Pitt County Offers Seminar to Keeps Cops Safe

Posted 4:00 a.m. Jul 21, 1997 — Updated 4:00 a.m. Jul 21, 1997

GREENVILLE — Domestic violence calls are some of themost dangerous officers must respond to. Law enforcers must figure out howto deal with the situation before they confront it.There are a lot of elements involved in the officer's training and one ofthe most important is a class that teaches officers differentways to approach domestic situations.

The primary objective is to calm a domestic dispute, but often it's thepeace officer who becomes the victim.

LT. Kenny Williams has served Cary for 11 years. He says he has seenthese often tense situations take a dangerous turn.

Williams says training is the key to survival. Officers in Cary, hesays, prepare for the unthinkable by role playing in various hypotheticaldomestic situations.

State troopers learn how to diffuse arguments by helping thoseinvolved to use words instead of violence. Renee Hoffman of the NorthCarolina Highway Patrol says theimportant thing is to encourage everyone to calm down.

Ending a situation in peace helps ensure safety not just for thoseinvolved in the dispute, but also the officers who are there to help.

In the wake of Sharpsburg Police Chief Wayne Hathaway's death lastFriday, Pitt County will host a two-day domestic violence conference forlaw enforcement officers across the state. Police hope theconference, which begins Tuesday, will help officers to be moresafe and effective when responding to domestic violence calls.

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