual event. 

Several active shooter incidents including a church 

shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Fairchild Air Force 

Base in Spokane, Wash.; and a concert in Columbus, 

Ohio are a few examples where a single officer was 

able to stop the killing by going directly to the threat. 

Additional target discrimination considerations are being 

explored with the introduction of active shooter response 

by plain clothes investigators or off duty law enforcement 

officers. 

Through the use of role players and realistic training 

venues the FLETC has made this training a tremendous 

success with its customers, evidenced by the number of 

training requests and feedback from student evaluations. 

It is also apparent, by analysis of training requests, 

that the active shooter/threat phenomenon does not 

have demographic boundaries, and is a concern of 

departments and agencies across the globe. As noted in 

President Obama’s “Now is the time” initiative, there 

is renewed emphasis to provide effective training for 

active shooter situations for 14,000 law enforcement 

officers, first responders, and school officials. The 

President goes on to proclaim “...One of the best ways 

to minimize the loss of life in a mass shooting is to make 

sure law enforcement, first responders, school officials, 

and others are prepared to respond to an active shooter. 

The Administration will immediately expand access to 

federal training, and federal agencies will ensure that 

protocols for responding to active shooter situations are 

consistent. And Congress should provide an additional 

$14 million to help train 14,000 more police officers and 

other public and private personnel to respond to active 

shooter situations.” 

The FLETC is responding by continuing to provide 

quality instruction to those who need it.

Two Officer multijurisdictional first responders, one in plain clothes and one in uniform, with a four officer multijurisdictional back up team.

ACTIVE THREAT TRAINING DESIGNED TO CUT RESPONSE TIME, SAVE LIVES
Immediately following the tragic shooting on July 20, 2012, at the Century Movie Theater 

in Aurora, Colo., and in recognition of increasing alarm over multiple casualty violence in 

the United States, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) partnered 

with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS), and the Johns Hopkins University, School of Education, Division of Public Safety 

Leadership ( JHU-PSL), to hold a National Summit on the Prevention of Multiple Casualty 

Shootings. 

The first summit was hosted by the FLETC at the FLETC headquarters in Glynco, Ga., 

December 11 – 13, 2012, and brought together a cross-section of stakeholders from a variety 

of disciplines, including law enforcement, health care, law, social sciences, education, and 

academia for the purpose of improving the nation’s ability to prevent such incidents. Summit 

participants refined and structured the national dialogue on multiple casualty violence, 

and discussed, debated, and built consensus on potential strategies for preventing multiple 

casualty violence. 

National Summit on Preventing

Multiple Casualty Violence

www.fletc.gov 27
28 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

The initial summit, which had concluded only hours 

before the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn., last 

December, laid the foundation for discussions aimed 

at promoting a systems approach to the prevention of 

multiple casualty violence. Other objectives included 

identifying gaps and impediments to the sharing of 

information for preventing such violence, cataloguing 

effective practices for sharing information within and 

across disciplines and boundaries, and identifying 

training opportunities for helping to prevent multiple 

casualty violence.

FLETC hosted a second summit April 9-11, 2013, in 

which leading experts in law enforcement, civil liberties, 

training, threat analysis, campus and industrial security, 

mental health and other related disciplines again 

gathered at FLETC’s Glynco location, and continued 

to refine the prevention 

model. 

Four anticipated 

outcomes were 

established during the 

planning phase of the 

second summit and 

include: the development 

of a list of entities 

recommended to lead 

the implementation of 

the recommendations 

from the first summit, 

a process to develop a 

catalog of effective prevention models, a proposal for 

the development of a public awareness campaign – 

specifically the critical elements of such a campaign 

– and a document that confirms training needs related 

to preventing multiple casualty violence, identifies the 

audience that will attend such training, and lists the 

tasks or competencies that should be addressed. These 

outcomes were accomplished during the summit and 

it was decided that the last issue should be specifically 

addressed by the FLETC. 

The summit opened with comments from DHS 

Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law 

Enforcement Louis Quijas regarding the importance of 

information sharing and the need to identify methods 

by which to share information related to threats 

of violence. The summit commenced with a tabletop exercise followed by panel discussions featuring 

local community leaders, presentations and in-depth 

discussions of existing models and practices associated 

with preventing multiple casualty violence. Then there 

were breakout sessions designed to further develop the 

recommendations that emerged from the first summit. 

