MERIT Center hosts regional law enforcement training
MARSHALL — Last week, the Minnesota Emergency Response and Industrial Training (MERIT) Center saw a lot of classroom activity, with law enforcement officers from around the state attending two different training courses in Marshall.
One course, held by the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center, drew 50 officers from 24 different departments around Minnesota, said MERIT Center coordinator Jasmine DeSmet. The three-day course focused on issues related to narcotics offenses in rural areas. The participating officers learned about a range of topics including legal aspects of arrests, search and seizure for drug offenses; how to identify possible narcotics manufacturing or trafficking; and interview and search techniques.
At the same time the drug training course was going on, members of the Brown-Lyon-Redwood-Renville Emergency Response Unit were also doing classroom training at the MERIT Center. The ERU provides special law enforcement or SWAT response over a multi-county area.
On Dec. 6, about 20 members of the ERU held annual recertifications during their monthly training session, DeSmet said.