The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office formal Training Division began in 1980. After the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (P.O.S.T.) was formed, it outlined parameters for law enforcement officers to become certified and regulated what was necessary to maintain their certification. The P.O.S.T. Commission also set standards on mandated basic and annual training that every agency in the state must follow.
Today, the HCSO Training Division includes four full-time personnel: one civilian and three sworn and certified personnel, which includes the General Departmental Instructor as prescribed by P.O.S.T. requirements. The Training Division has the responsibility to schedule and instruct multiple in-service sessions annually and to deliver high-quality specialized training to certified, sworn, and civilian personnel. The training staff ensures that at least 46 of the 52 weeks in a calendar year are scheduled with mandated and specialized training at both in-service and specialized blocks of instruction.
Training currently uses multiple locations throughout Hamilton County to conduct courses. These include the firing range co-owned with the City of Chattanooga at Moccasin Bend. Personnel are also sent outside this area to attend specialized training courses and obtain certifications.
The Training Division constantly strives to improve the safety and morale of all employees by using training recommendations from front-line personnel and their experiences in their daily operations. The core focus on leadership, tactics, and safety will always be paramount to the mission of the HCSO Training Division as they seek to provide excellent instruction to the law enforcement community both in-house and regionally.
Some of the many courses of intruction taught by the training division include:
- Monadnock Defensive Tactics
- Oleoresin Capsicum Spray (OC)
- Basic Handgun
- Patrol Rifle
- Monadnock Expandable Baton (MEB)
- Tactical Shotgun
- Emergency Vehicle Operations
- Tactical Rifle
- First Aid
- CPR
- Traumatic Combat Casualty Care
- Leadership
- Basic Criminal Investigations
- Basic Traffic Investigations
- Child Abuse
- Mental Health
- Use of Force
- Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT)
- Reserve Deputy Academy
- Active Shooter Response
- Building Searches and Clearing
- Strategies and Tactics of Patrol Stops (S.T.O.P.S.)
- Officer Survival
Lieutenant Mickey Rountree
mrountree@hcsheriff.gov 6233 Dayton Boulevard
Hixson, TN 37343
Phone: (423) 209-8912