When you think of a seasoned law enforcement officer, it might be easy to envision someone who has long since completed training, paid his or her dues, and now functions on the foundation that was built years ago. However, for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the idea of having forever completed training couldn’t be further from reality. Whether one is a freshman deputy or a senior deputy who has been on the job for decades, training is an ongoing process. On this day, we spoke with the person responsible for coordinating training for all employees of the CCSO, Lt. Jason Wright. A veteran of the Department himself with seventeen years invested, Lt. Wright has been the steering force behind the training program for the past three and a half years.
The term “training” can be so generic that our first question to Lt. Wright was intended to narrow down the type of training that he actually performs. As it turns out, “training” at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office is a far-reaching approach that evolves into specialization for specific roles. “The broad spectrum is the foundational truths of CCSO—namely that we (regardless of role) must be community focused, we must be ethical, and we must be solid. Once these foundations are instilled, we begin the more specific disciplines that are taught over different timelines,” stated Lt. Wright.
As we dug deeper for an explanation into how the foundational training and the role-related timelines are interwoven, Lt. Wright gave an example. “Civilians go through the foundational training and then some role-specific training. Once completed, they peel off and we continue with the remaining class. Then the corrections-based employees go a bit further into the training with items specific to their roles. As they peel off, our other deputies go even deeper into training that is geared towards their duties and responsibilities,” explained Wright. Regardless of the role, every new employee goes through this training known as the Mini Academy. It doesn’t matter if a candidate is fresh from the state academy or a seasoned law enforcement officer joining from another agency, the goal is to have a unified organization that is functioning on the same principles with the same goals.
We asked Lt. Wright to describe some of the topics covered in training—be it initial or ongoing training. “Obviously, we have regular firearm training to ensure that our deputies are proficient with their weapons and Active Shooter Incident Management (ASIM) to ensure a coordinated and effective response to any level of threat. We also teach vehicle management skills that range from basic driving to pursuit and Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT Maneuver). There are so many areas that an effective deputy must have mastery of, so we invest heavily in ongoing training, and we hold our deputies to a high standard,” stated Wright (with an air of determination). “There is essentially a three-pronged focus that we continually work and re-work with our deputies—especially on the front end of their careers because it is imperative to build good habits from the start. Those three areas are the appropriate use of force, effective de-escalation, and the duty to intervene. All of these disciplines are essential to guarantee the best possible outcome for interaction with the public.”
When asked how Lt. Wright found his way into this training responsibility, he paused for a moment and admitted, “I wasn’t really seeking this type of change in my career, but it was interesting to me when I was approached almost four years ago. Now, I’m so glad that I made this change.” Wright continued, “The role itself can be challenging because everybody is a little different in the way that they process information and apply it to their job. For example, the younger generation that is coming in from the academy has a lot of “whys” in their process. They’re not trying to be difficult–they just want to understand what makes a specific part of the training applicable. At the same time, the best part of my job is seeing those you train go out and do well by making a positive impact. It’s also great seeing them a few years down the road still exhibiting a great attitude and effective skills. Those civilians and sworn officer will go on to impact new recruits down the road. Ultimately, as they approach retirement, they will have a big part in training their replacements.”
To understand how continuing training impacts established officers, we asked recently promoted Sgt. H. Lanier for her thoughts on the matter. “Constant training is vital for every position in the sheriff’s office because this profession is always evolving and adapting to the needs of our citizens. While we strive to train for the unexpected, it is imperative that we maintain muscle memory (both in our bodies and in our minds) to protect ourselves.”
As the interview wrapped up, we asked Lt. Wright for his suggestions for anyone interested in pursuing a career at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. “We have a great recruiting team, and I would encourage someone interested in a role here to reach out to a recruiter and request a ride-a-long so they can have a front row seat to what our deputies experience each day. I also would encourage a candidate to make sure that they are doing in for the right reason. It’s not about the authority, the badge, the gun, or the fast cars—it’s about serving and protecting this community. Clay County is very supportive of its deputies and agency members. Our folks feel that community support regularly, and we also have the unique situation of being an agency large enough to offer plenty of career opportunities while being small enough to feel like a family. It’s a great place to work and serve!”