This varied approach allowed for summit participants 

to become informed regarding existing models of 

threat assessment, methods of information sharing, and 

lessons learned from actual multiple casualty violence 

events.

A common theme identified during the second 

summit related to the need for this effort to be 

distilled down to the local community level. Many 

participants opined that 

it is from the community 

level that information 

regarding potential acts 

of violence is obtained, 

thus the sharing of 

such information 

needs to occur across 

diverse sections of a 

particular community. 

Participants spent the 

three days of the second 

summit identifying 

existing models and 

possible methods to enhance community awareness 

and engagement related to threat assessment models, 

which could be used to identify those potential acts of 

violence. 

Summit sponsors are now engaged in preparing a 

report on the latest summit’s outcomes, which will 

be published by the COPS Office. In addition, the 

FLETC continues to examine summit records to 

identify possible training opportunities suitable for the 

development of new training programs and curriculums 

related to the prevention of multiple casualty violence. 

For more information, visit http://www.fletc.gov/

reference/reports/e021311546_MultiCasualty%20

Violence_v508_05APR13.pdf/view/

NATIONAL SUMMIT ON PREVENTING MULTIPLE CASUALTY VIOLENCE

Former DHS Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement Louis 

Quijas provided opening remarks on the first day of the National Summit on 

Preventing Multiple Casualty Violence; Strategic Approaches to Information 

Sharing, held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Glynco, 

Georgia, April 9 – 11, 2013.
www.fletc.gov 29

“This is a terrorist threat! Take this seriously. I hate the 

way you people are spending money you don’t have ... 

I’m assigning myself to be judge, jury and executioner. 

Since you folks have spent what you don’t have, it’s 

time to pay the ultimate price.”

This death threat sent to Vice President Joe Biden 

came from Minnesota hacker Barry Ardolf, who 

jumped on his neighbor’s open Wi-Fi to frame his 

neighbor whom he had been terrorizing for nearly two 

years. Ardolf created a fake MySpace 

page as well as several fake email 

threats from his neighbor. He 

also posted child porn on the 

created MySpace page and 

emailed the same child 

porn to co-workers at his 

neighbor’s law office. Ardolf 

has since been sentenced to 

an 18-year prison term.

After spotting threats 

posted online, a heavilyarmed police SWAT team 

broke down the door of a house in Evansville, Ind., 

smashed windows and tossed a flash bang stun grenade 

into the living room where an 18-year-old girl and her 

grandmother were watching television. Just one small 

detail, the police had the wrong house.

On October 7, 2010, investigators busted into Ted 

Davis’s home in Alva, Fla., suspecting he was sending 

child pornography over the internet. They were actually 

looking for his neighbor – Candice Miller, who had, 

without permission, used the Davises’ Wi-Fi network.

In March 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y., 

federal agents seized a home 

computer when looking for 

someone named “Doldrum” 

who had downloaded a ton 

of pornography the previous 

night. For two hours that 

March morning, agents tapped 

away at the homeowner’s 

desktop computer, eventually 

taking it with them. Within 

three days, investigators 

FLETC’s Wireless 

Protocol Training

By Ken Wagoner

The Shadow is a 

hand held device used to scan and

locate Access Points and Stations. This device permits 

survey and direction finding operations to be performed on foot

in a highly discrete manner.
30 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

FLETC’s Wireless Protocol Training

The Cardinal system detects, identifies and geolocates Access Points and 

Stations within its line-of-sight parameters and performs triangulation of 

multiple readings of the emitters from a moving vehicle.

determined the homeowner had been telling the 

truth: If someone was downloading child pornography 

through his wireless signal, it wasn’t him. About a week 

later, agents arrested his 25-year-old neighbor, John 

Luchett, and charged him with distribution of child 

pornography.

Since the introduction and growth of wireless internet, 

smart phones, tablets, notebooks, and laptops all carry 

inside them a form of unstructured wireless protocol. 

Wireless “clouds” are easily set up for home and 

office convenience and are an attraction to businesses, 

universities and public areas. It is possible to jump 

on the internet without indicating wireless accounts, 

credit information or other identifiable marks and this 

medium has become an instant hit with the criminal 

element.

