Cadets from the Las Cruces Police Department’s 50th Training Academy underwent a series of realistic training scenarios, complete with paid actors in newly constructed site-built homes, as part of their domestic violence curriculum.
LCPD’s Academy provides 40 hours of domestic violence curriculum. Approximately 10-12 hours of the training is in the classroom while the majority of training is reserved for live-action scenarios. Academy instructors watch over the scenarios and provide feedback on how the cadets managed the domestic situation they were presented.
The on-site scenario-based training was held May 19-21.
The paid actors, some of whom are students at New Mexico State University, portray various degrees of violence in scenarios of domestic incidents, similar to what police officers might face on actual callouts.
The four homes used in this week’s scenarios were provided free of charge by Hakes Brothers Home Builders. The newly constructed and furnished homes, in the Metro Verde subdivision, add to the real-life scenario that an officer might face during an actual call for service.
Las Cruces police officers responds to roughly 350 domestic disturbance calls each month. Domestic disturbance calls can quickly become violent and are often the most volatile incidents an officer can face during a shift. The severity of the calls can range from relatively simple disagreement or loud arguments to actual physical violence that ends in injury or death.
Some domestic violence calls can also result in an offender directing the violence toward the responding police officer or any other individual who tries to intervene.
Cadets from LCPD’s 50’s Academy will graduate on June 18.
The Las Cruces Police Department is continuing to recruit for its next Academy that’s set to begin in January. Applications must be received by July 4. Early submission of applications is encouraged. Prospective applicants can chat with a Las Cruces Police Department recruiter by texting “JoinLCPD” to 5753766817. More information, and a link to apply for LCPD’s next Academy, can be found by clicking the “Recruitment” tab at www.CLCPD.com.