Polson hosts police training event

Law enforcement officers from across Montana attended a four-day Quick Reaction Force (QRF) training event in Polson last week. A QRF team is similar to a SWAT team, but with fewer members. Participants completed a QRF Basic Course from March 28 to April 1.

The training was through Trinity Tactical Consulting and was presented by Wayne DuBois. The classroom portion of the course took place at the New Life Church of Polson. The practical exercise took place at the Polson City Fire training house behind the skate park.

The tactical training subjects included specialized equipment, effective perimeters, establishing tactical command, operational planning, less lethal force philosophy, breaching techniques, emergency rescues of down persons and officers, close quarter battle, crisis entry to save hostages, arrest team tactics, incident debriefs and more.

Officers from around the state and two Tribal reservations attended the course, which included attendees from the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office, Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office, Flathead Tribal Police, Fort Peck Tribal Police and others.

“So far this year 101 officers have been shot across the country and 17 of those heroes were killed,” Polson Police Chief Wade Nash said. “That’s a 63% increase from last year. It was our pleasure to host Trinity Tactical and officers from around the state to train and prepare for the dangers they may face. We are grateful to contribute in any way to adding to any officer’s tactical skills set, preparing them to better help the communities they serve.”