Wi-Fi technology has fundamentally changed the 

way many of us think about communications privacy 

and the invasion of that privacy. With the pervasive 

deployment of Wi-Fi technology, nefarious elements 

continue to exploit the vulnerabilities of this relatively 

new and developing technology with increasingly 

sophisticated and effective techniques to exploit Wi-Fi 

systems at work, at home, or on the road. For years, 

individuals have heard that one of the evil things 

about Wi-Fi is that someone could connect to it, do 

something bad, and then get away totally free, since 

there would be no way to trace the culprit until now. 

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers 

(FLETC) recently initiated a training program titled 

Wi-Fi Tools for Analysis and GeoLocation (WTAG). 

This training program will allow investigators to 

identify and locate hackers that are using Wi-Fi for 

nefarious purposes.

Wi-Fi enabled devices often produce signatures of 

previously associated hotspots as well as periodically 

looking for hotspots to attach to. Techniques have been 

developed to collect these freely available broadcast 

packets that are generated and are openly available. 

Upon analyzing the results of these passive surveys, a 

combination of social network and geographic data can 

be presented to analysts who would, in theory, be able 

to track individuals and groups much like what is used 

in the exploitation of telephone call records. 

Here’s how it works: Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including 

PCs, iPhones, iPads, and Android phones, transmit a 

unique hardware identifier, to anyone within a radius of 

approximately 200 feet. If someone captures, or already 

knows that unique address, the WTAG service can 

reveal the location where that specific device is located, 

 Backtrack is a Linux-based penetration application that aids in the ability to 

conduct assessments dedicated to hacking and device penetration.
www.fletc.gov 31

within inches. In short, in a crowded coffee shop, law 

enforcement officers can identify the specific location 

of the device, and the individual operating the device, 

sending the threatening email in real time.

The WTAG program was specifically developed 

to fill a serious void in law enforcement technology 

investigations. For the first time, law enforcement 

officers have the tools, knowledge, experience and 

skill-sets needed to go up against sophisticated 

criminal groups; fugitives from justice; suspected 

terrorist organizations; or malicious hackers who are 

clandestinely exploiting various vulnerabilities in these 

technologies. This includes using wireless technology 

to secretly communicate with other members of a 

criminal or terrorist group; to steal sensitive private, or 

government information and data; to secretly conceal, 

but still access hidden wireless computer hardware 

and files; or to penetrate and exploit law enforcement 

or other wireless devices including Wired Equivalent 

Privacy (WEP) networks and Wi-Fi Protected Access 

2 (WPA2) systems and hand-held or personally 

carried wireless devices. The students are taught how 

to electronically locate, track and monitor targeted 

wireless devices being used by these hostile persons in 

order to neutralize their illegal activities.

TIPS FOR CONNECTING TO A PUBLIC WI-FI:

If you still insist on connecting to a public Wi-Fi, follow 

these tips:

 • Turn off sharing

If you use a laptop, you might have it set to share files and 

folders with other computers at work or home. You don’t 

want these settings on when you’re using a public network.

 • Don’t automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks

Hackers often give their rogue hotspots generic names 

such as “Coffee Bean Free Wi-Fi” or “City’s Free 

Connection.” You want to be certain you are connecting to 

the router of the business.

 • Be smart about mobile banking and shopping

It’s best to wait until you’re at home to do any online 

banking or shopping. If you must make an emergency 

balance transfer, it’s safer to use a cellular connection 

instead of Wi-Fi. 

 • Use security software

The firewall is particularly important when on a public 

network. Its entire purpose is to keep snoops out of your 

system.

 • Look over your shoulder

Not all dangers in the digital world are high-tech. While 

you’re watching the world go by in a busy airport lounge, a 

snoop could be literally looking over your shoulder with the 

hope that you might reveal a username, password or credit 

card number. It’s called Shoulder Surfing.

 • Get a VPN

The most secure way to browse on a public network is to 

use a virtual private network.

 • Use HTTPS

Regular websites transfer content in plain text, making 

it an easy target for anyone who has hacked into your 

network connection. Many websites use HTTPS to 

encrypt the transfer data, but you shouldn’t rely on the 

website or web service to keep you protected.
32 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11 

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) held its 28th annual ceremony Wednesday, 

May 29, honoring those FLETC graduates who lost their lives in the performance of duty. The ceremony 

was a joint observance with other area law enforcement agencies in southeast Georgia, including the 

Brunswick Police Department, Glynn County Police Department, Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia 

State Patrol and Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Almost 300 FLETC and Partner 

Organizations staff, community members, congressional staffers, students and family members attended 

the morning ceremony.

This year, seven names were engraved upon the FLETC Graduates Memorial, bringing the total to 

196 since the establishment of FLETC in 1970. Those honored were U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

Border Patrol Agents Leopoldo Cavazos Jr., David Delaney, James Dominguez, Nicholas Ivie, and 

Jeffrey Ramirez; National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson; and Internal Revenue Service Special 

Agent Julio La Rosa. Area law enforcement agencies lost no officers or agents this past year. 

FLETC Hosts Joint Peace 

Officers Memorial Ceremony

32 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11
www.fletc.gov 33

FLETC Deputy Director Ken Keene 

introduced the keynote speaker Jeffrey 

Fuller, Executive Director of the Office 

of Training and Development for the 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and 

welcomed the full auditorium to the solemn 

ceremony. 

“As a nation, our safety often comes at an 

enormous price. Whether at the federal, state, or 

local level, law enforcement professionals serve 

with unwavering vigilance to protect the American 

people by serving to defend our Nation against 

violence, threats, crime, and terrorism,” said 

Executive Director Fuller. “While we will never be 

able to completely eradicate the dangers and perils 

that our law enforcement officers face each day, we 

can honor the service and sacrifices by committing 

to do whatever it takes – to keep safe – those who 

proudly wear the uniform.” 

The ceremony included the reading of the 

FLETC graduates honor roll of names by FLETC 

Assistant Director Marcus Hill; Georgia DNR 

Sergeant Mark Carson read the state and local 

agencies honor roll of 48 names from area law 

enforcement agencies. 

The CBP Field Operations Academy Honor 

Guard presented and retired the Colors while 

agency representatives from the three federal 

agencies who lost officers placed a wreath at the 

memorial at the conclusion of the ceremony.

“I offer our deepest sympathy to those of you who 

are family and friends of these fallen officers. I 

know you are proud of your loved ones who made 

the ultimate sacrifice for all of us,” stated Deputy 

Director Keene. “All of these men and women 

whose names we will call today are recognized 

for their selfless service in life. We will grieve their 

loss, but today, we also celebrate their lives, and 

those they loved.”

For further information and a full listing of the 

FLETC Graduate Memorial, visit http://www.

fletc.gov/about-fletc/fletc-graduates-memorial.

Top picture: Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony wreath bearers.

Center picture: Mrs. Dominguez holds daughter Lauren as she reaches out to 

touch Daddy’s name.

Bottom picture: The Dominguez and Ivie families depart the memorial site.

www.fletc.gov 33
34 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

FLETC’s Role with

The Blue Campaign: 

DHS’ Unified Effort 

to Combat Human 

Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery involving the 

illegal trade of human beings for the purpose of exploitation or 

commercial gain. It is an inhumane act that robs a person of his or 

her freedom, and it is a crime. Human trafficking is detrimental to 

our economy, the safety and health of our nation, and the very dignity 

of our society.

Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked 

in countries around the world, including the United States. It is 

estimated that human trafficking is a $32 billion per year industry, 

second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of 

transnational crime. 

By Scott Santoro
www.fletc.gov 35
36 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

FLETC’S ROLE WITH THE BLUE CAMPAIGN

Trafficking victims can be any age, race, gender 

or nationality, including U.S. citizens. They may 

or may not have legal immigration status. Victims 

are found in both legitimate and illegitimate labor 

sectors; some are lured with false promises of wellpaying jobs or even love. Often, they are forced or 

coerced into domestic servitude, farm or factory 

labor, other types of forced labor, or commercial 

sex (prostitution). Under federal law, any minor 

induced to engage in commercial sex is a victim of 

human trafficking.

Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to lure 

their victims and then force them into labor or 

commercial sexual 

exploitation. Human 

trafficking is not the 

same as smuggling. 

“Trafficking” is 

exploitation-based 

and does not require 

movement across 

borders. “Smuggling” 

is movement-based 

and involves moving 

a person across a 

country’s border, 

with that person’s 

consent, in violation 

of immigration laws. 

Traffickers prey on people with little or no social 

safety net. They look for people who are vulnerable 

for a variety of reasons, including economic 

hardship, violence in the home, natural disasters, 

or political instability. Traffickers use a variety 

of strategies to trap victims, including violence 

or threats of violence, as well as psychological 

coercion. The trauma can be so great that many 

may not identify themselves as victims or ask for 

help, even in highly public settings.

Human trafficking exists nationwide – in 

cities, suburbs, and rural towns – and in our own 

communities. Although human trafficking is 

widespread, many victims go unnoticed. Victims 

rarely come forward to seek help out of fear of 

their traffickers, language barriers, and/or fear 

of law enforcement. For this reason, human 

trafficking has largely remained a hidden crime 

until now. 

The Blue Campaign is the unified voice for DHS’ 

efforts to combat human trafficking. Working in 

collaboration with law enforcement, government, 

non-governmental and private organizations, the 

Blue Campaign strives to protect the basic right 

of freedom and to bring those who exploit others 

to justice. Increased awareness and training will 

lead to more tips to 

law enforcement, 

which results in 

more victims being 

identified.

The Blue 

Campaign Steering 

Committee formed 

in 2010, and it is 

chaired by Judge 

Alice Hill, senior 

counselor to 

the Secretary of 

Homeland Security. 

The Federal Law 

Enforcement 

Training Centers (FLETC) has been a member of 

this committee since 2010 and provides input and 

policy guidance to all matters related to training. 

The Blue Campaign is product driven and FLETC 

has provided many training products as part of 

program.

FLETC’s Leadership Role within the Blue 

Campaign.

FLETC has been a leader in creating training 

products to support the Blue Campaign. In 2010, 

FLETC launched a web-based training course for 

state and local law enforcement officers to help 

Often lured by promises of steady work and better lives, victims are robbed of their freedom, 

and forced to work in factories, restaurants and small businesses for little or no money.
www.fletc.gov 37

them identify victims of human trafficking by 

teaching them about the signs and indicators that 

these officers might encounter during their routine 

calls for service. This course is available by going to 

www.fletc.gov.

Two years later, with funding support from DHS’ 

Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) 

and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services Ombudsman (CISOMB), FLETC 

created a second web-based course. This second 

course was developed for DHS employees and 

focused on seven operational components and 

how those employees might encounter victims 

of human trafficking and how to appropriately 

respond. FLETC mandated all of its 1801 law 

enforcement staff take this training with more 

than 600 completing this course.

Additionally, FLETC has included a workshop 

on human trafficking at nearly every State and 

Local Law Enforcement Training Symposium 

since 2010. Instructors have included subject 

matter experts from Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement -Homeland Security Investigations 

(ICE HSI) teaching at the ICE Academy and 

from ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C.

FLETC launches a multi-discipline, advanced 

human trafficking training course.

In July 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder, 

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and former 

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano 

announced the final selection of Anti-trafficking 

Coordination Teams (ACTeams) in six districts 

around the country, following a competitive, 

nationwide interagency selection process. 

These specialized teams of representatives 

from DHS, Department of Justice (DOJ), and 

Department of Labor (DOL) receive support 

from technical experts on Trafficking-In-Persons 

(TIP) investigations, prosecutions, and victim 

assistance. ACTeams bring together federal agents 

and investigators from the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation (FBI), ICE HSI, and DOL’s Wage 

and Hour Division and Office of the Inspector 

General, with federal prosecutors from U.S. 

Attorney’s Offices, to implement a coordinated 

plan to develop significant federal human 

trafficking investigations and prosecutions.

In 2012, with funding support from ICEHSI, FLETC held a curriculum development 

conference to create an advanced human 

trafficking training course for these ACTeams. 

The first training course was held September 10-

14, 2012, at FLETC in Glynco, Ga. It included 

expert instructors from DHS, DOJ, FBI, ICE 

HSI, and DOL. The week-long course focused 

on complex issues of human trafficking, including 

discovery issues, immigration relief, witness 

testimony strategies, search warrant information, 

interviewing cooperative and uncooperative 

witnesses, and evidence gathering. 

In partnership with the ICE Academy, FLETC 

has now delivered two pilots of this course. Each 

course brings together two ACTeams (12 members 

each) consisting of agents, prosecutors and victim 

assistance specialists. This four and one-half day 

course includes interactive lecture, laboratories 

and a final assignment where the teams share how 

they will begin a proactive investigation upon their 

return utilizing skills taught in the course.

Is the victim in possession of identification 

and travel documents; if not, who has 

control of the documents?

Was the victim coached on what to say to 

law enforcement and immigration officials?

Was the victim recruited for one purpose 

and forced to engage in some other job?

Is the victim’s salary being garnished to 

pay off a smuggling fee? (Paying off a 

smuggling fee alone is not considered 

trafficking.)

Was the victim forced to perform sexual 

acts?

Does the victim have freedom of 

movement?

Has the victim or family been threatened 

with harm if the victim attempts to 

escape?

Has the victim been threatened with 

deportation or law enforcement action?

Has the victim been harmed or deprived 

of food, water, sleep, medical care or 

other life necessities?

Can the victim freely contact friends or 

family?

Is the victim a juvenile engaged in 

commercial sex?

Is the victim allowed to socialize or attend 

religious services?
38 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

FLETC’S ROLE WITH THE BLUE CAMPAIGN

This course is co-owned by FLETC and ICE 

and marks the first time FLETC has created a 

mixed, center-advanced course. Cooperation 

between FLETC’s Behavioral Science Division, 

role players and the ICE Academy make this 

course a success.

The course is highly interactive and utilizes 

adult learning methodologies such as small group 

assignments, interviewing role players portraying 

both cooperative and uncooperative trafficking 

victims, and ultimately creating an end product: 

a strategic plan to take back with the teams to 

strategically improve the way the team investigates 

human trafficking. The training also includes a 

case study, interviewing labs with professional role 

players, and computer lab modules.

Roll-Call videos for State and Local Law 

Enforcement.

FLETC, with funding support from CRCL, 

created two new roll call videos available for 

viewing at www.dhs.gov/bluecampaign. These 

videos explain what types of immigration relief 

are available to victims of human trafficking and 

other crimes, and how knowing that information 

benefits law enforcement in their jobs. Subject 

matter experts from local law enforcement, ICE 

and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 

provide information about human trafficking and 

immigration relief. Each video is approximately 

nine minutes in length.

What LEOs, first responders and others can 

do to combat human trafficking. 

• Realize that victims are in plain sight. Law 

enforcement may encounter a potential 

victim of human trafficking during the 

course of one’s duties. Victims of human 

trafficking are in our communities. Law 

enforcement may come across victims 

during domestic disturbance calls; when 

responding to incidents at massage parlors, 

bars, and strip clubs; or even during 

routine traffic stops. First responders and 

healthcare professionals may notice signs 

while responding to emergencies or treating 

patients at hospitals or doctors’ offices. 

Health and safety inspectors may find 

victims working in restaurants, in factories, 

on construction sites, or on farms.

• Get to know the task force operating in the 

community. Human Trafficking Task Forces 

comprise federal, state, local, county, and 

tribal law enforcement and prosecutors, as 

well as non-governmental organizations 

providing victim services. Find out whether 

or not there is a Human Trafficking Task 

Force in the area by visiting www.bja.gov. If 

one exists, establish a relationship and join 

their efforts. 

• Self-educate and educate others. Law 

enforcement officers may utilize FLETC’s 

free computer-based, interactive training, 

which explores different interviewing and 

investigative strategies that can enhance 

effectiveness. Go to: www.fletc.gov/

training/programs/human-traffickingtraining-program. For first responders or 

health care professionals, take the general 

online, interactive training and watch the 

first responder video. Go to: www.dhs.gov/

Bluecampaign.

• Visit the Blue Campaign website, which 

has downloadable posters, trainings, 

outreach materials, victim assistance 

materials, and information on how to join 

the fight to end human trafficking. Go to: 

www.dhs.gov/bluecampaign. “Like” www.

facebook.com/bluecampaign. Or, e-mail 

BlueCampaign@hq.dhs.gov.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS), along with its Task Force Agency partners 

averages over 120,000 arrests every year. In general, the USMS executes arrest warrants 

on some of the most violent offenders living in the United States and its territories. 

The risk to personnel is high. Therefore, to reduce and mitigate this risk to its officers, 

USMS created a working group to examine all factors related to line of duty deaths and 

the trend of violence the agency has seen. 

U.S. Marshals Service

Justice. Integrity. Service.

U.S. Marshals Take Steps 

to Ensure Officer Safety

By William T. Fallon

www.fletc.gov 39

HRFA Range 2: A Deputy gets rounds down range 

while being covered with a ballistic shield.
The Fugitive Apprehension Risk Mitigation 

Assessment Team (FARMAT) was comprised 

of agency and external experts, both operational 

and academic. Out of the many findings 

FARMAT found, the most important was 

the development of a training program to 

provide Deputy U.S. Marshals (DUSMs) and 

Task Force Officers (TFOs) with increased 

tactical skills to help them carry out their 

mission safely. USMS Director Stacia Hylton 

tasked the USMS Training Division with 

coordinating agency efforts in the creation and 

implementation of the High-Risk Fugitive 

Apprehension (HRFA) training program.

Risk 

Of the 120,000 arrests made by the USMS 

annually, the number of violent offenses is 

staggering. The averages over the past seven 

years, 2006 – 2012, include more than 4,000 

individuals wanted for homicide, 12,000 

sex offenders, and 5,000 documented gang 

members. These statistics are in addition to 

the thousands of fugitives wanted for drug 

and weapons offenses, and other violent crime 

and sex related offenses. With over 60 district 

and seven regional fugitive task forces across 

the country, teams of DUSMs and TFOs are 

going through more than 300 doors a day to 

apprehend America’s most wanted. USMS 

has also seen a rise in firearms seized. Between 

2006 and January 2013, USMS has seized over 

17,500 firearms during its arrests. 

According to the International Association of 

Chiefs of Police (IACP) there were 72 felonious 

fatalities in 2011, which marked a 17-year high 

and a 27 percent increase over 2010. In 2011, 

the USMS lost two DUSMs and seven partner 

TFOs as a result of being shot during fugitive 

apprehensions. These deaths and the recognized 

increased risk to USMS personnel directly led 

to the creation of HRFA, a training program 

designed to mitigate the risk. 

Training and Risk Mitigation

FARMAT made several recommendations 

to mitigate risk and increase officer safety for 

DUSMs and TFOs. The two recommendations 

the Training Division implemented were 

additional equipment purchases and 

development of the HRFA training program. 

There were several short-term and long-term 

goals; however, the first priority involved 

properly training and equipping USMS task 

force personnel.

The Training Division coordinated the 

purchase and dissemination of 1,000 ballistic 

shields in the summer of 2011. Ballistic shields 

are now a cornerstone of all USMS operational 

U.S. Marshals Service

Justice. Integrity. Service.

40 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

HRFA Sim: Deputies utilizing a 360®virtual firearms system to address 

threats.

HRFA Range 3: Deputies performing ballistic shield cover drills during a 

moving firearm drill.
training programs and are expected to be 

available and used in the field. The Training 

Division also purchased 1,000 helmets 

and 4,000 trauma kits. USMS additionally 

migrated back to the use of radios as essential 

communications, as opposed to relying on cell 

phones, and the Training Division coordinated 

the purchase of new body armor kits which 

were developed by USMS personnel with a 

focus on the need for both tactical and soft 

body armor. 

The goal of the HRFA training program 

was to train 1,000 DUSMs over a 15-month 

period by conducting 40 one-week classes 

of 25 students. Prior to the first class, a 

preliminary class was held for 26 instructors 

at the USMS Southeast Regional Fugitive 

Task Force facility in Atlanta, Ga. This facility 

has a simunition shoot house constructed in 

the form of a two story apartment complex 

as well as a 360-degree firearms simulator 

and a 30 seat computer classroom. Members 

of the National Tactical Officers Association 

(NTOA) observed the preliminary class for 

certification requirements and took away several 

lessons from the USMS subject-matter experts 

teaching the class. 

The agenda for the HRFA training program 

originally focused on building entries and room 

clearing, vehicle takedowns, trauma medicine, 

and advanced firearms training. Soon after the 

classes began, USMS recognized the need to 

incorporate radio communications into the 

program. As an example, during a fall 2011 

arrest operation in the Midwest a DUSM was 

trapped in the basement of a home where his 

cellphone did not work. Fortunately he was 

not injured but the lack of communication 

could have been tragic. This incident influenced 

HRFA incorporating a block of instruction on 

radio usage and students utilized radios during 

all training scenarios from week three to the 

completion of the course.

Building entries and room clearing techniques 

were the primary focus during the training 

program. The entries course focused heavily on 

preplanning while covering manpower; required 

equipment; command and control; specific 

tactics used, depending on capabilities of team 

members; and trauma medical care of downed 

officers. The practical exercises included varying 

scenarios that included low light, multiple 

occupants ambush attacks where students were 

required to determine breaching, and approach 

tactics performing entries with and without 

shields. While the USMS executes hundreds 

of entries a day, the one point that HRFA 

www.fletc.gov 41

HRFA Vehicle: Deputies executing a vehicle takedown.

HRFA Med: A downed Deputy self-applying a tourniquet during a trauma 

medic exercise.
stressed was the need for the agency to slow 

down and analyze the level of the threat. There 

is nothing wrong with calling in a state or local 

Special Response Team to make entry while 

the task force members establish a perimeter, 

if the threat level of the apprehension attempt 

escalates.

Another area of focus for the HRFA training 

was vehicle involved shootings, which have 

become more of a risk area for USMS every 

year. Since October 2009, USMS has been 

involved in 164 shootings. Of those, 35 have 

involved subjects in vehicles. To address this 

risk, HRFA dedicated a substantial amount 

of training time toward vehicle takedowns. 

As with entries, vehicle takedowns require 

preplanning and practice. Considerations 

discussed in the planning stages included 

vehicle weight and type, pinning, choke points, 

runners and specific team member assignments. 

During practical exercises the teams had to 

perform takedowns in parking lots and open 

areas. Students had to display appropriate skills 

by knowing sectors of fire, using shields and 

less-than-lethal devices, breaching windows and 

maintaining containment of the vehicle. HRFA 

emphasized the difficulty and safety concerns 

in attempting to contain vehicles. The DUSMs 

attending the class were expected to return to 

their home offices and find ways to practice 

vehicle takedowns with their team members 

and to find ways to reduce the threat of the 

increasing boldness of offenders using vehicles 

as weapons.

U.S. Marshals Service

Justice. Integrity. Service.

42 FLETCJ FALL 2013 Volume 11

HRFA Vehicle 3: Making the arrest after a successful vehicle takedown.
The third primary focus of HRFA training 

was advanced firearms training that afforded 

students the opportunity to perform shooting 

drills that were new to them. While always 

considering safety first, HRFA trained the 

students in a variety of advanced shooting 

skills aimed at increasing officer safety. The 

range day began with basic marksmanship and 

manipulation drills but quickly transitioned into 

high-speed drills. Students were able to shoot 

multiple courses of fire on the move, to respond 

to multiple threats, to shoot with a partner with 

and without using a ballistic shield, to fire in 

and around vehicles, and to implement failure 

drills which emphasized head and pelvic girdle 

shots meant to put a subject down. The day 

finished with a competition for best time by 

finishing a course with their primary partner 

using contact cover to rescue a downed officer 

while engaging multiple targets.

Next Steps

The HRFA rollout concluded in Feb. 2013 

with over 1,100 DUSMs trained during a 

15-month period. It was the largest advanced 

operational training program ever conducted 

by the agency. The common comment of the 

students, USMS and other federal agencies, 

was this was the best training of their career. 

To date, the Training Division has received 

countless testimonials from the field on how 

HRFA helped task-force teams perform their 

arrests more effectively and in a much safer 

way – to include several that claimed the skills 

developed during HRFA training possibly 

saved lives. 

To continue with this momentum, the 

Training Division has developed a Tactical 

Training Officer program which began at 

FLETC and will continue at FLETC. The 

officers trained will be able to take back 

operational training programs to their home 

offices to give other officers the tools to hold 

field office training for all of their DUSMs and 

TFOs. The topics to be covered include entries, 

vehicles takedowns and a tactical firearms 

course. USMS has also made several changes 

to other training programs to include the 

Basic Deputy U.S. Marshal program to ensure 

consistency in all tactics training. Marshal basic 

training programs are conducted at FLETC. 

DUSMs leaving the Academy can easily 

assimilate in the field and integrate with taskforce teams around the country.

In the days ahead, threats to police officers 

are not going to diminish. More than likely 

they will continue to increase. However, to 

mitigate threat and ensure officer safety, USMS 

continues to make every effort to increase 

training programs aimed at ensuring officer 

safety. USMS has taken a progressive approach 

to making sure deputy marshals and task force 

officers go home to their families every night. 

The agency will keep pressing forward and 

strive to never get complacent in helping its 

operators develop the skills needed to safely do 

their jobs.

www.fletc.gov 43

HRFA Range: A Deputy US Marshal completing a moving & shooting drill.
We Train Those Who Protect Our Homeland

Homeland

Security

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

U. S. Department of Homeland Security

1131 Chapel Crossing Road

Glynco, Georgia 31524

www.fletc.gov

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